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Many condos communities feature high-end fitness centers 6WDWH RI WKH DUW HTXLSPHQW RQ VLWH SHUVRQDO WUDLQLQJ DQG PHGLWDWLRQ JDUGHQV By Meghann Finn Sepulveda
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any condo residents now have access to high-end on-site amenities including personal training programs, state-of-the-art cardiovascular equipment, garden/meditation areas and commercial-grade acoustics and soundprooÿng. +LJK WHFK HTXLSPHQW Like today’s premier membership-based health clubs, many upscale condo properties are oee ring top-notch treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical machines and other cardiovascular equipment. For example, at ENVY, a luxury high-rise condominium property in Old Town Scottsdale, the ÿtness center features top-of-the-line equipment, personal televisions and exclusive Lifescape interactive courses. Black onyx and bronze equipment, large mirrors and LED lights mimic a posh nightclub. Barbells, dumbbells and other free-weight equipment modules are situated over commercial-grade acoustical cooring to reduce noise.
Robson Resort Communities
Condo, townhome villa or loft? :KDW¡V WKH GLIIHUHQFH"
Contour on Campbell Avenue, Courtesy of Liv URBN
Artesia, Courtesy of Deco Communities
By Debra Gelbart
Optima Kierland
“Minimizing sound transfer was the No. 1 priority of the building in general,â€? said Scott Semer, broker for ENVY. “We purposefully designed the Ăżtness center to be on the Ăżrst coor for soundprooĂżng so residents are not disturbed,â€? he said, adding that the Ăżtness center and pool and lounge areas were also designed with glass ceilings and coors so residents can look up to the pool area or down into the Ăżtness center.
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“Residents at Optima Kierland don’t have to waste precious time battling tra>c or going to multiple locations to get all the services they need since everything is conveniently located on property.â€? —Lauren Hovey, ProCore Performance +HDOWK DQG ZHOOQHVV FRDFKLQJ Other condo communities such as Optima Kierland in North Scottsdale are incorporating sophisticated Ăżtness centers that include experienced health and wellness coaching programs. At Optima Kierland, each of the four high-rise towers includes a 16,000-squarefoot Ăżtness center featuring private, semiprivate and small-group health and wellness coaching via on-site coaching stae from ProCore Performance. Group Ăżtness classes will also be available during peak hours, while an outdoor AstroTurf area is ideal for sport-performance work, plyometric and other robust training programs. , $" ) * ") '! ) %#("&++ fe Ăżtness center at Optima Kierland also includes a sauna, steam room, hydrotherapy room, zero-edge cold-plunge and zero-edge hot tub. A cafĂŠ and juice bar will also be on-site. “Our Ăżtness center has all the elements you would Ăżnd at a high-end resort spa,â€? said Lauren Hovey, a health and Ăżtness expert and owner of ProCore Performance.
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f you’re in the market for something other than a conventional single-family home, do you know which housing type you prefer? Your decision may well rest in part with knowing how ownership of each type works.
&RQGRPLQLXPV With a condominium — a dwelling that’s one of many inside a larger building that can be several stories high — “you’re buying air space,â€? explained David Newcombe, a real estate broker and one of the founders of recently formed Launch Real Estate in Scottsdale. “You own everything within the walls of the unit you buy,â€? he said, along with a fraction of the condo community equal to the number of condos in the development. For example, if there are 100 condos on the property, you own one onehundredth of the community. “In condo ownership, the buyer owns the unit or residence with individual rights to sell the unit,â€? said Brian Dworsky, sales manager for Deco Communities in Scottsdale. “Owners have an ‘interest’ in the common elements or areas of the community.â€? Condos usually are situated in either garden-style (one-, two- or three-story) buildings, mid-rise buildings (generally four to seven stories high) or towers that can be up to 20 or more stories high, said Dworsky and Keith Mishkin, owner of Cambridge Properties in Phoenix. fey usually include a patio or balcony, Mishkin noted. While most larger condo developments with more than 50 units will have a community pool, Newcombe said, smaller developments o`en do not. “Fitness centers are becoming more popular than pools in condo communities,â€? he said. /RIWV A lo` is essentially a condo (with a similar ownership arrangement) but with fewer walls inside the unit, Dworsky said. “A classic lo` will have lots of open space inside the unit,â€? he said, “and will o` en be located above commercial space.â€? Lo` developments frequently are located in downtown districts. Lo` s o` en feature an industrial ambience and dĂŠcor with exposed ductwork, concrete coors and brick walls, Mishkin said, and
frequently no doors into or walls separating the bedrooms or kitchen. f e majority of what are advertised as ‘lo` s’ in the Phoenix area might have more elements of traditional condos, Mishkin said, with interior walls and elegant Ăżnishes. “f ey actually can be more accurately described as ‘lo` aminiums,’â€? he said. “We really haven’t got the hang of lo` s in the Phoenix area yet,â€? Newcombe said. “But gradually, people are beginning to realize that you can divide the space in a lo` with furniture and c oor coverings as well as you might with walls. With a little imagination they are really exciting spaces to own.â€? 7RZQKRPHV If you’d rather own the land on which your multi-family unit is sitting and you prefer to have more outdoor space of your own rather than just a patio or balcony, a townhome (sometimes called a townhouse) may be for you. A townhome is o`en multi-story inside the unit (whereas a condo is almost always one level inside the unit) to maximize land
usage but oe er more space inside, Newcombe said. “fe multiple levels also give you some distance between family members,� Dworsky said. In a townhome, your exterior walls probably will be attached at least on one side to your neighbor’s wall, Newcombe said. In a condo, you’ll likely have neighbors on each side of you as well as possibly above and below you, while in a townhome, you probably won’t have neighbors above or below you. Townhome ownership is becoming more similar to a single-family home than to what’s typical in a condo community, Newcombe said. “You’re responsible for your unit’s exterior maintenance and for replacing your roof when necessary,� he said. But you’ll probably still pay an HOA monthly assessment to care for the common areas of the community, which sometimes includes a pool. 9LOODV A more upscale term for a townhome can be a ‘villa’, Dworsky said, however, a villa also can refer to a single-family home that’s usually smaller in square-footage than other homes in the same subdivision. What’s more, a villa can have its own distinctive arrangement for the buyer. Continued on page CL4
Corriente, Courtesy of Deco Communities