In terms of condo fees- It certainly is a valid concern as to whether they will increase significantly.

A few thoughts- as you are probably aware, they don't come from nowhere, they are determined by the board for the complex, whose membership is voted on by the residents. So in theory you have some say in the fees and management of the complex.

The budget and uses of this money is pretty clearly spelled out. For the most part, these are things that you would have to pay for in some form in a single unit house anyway (mow the lawn, snow removal, water, ...etc) so it is not like they are additional cost. (except perhaps the elevator and maintenance of common areas)

I think the real concern over sharp increases is when the building gets older and has some structural issues - new roof, new elevator, ...etc. These may cause increases or one time assessments to be made. I know this is the case for some center city complexes. But in theory there is little chance of this in a new building.

Our friends know the agent there very well- Jen at the Grande is awesome but she will not negotiate with anyone. I don't know if she doesn't have the authority or if it's DR Horton's policy, but they never pay closing costs or make individual deals- just have builder specials on certain units, but I haven't seen any of those since Building I either. You MIGHT be able to get an extra parking space or something, but that's it.

I agree that the units are overpriced, and now that the association fee has gone up 33%, the market is tanking, and there is no gym I am glad we decided not to buy there! However, it's a beautiful place and if you are sure you want condo living in Conshy (as opposed to buying as an investment) then go for it!!

what are the condo fees there?

in the past 9 months they have gone from 211/month to 284/month

Yeah would have to agree. Jen is nice to work with, and easy on the eyes, if you catch my drift...

Should I spell it out more? Until speaking with her, I had never gotten excited over a discussion about interest rates...

I never thought condos were all that great of an idea and with the state of the real estate market I think they are a super bad idea...there is just a smaller pool of people to sell to when you own a condo...how many families etc are going to buy a condo esp if housing prices start to decline...they are going to put their money on a nice plot of land that is all their own and where there aren't condo fees or the risk of noisy neighbors, etc.

If you want to buy, I would suggest you buy a house, not a condo...

The real estate market is not always going to be like it is today. Sometimes it's good for the buyer and sometimes it's good for the seller. Investing in real estate is never a bad idea, no matter if it's a condo or a house. Stay in a property for at least 5 years in order to make a profit. And you usually always have the option to rent it out if the market is not in your favor when you're ready to move out.

Lots of different groups of people are interested in buying condos because they do have a lot to offer like: Maintenance Free, Gym, Pool, Security, Community, and Quality. It depends on what kind of lifestyle you have/are looking to have. Condos typically don't interest families (husband+wife=kids), but not everyone has a family. People are waiting until later in life to get married nowadays. So there are plenty of single people out there and also empty nesters looking to downsize.

Hello, When was the Grande released into the MarketPlace? At that time how much was the dresher model and did they offer any incentives? Does anyone have any historical information on prices and incentives on Dresher? I went in yesterday and its $275,740 with no incentives. Thanks in advance for all your help

I'm not 100% sure when The Grande was released into the marketplace, but I've been working next door since October 2006 and I think bldg 1 was released shortly after that. I met a girl last summer who bought in bldg 1 and she said she had to wait forever to move in after she made her deposit.

Also, I too was interested in the Dresher Model last summer. I went to the sales office and toured the models on 6/9/07. The price of The Dresher Model then was $256,240 - $261,240. And even this was up from two hundred and forty something from a few months before. Also on 6/9/07, the Condo Fees were $211. Now, the last time I checked, the Condo Fees are $284.

I had been following the construction of this community very, very closely since the end of 2006 since I really (thought) I wanted to live there. I have a packet I got from the sales office on 6/9/07 and it has a complete Price List of every model on that date. If you want to know how much ANY model was, write me.

Also, I heard that they were giving parking spaces away at one time as incentives and now there are none left in the garages for new buyers. I don't know how true this is, but it would be good to ask if you are considering buying.

One last thing, this community advertises a "gym". The gym is going to be in the third bldg and construction has not even begun on that yet. On 6/9/07 the sales woman there told me that they were going to break ground on blg 3 that summer. I go past it everyday and it's just a pile of dirt.

I have since changed my mind about buying into The Grande. To me, $275k is WAY too much for a 858sq ft condo. I'm afraid that price doesn't leave much room for appreciation. They are really nice, but I really don't think they're worth all that.

Thanks for the quick response girlnextdoor. I was seriously thinking about buying the dresher, but if they were selling in the 240s last year I don't see conshy appreciating that much to warrant 275k (35k appreciation)....does it?