How to select the best location in a pre-construction condo?

Question

I am planning to go to second release event for a pre-construction condo community where I will have the opportunity to reserve a unit. What are the criterias to look for? Which are the most desirable elements? Which direction should the unit face to avoid summer heat?

Here are some specs on the units I am debating about. One has pool view, end corner unit facing East and South, but it shares a wall with the stairway. The second unit (same floor plan for $2500 less) is also an end unit but will be facing the building to be constructed in phase II. This unit faces West and South. It is also next to the stairway but not sharing a wall with the stairway. Any advice?

Answer 1

why is it bad to share a wall with a stairway? is it to be constructed so badly that if you share that wall, it will be noisy in your unit? if so, obviously that is not the right location in the development for you. (yes, there are only 3 words to know when buying: location, location, location! and it is true: even the location of only one condo amongst a hundred is really, really important, for resale purposes--as well as your very good consideration of energy costs).

unfortunately i do not know what state your unit will be in. that would help me. but generally, the strongest winds come from the west. in the dead cold of winter, the unit facing west will be coldest.

in addition, to avoid excessive heat in the summer, don't face south--at least, be sure that a majority of your windows do not face south. facing north is good, also because north light is very constant. all others vary a lot.

i would ensure that my unit's view is not onto any other building; rather, it should face towards greenery and/or the pool. you must be sure that the plans for the future are not going to call for another condo building to block your view! be careful to look that over, and get a real estate attorney to help you if need be.

ideally, this is what i would buy if i lived in your life: i would buy the unit that faces east for morning light and west for afternoon, especially next to the pool (so long as you are shielded in some way from west wind). i would not buy a unit that is generally on an east to west plane. i like a lot of daylight, and your future buyer will too.

now then, i must give you my best advice based not only on it given to me, but by me trying to give it to my family and they not believing it, therefore failing to make a very sensible purchase.

always buy the most real estate you can get. in other words, do not save money when you can spend it in order to get the best of the best, because when you have the best, it will always have the best resale value as well as that it will sell quicker than others. don't learn this the hard way. trust me.

the other things you should consider are the types of materials that will be used to build the condo. i happen to know that in general these days, builders don't care enough about how the foundation is built. big, big, big mistake! the foundation is the element which must be built with the most care and the best of materials. it has to be very solid. if not, no matter what your unit ends up looking like (like those houses in architectural digest, for instance), no matter how fancy, no matter how much marble and granite is in it (don't get that for slippery floors!), your floor will begin to buckle and swell. the structure will begin to settle too fast, creating cracks, doors not on level, tiles going a-kilter, etc. also get really good, thick, double pained, easy to clean windows. put as much natural light into the condo as possible while using methods to not use so much electricity to air condition it. you can use blinds, curtains, etc.

know that the better the kitchen and baths, the more resale value it will have. so then, if you can pick and choose amongst different finishes, do that, and buy the best. it will only cost you a few dollars more a month to get the best.

if you have any very specific questions, feel free to ask at my disclosed email here.

Answer 2

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