Condo fees fund the daily operations and maintenance of most condo buildings. They cover security, landscaping, cleaning of common area, common area energy use, maintenance, and other key building functions. In addition — and this is very important — a portion of condo fees are held by the building as reserves to fund major maintenance projects. On average, our research shows, condo unit owners can expect to pay $0.44 / SF / per month or $440 in monthly condo fees for a 1,000 SF unit.
An important thing to note is that condo fees are not fixed forever — they rise over time. Some buildings — such as the Five Fifty Five Condos and the Sabine — have seen significant increases over the last year in the price per square foot rate charged. Since the last time we calculated fees, the average fee has increased from $0.41 to $0.44.
Looking at detailed MLS records on a broad range of units and through tips from buyers, we’ve calculated the rough fees for most of the major downtown condo buildings. The fees are universally calculated on a dollar-per-square foot basis that typically, but not always, remains constant throughout each building. Generally, condo fees are not higher for more expensive units, or units with more bedrooms, or units on higher floors compared to less desirable units of the same size in the same building.
The prices in new buildings that we have looked at are surprisingly varied — they range from $0.31 / SF / Month to $0.62 / month — an amazingly broad range.
Here is our updated list of condo fees by project:
Fee by Building – – – – – $ / SF / Month
Milago…………………..$0.31
Avenue Lofts……………..$0.33
360……………………..$0.36
The Shore………………..$0.37
Spring…………………. $0.38
Barton Place……………. $0.38
Brazos Place……………. $0.40
Plaza Lofts………………$0.42
The Sabine……………….$0.45
Five Fifty Five Condos…….$0.46
Austin City Lofts…………$0.48
W Hotel & Residences………$0.60
Austonian…. . . . . . . . .$0.61
Four Seasons Residences……$0.62
Average………………….$0.44
Leave a Reply