The Elephants in the Room: Parking, Dues, Stairs, and Hallways

Parking: If you have a car, there are several options for parking. Many of the neighboring buildings, lots, and garages will rent parking spots for $50-$150/month. We had two cars for a while, and easily found spots to rent within 1-2 blocks of our building for both cars.

Additionally, street parking is copious during the day in this neighborhood. For someone who uses a car occasionally, parking on the street is often a viable option.

Finally, there is a zipcar location right outside the front door, and several bus lines run within blocks of the building, including the 8, 14, 43, 49 and 60.

The bottom line is that most classic, "old-world charm" buildings do not have their own parking garages. Luckily, Capitol Hill is one of the most walkable neigborhoods in america, with a walk score of 92/100! More about the neighborhood in a future post...

Homeowners Dues: The $804/month dues can induce some sticker shock for people who might not be too familiar with co-ops (more on that to follow). However, the main thing to note is that in a co-op, property taxes are included in the homeowners dues.

Imagine this were a traditional condominium. Most condos in this price range have an annual tax payment of around:

$4,000.00 per year / 12 months = $333 per month

so when you subtract the taxes, our effective HOD's are:

$804 - $333 = $471/month

Now that's on par with other condos in this price range! Plus at a low $264/sq foot, you're getting far more value for your money than for a comparably priced condo, regardless of HOD's.

4th Floor Walk-up? I'm out of breath! This unit occupies the 3rd and 4th floor of our building. However...when you use the back door to the building (on the alley), the 2nd floor is at ground level. So to reach the 3rd floor entrance to this unit, its only 1 flight of stairs up!

Sound confusing? Check it out for yourself! After viewing the unit and walking out through the downstairs, exit the building through the back door - you'll see what I mean. One of the perks of living on a hill!

Hallways and Foyer: You don't have to whisper - we know that the common areas of the building (foyer, halways, etc.) have some..ahem..."character." Though they are kept clean and safe by our management company, they could definitely use a fresh coat of paint and some new light fixtures.

The members of the co-op board are very aware of this situation, and there is a plan to renovate the hallways and foyer within the next couple of years. This has been worked into the current budget, and should not require any kind of new assessment.

If you've still got questions, feel free to comment, as I'm sure others are wondering the same thing!