Question: Our Board of Directors is planning for the 2020 budget and we’d like to get a sense of the market rates in Arlington, particularly in the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor. What are the average condo fees in the Arlington area on a cost-per-square-foot basis?
Answer: It’s that time of year for most Condo Associations – budget planning time! As a former Condo Board Treasurer, I understand the pressure you’re under to balance responsible spending and reserve contributions with resident expectations of low, stable fees. Let’s take a look at what condo fees are across Arlington…
Arlington Condo Fee Rates
Fees are generally set on an annual basis by dividing up the Association’s total budget, including reserve contributions, by the ownership percentage assigned to each unit. Ownership percentage is determined by the builder and can be found in the legal documents you received before purchase. In most cases, it’s determined either by the number of bedrooms or square feet.
On a square foot basis, the average condo fee in Arlington is $0.54/sqft with a median fee of $0.53/sqft. Along the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor, the average jumps a bit to $0.57/sqft and the median remains the same.
On a per-bedroom basis:
|
Bedrooms
|
Average Fee
|
Median Fee
|
Average R-B Corridor
|
|
0
|
$319
|
$380
|
$306
|
|
1
|
$436
|
$470
|
$443
|
|
2
|
$575
|
$471
|
$631
|
|
3
|
$976
|
$505
|
$1,093
|
Not All Fees Created Equal
Before you jump to any conclusions about the relative value of your condo fee, you need to consider what’s included.
Amenities that require staffing and/or expensive maintenance like an attended front desk, on-site management, and pools add significantly to the budget. The value of those amenities is subjective. Amenities that take up a significant amount of space within a building like large lobbies, party rooms, or rooftop gyms take away from the total unit count, thus increasing the ownership percentage of each unit.
There’s also a wide range of utilities included, or not, in a condo fee. Some fees include all utilities (water, sewer, trash, gas, and electricity) while others may only include trash with the rest paid directly by each owner. Some fees even include internet and cable! These differences can change your monthly bottom line between two condos by hundreds of dollars.
Another important consideration when analyzing condo fees is how well they’re being used to fund the reserves (the Association’s savings account for major repair or replacement work) and whether future planned/unplanned building expenses will require a fee increase or special assessment. A well-funded reserve account usually means long-term fee stability and decreased chances of a special assessment. Associations should complete a new Reserve Study every five years to maintain a sufficient reserve balance and healthy building maintenance.
Other Thoughts On Condo Fees
Over the past couple of years I’ve written other condo fee-related columns you might find helpful including A Case For Condo Fees, How Fees Impact Resale Value, and Finding Savings In Your Condo Budget.
While I have the attention of condo owners/Boards, I’ll also remind everybody that I’m organizing an info session on smoking bans in condos and to email me at [email protected] if you’re interested in joining.
