Condo buyers fall into two groups: those who lived in the condo before and those who haven't.
And though people who have experience living in a condo and in high-rise buildings often forget that when they are buying a condominium, this is always more then just their unit. I am not referring here to the legal side, where, besides the unit itself, you are getting "an undivided interest in common elements", meaning that your monthly association fee covers elevators, landscaping, pool, gates, security, etc.
What I mean here is that any building has some mechanical equipment, which is necessary for operation of the building.
We recently sold a high end unit in one of the best condo buildings in the area - Bella Vista. Gorgeous unit, terrific view of the ocean, the balcony the size of a small 2 bdr. unit in some older condo building in the area (and this is only 1 of 3 balconies)... Terrific buy. No questions about it.
The buyer closed, moved in, and soon learned that the emergency power generator is right under their unit. When they were turning it on as required for the check-up, the walls started slightly shaking, and the glasses and Chrystal on the shelves were "dancing". The noise was so loud that they had to wait for it to shut down, so that they could hear each other. And that generator was right under their second floor unit. You could feel vibration of the walls.
They turned to the developer, and the developer tried his best to tame the monster. They ordered special insulation pieces, that they put the machine on to separate it form the concrete floor, they build the insulation hood over it, and I do not know what else they did to it, and they were able to get it under control. It is now quite tolerable, even though you can still hear it.
The bigger problem is a fire pump. Which, as luck would have it, is just under their living room. According to the fire Marshall, they have to test it for 30 minutes every week, and this is like being right next to the steamer, when it blows the horn. Not only its piercing sound gets everyone in the building, it scares guests in the next door hotel, who run out to find out what is happening.
This thing turned out practically impossible to tame. They are still trying to resolve the issue, but unlike the generator, it takes much longer, and meanwhile my clients are very frustrated.
I myself live in a condo. We have the generator as well, and when it is on every Tuesday in the morning, we hear it very well, even louder than in my client's condo. But we hardly notice it. We also have a fire pump, and, of course, they test it here as well. And yes, it is very noisy, and still we do hardly notice it. Besides, we understand that they are safety issues, and we have to accept the inconvenience in return for safety.
It is not the noise, it is the expectations. My clients lived in a house in a quiet gated subdivision. Of course, they did not have any of that. When they bought this high end condo right on the ocean, they wanted the upgrade, which is the ocean and living in the city. However, they did not expect that the change comes with noises and inconveniences of living in a relatively large building.
I feel bad for them, and I learned my lesson. I will always warn my buyers that there are noises like that.
If you are thinking of buying a condo in Daytona Beach area from Ormond Beach in the North to Ponce Inlet in the South, contact me on my mobile: 386-405-4408
Jon Zolsky, Your Daytona Beach connection
www.AtlanticCondos.com
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