[UTES]

Originally Posted by lv122

Anyway, I'm leaning towards the Allure unit mostly because it faces North, but also because it's a bit larger.

It's interesting to see you going through the same thought processes I did when considering the same condos. The size of the units was also a factor with me.

At Allure, I was able to get a 3-bedroom for the same price as a 2-bedroom at Turnberry. And, at Sky I would have ended up with the least amount of space out of the three condos for the same money. But, Sky has a pool and amenities that really are something to see - they're over the top.

In summary, I think you get what you pay for when considering these condos. If someone tells you any of them are "the best" - they're saying it's the best for them. What's best for you may be different depending on your priorities. But, I think I'm probably preaching to the choir here for it sounds like you know what you're doing.

Keep us posted. I'd like to know what you decide.

Bill

[lv122]

^^^^^

Thanks for all the info! Good to know the most imp. water issues have been taken care of. There is one floor at Allure that has leaky pipes, at least in the hallway- which is what got me concerned that there were still serious issues. I just saw it this week- there was a bucket collecting water in the middle of the hallway and cutouts in the ceiling to reach the piping every 15ft or so. I don't remember the floor. But I digress- the floor of the unit I'm interested in had no such leaks. Hopefully, the building management is on that problem.

I'm currently still leaning towards the Allure. I'm actually in negotiations with the landlord of the Allure unit to match a lower price I saw on another unit.

[jbov]

I have lived in Allure for two years (although I am likely moving out to buy a SFH in the next few months).

I live in a north facing unit and the energy bill is miniscule - $40ish in the winter and $70ish in the winter (although I avoid heating and cooling on all but the most extreme months). I have heard it is double that for the smaller South facing 1 bedroom units. So it is a real issue.

I also love the (very non-traditional) view of the North facing units. I am on the 19th floor and see tons of interesting things go down in the Naked City. I call it the human terrarium. I can imagine not everyone would like a front row seat to the ghetto though.

I chose Allure over the other high rises because of the larger units for comparable money. Also the floorplan of type of unit I live in (1 bedroom 1.5 bath) lies parallel to the windows - think landscape style rather than portrait. That means the long wall is all floor to ceiling windows so, even though it is north facing, it gets tons of light. And it has a HUGE balcony - and a smaller one off the bedroom. Most 1 bedroom highrise units have the windows on the short wall so they can maximize the number of units.

The water issues at Allure seem to be mostly fixed. As a renter you do not get all the info that the owners do, but for a few months they were shutting off the water during the week from 8am to 5pm in different zones of the building to fix it. Each zone was usually shut down at most two days in a given week. That has long since passed. There used to be industrial fans drying the hallway carpets all the time (especially on the 6th floor common area). But I havent been to the pool or gym much in the last couple of months so i can't say if that is still the case.