By: Craig Dodd
My philosophy is, you can’t live in a view. Therefore, making sure the space works for you is imperative above all else. Ask yourself, does the home have the necessary storage and size rooms I need? The novelty of a great view will fade over time, but the size of your kitchen and the flow of your space is what you see and live with from the moment you walk through your door. With size in mind, I recommend not going below 50% of what your current space is, if you live in a single family home. Therefore if you have 3000sf home, a 1200sf condo will likely be too much of a downsize for you.
Here is where my philosophy on condo views developed from: When I first began selling condos 10 years ago, I always thought the higher up you bought the better. However, as I began to speak with more and more clients that lived with very high views. Many began telling me that after three to six months, they stopped noticing the view. The owners explained that they just didn’t enjoy it much in their day-to-day lives unless they had company, but their living space is what they had to live with day-in and day-out.
Oddly enough, the clients that purchased condos with a tree line view that allowed them to see people walking around reported that they stayed engaged with the view and enjoyed it more. They often sit on their terrace and people watch. This is difficult to do if your view is from the 25th floor unless you brought your handy binoculars which for some might sound a little strange?
Therefore, based on my conversations over the years, my recommendation is to be high enough off the street to cut noise, but still able to engage with what is going on around you. Depending on the location, that might be as low as the 4th-5h floor. Since condominiums typically increase about $10,000 for every vertical jump you make, living on a lower floor may mean that you pay less and enjoy more.
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