Amenities: Are they really worth the extra $$$ ?

For the life of me I don't know why people would pay extra maintenance in a building just because there is a flat screen tv in the lounge.

I noticed I don't use those particular amenities. But I live in a 4 floor prewar walkup with graduate students and roaches.

Is it to keep the doorman from falling asleep?

Only if you are going to use them! There are buildings that keep the maintenance basically unaffected by charging for what you use...the fitness center at 2 Fifth Ave, the pool at 370 East 76th for examples.

I hear you on most every count. However, I will pay extra for the pool and jacuzzi as I can usually have the pool for myself and I prefer to step out my door in shorts/sandals any time of year and arrive in 2 minutes rather than to schlep to a pool at a health club. I'm also a stickler on cleanliness of public pools, saunas and jacuzzis and I'm happy with the staff and maintenance schedule/routine in my building. I think all the other amenities you mention are more pretension than utility and I would rather save the money. I don't know who is supposed to be impressed.

Our building has a kitchen/dining room that can hold seventy people -- we held our rehearsal dinner there, my husband's fortieth birthday there, and host random parties once or twice a year .. amenities are well worth it -- if you use them!

ali r.
{downtown broker}

front_porch, how many times are you planning on getting married!? No, I am kidding, but, seriously, I think I have to pay something like $100/hour plus the cleaning fee to rent the lounge in my bldg. (also w/ kitchen, bar, etc.).

So, given that I rarely hose such events, it might make more financial sense for me to rent a restaurant, etc. as needed, rather than pay premium to have the inside access just in case... I don't know...

severely off topic. the people that don't like to share the laundry room with others, wouldn't mind to share a jacuzzi?

I have young kids and would love a playroom. That said, would I make a buying decision based on a benefit that I will use for 3 - 4 years TOPS ... probably not. A gym/pool would be a plus but not a dealbreaker, a screening room would be irrelevant. Like most other real estate decisions, it just comes down to your own lifestyle.

I heard of a new condo that had a furnished "guest studio" that residents could rent out for guests. That is a cool amenity.

about the gym, i would prefer to use one outside the building (feels more private than very all sweaty with my neighbor). but i have my treadmill at home.

Would be wrong to value all amenities equally. Some affect real estate values more than others. Visit any building as a prospective buyer and the first thing the broker shows you is the Gym and Lobby. You might be surprised at how much a billiard table is positively viewed even if it's rarely used. That said, many buildings offer amenities of questionable value(i.e. pet grooming, wine storage)...But if you will personally use the amenity then that will affect the equation.

About doormen. Besides taking deliveries and open doors there is a perceived security value as you are not coming how to an unwatched building.

Here's the only one that will really ever matter...........out-door roof pool.
Can't beat this with a stick.

"Here's the only one that will really ever matter...........out-door roof pool.
Can't beat this with a stick."

Here's one that will beat it !

http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/381184-condo-500-west-end-avenue-upper-west-side-new-york

this is an amazing place. have a peak of this out of our windows for many years. recently came across listing. wow.

uf, seen it long time ago and still remember that terrace by heart!

lets organize the next meeting in an open house. bring your bikinis & the like.

"severely off topic. the people that don't like to share the laundry room with others, wouldn't mind to share a jacuzzi?"

I'm cautious about submerging into any public waters, including ocean shorelines. That's why I quizzed staff on several occasions concerning frequency of cleanings and time of day such cleanings occur, actually watched cleaning practices, and observed personal hygiene of guests and frequency of guest use before deciding whether it was OK to use.

Face it, unless you've got your own with time or staff to clean, it's never going to be as pristine as you'd like.

think about the people you'd rather not share the elevator with...

Obviously everyone's going to have different tastes/needs, but I specifically looked for a building with a minimalist attitude towards luxury amenities because I know I'm not the kind of person who's going to use a pool/jacuzzi, billards room, screening room, etc. frequently enough to justify the added costs.

Our building is looking at getting a "virtual" doorman - anyone have experience with these? Are they worth it? Obviously seems cheaper and less intrusive than a "live" doorman.

In "the old days" the only building amenity (aside from services i.e. doorman) was the roofdeck. Like the old joke about boat ownership, for the vast majority of people, they only were up on even the nicest roofdecks twice: when they were buying the apartment and when they were selling it.

The building amenity which probably gets the most use (assuming we're not including laundry rooms in this discussion) is buildings which have built kids play rooms and equipped them well (and have a good percentage of families with young children). Aside from that, most other of the vast array of amenities were an attempt to give the buyers more square footage. As it became more and more expensive to give buyers SF inside their apartment, they tried to give buyers SF outside their apartment. So you got "common rooms" in the form of gyms, theaters, etc. The first existing building that I remember doing this in any major way was Madison Green, who made a fairly nice lounge. But I very rarely saw people use it.

I think that's the way with an awful lot of these amenities: they look a lot better on he sales brochure than they in real life (I don't mean aesthetically, I mean usability).

Virtual doormen assume that you trust your neighbors not to take your packages and deliveries by mistake or "mistake." The camera will not catch EVERYTHING. It also assumes that the phone system and remote camaera etc won't break. If they do, its just a plain old intercom.

I have only seen them in buildings I was thinking of moving into, but they are not quite the same thing - however they are better than an intercom only, I suppose.

No-frills buildings appeal to me, too. "Luxury" apartment living has taught me that I'm going use amenities very little, if at all. And even if I used all of the amenities available to me, I'd prefer to pay for them on an as-needed basis, with the freedom to cancel or switch as I choose, as opposed to having them included in a monthly maintenance cost that is never going away.

Thanks for your responses. If the trend/consensus here is any indication of how the general public feel about those amenities, developers have some thinking to do.

But, at the same time, if you look at the threads here on new developments (20 Pine, Willima Beaver, etc.), people are all gung ho about amenities...e.g., when are they going to open them? are they nice? those amenities justify the price, etc... Interesting.

In my bldg., the spa is the biggest waste. The girls aren't very good, and their fees are higher than what I'd pay elsewhere. So, aside from the proximity, there's no real benefit. I guess monopoly is never a good thing...

Some ameneties are great such as storage rooms, bike rooms, gyms/pool, children rooms, lounge with pool table....all will help with resales when the time comes.

My buidling even has valet car service....individuals purchase the service...not part of common charges to every owner. I find it funny since the garages are only one small street away (BPC)but you wouldn't believe how many people use it!

"Here's the only one that will really ever matter...........out-door roof pool.
Can't beat this with a stick.'

Oh yes you can. It's called an INDOOR pool. Let's see how useful that outdoor roof pool is in December...

prada (and others, too): That's EXACTLY my point! Although we don't really seem to utilize these amenities, why does it seem as though they "all will help with resales," as you put it? I suppose it's not meant to make sense--many buyers are willing to pay premium for amenities they won't be using.

My building has a great gym , offering better service and hours than Equinox or similar; Multiple house hold members only multiply the savings. Plus it increases real estate values.

I love in house gyms because I'm not a major exerciser and a doorman. I need nothing else. I hate leaving the building to walk on a treadmill or the like

Yes, I think the current discussion excludes doormen and the gym from the list of "unnecessary features."

The "premium" amenities in question are such things like the spa (not very good while charging an arm and a leg), lounge/projection room (most people have better things to do than just sit around in public spaces), library (uh, what?), the pool which RARELY gets used (do you have any idea how much it costs to build/maintain!?), concierge (personal assistants who'd make trip/dining reservations and arrange for gifts to be sent, etc.--much less efficiently and more expensively than you'd be able to) and so on. They do seem to add value to our properties although nobody here appears to find them useful beyond that. I find this fascinating...

The issue is whether you will use those amenities or not. I think the reason that they are perceived as being desirable & valuable is because you can view yourself as being a VIP.

My first building had laundry in basement and no gym. Had to spend several dollars a week on washes. More if I paid a laundry service. To say that amenities like a washer/dryer in apt or an in house gym doesn't add up. The problem with new construction and amenities was that toward the end of the real estate bubble buildings took it to rediculous levels, offering products and services nobody really needs.

Trying to think of a few. Remember these either go away or you pay for them through common charges..
1) Avery
Through an agreement with the Lincoln Center, residents of this building are afforded special ticket privileges.
2) 505 Greenwich
505 Greenwich, a relatively new condo development, has its very own "Pet Spa
3) 255 Hudson
New York, NY - Corcoran Group Marketing has teamed up with Classic Car Club Manhattan to offer new residents of 255 Hudson the ultimate amenity – keys to its unparalleled selection of classic beauties such as a 1980 Ferrari 308, a 1957 Porsche Speedster, or a 1965 Mustang Convertible to name a few…(no mileage requirements). In addition, 255 Hudson residents will receive exclusive access to Classic Car Club’s 10,000 sq. ft. clubhouse – outfitted with a spacious lounge, fully-stocked bar, and calendar of events, running from ‘track days’ to ‘champagne nights’.
4)Ariel West
Apr 16, 2008 – New York, NY– Ariel East, Extell Development Company’s luxury condominium on the Upper West Side, has just begun daily breakfast service delivered directly to residents’ homes.

I'm fond of the vegetable garden available at Brownstone Lane II, myself.

"Oh yes you can. It's called an INDOOR pool. Let's see how useful that outdoor roof pool is in December..."

Except that in general, the quality of the outdoor pools almost fully eclipses that of the indoor pools.

I'm sure i mentioned this in another thread, but the actual building of the amenities is often the very last thing the developer does, so for projects which are in trouble, they may find themselves with unusable, half done amenities. Examples of last time around, when there weren't NEARLY the amount of amenity heavy new construction projects, are the pool at 50 Lex and the gym at 300 East 93rd.

My brownstone also has breakfast delivery service directly to my home, ala Lenny's Deli ; )