Guest contributor Dare Johnson Wenzler is a Capitol Hill resident, Realtor and co-owner of First Vine Wine Imports + Sales.
Have you been condo shopping lately? Depressing, isn’t it, when all the really nice places are well over $300k with sky high condo fees. It’s enough to make you throw in the towel and move to Fairfax County.
Well don’t pack up just yet. Check out the stylish Atlas lofts – this Sunday the remaining 3 unsold units will be open from 1 – 3. Hardwood flooring, Berber carpet in bedrooms, Individual unit security systems, washer & dryers, kitchens with granite counters & stainless steel appliances & 10 to 11 foot ceilings. Walk to future H St streetcar, and just a few blocks from the happening end of H Street.
Here’s the best part: The 2 Bedroom is listed at $276k and the two 1 BR units are listed at $180k and $168k respectively, with a condo fee only around $100/month.
See the rest of this weekend’s open houses here.
The prices on these units certainly seem good, but I would throw out caution on the condo fees. In our building, the units were sold with low fees as well, but once the builder was out and the condo had to run itself, we quickly realized that the low fees weren’t feasible. I suggest looking very carefully at the budget to see if the prices for services are realistic and if there are enough funds for things like snow removal, cleaning service for the common area, condo management fees, taxes and prep, fire alarm and extinguisher inspections, etc etc. Of particular importance is to pay attention to how much is currently in and is going into the reserves.