One of the objections I often hear from people regarding condominiums is that they don’t like the idea of paying maintenance fees. So I’ve been meaning to do a post for some time now that breaks down and explains exactly where that money goes.

Here is a simplified example. It ignores some of the miscellaneous income that buildings usually receive (from guest suites, the party room, public parking and so on). And of course, these numbers will vary based on the age of the building, specific amenities, and any deficiencies it may have. Nonetheless, it should give you an idea.

So assuming you pay $400 per month as a common element fee, a percentage of that will—or at least should—get immediately stripped away as a reserve fund contribution. Again this will depend on the age the building and the periodic reserve fund study that’s typically required to be done.

After that you have the operating expenses. The biggest items you’ll notice are contracts and utilities. Contracts are things like janitorial services, snow removal, property management fees, security/concierge services and so on. They’re contracted items. Utilities are self explanatory. 

Once all the operating expenses have been paid, any remaining money then goes to retained earnings and sits in the condo corporation to handle any other expenses that may arise.

Looking at the total operating expenses ($263), you should notice that it’s only about 66% of the total common element fee ($400). A big chunk of your common element fee is actually going towards saving for the future. Assuming the building is being properly managed, I’m okay with this.

If you have any feedback on my numbers, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below or on twitter.

Earlier this week I connected with a Ryerson student doing a piece on Toronto’s condo rental market. She emailed me and asked if I would mind answering a few questions. Here are my responses.

Generally speaking, why is Toronto continuing to see such a rapid increase in the number of condos in development? 

A lot of what we’re seeing is policy driven. It stems from the Places to Grow Act and the continued push towards intensification. It actually mirrors a similar boom we saw in the 70s. In both cases, it was policy driven and the market responded.

The other factor is a growing consumer preference for more walkable and urban neighborhoods. People are sick of long commutes and so we’re seeing a return to city centers and downtowns. This is happening across all demographic segments, though Millennials and Baby Boomers seem like particularly strong ones.

Is that boom, and the consequent rush by developers to create new units for rapid sale, affecting the quality of design and accessibility in new condo developments in Toronto?

When you have a hot market, you’re going to get lots of people rushing in and trying to make money. Whether it’s real estate, tech or some other industry, it’s to be expected. And I’m sure it impacted some projects negatively. But that market is gone in Toronto.

And regardless of the pace of development, there will always be varying degrees of quality across builders. The unfortunate thing for consumers is that it’s not always easy to tell which is which.

One of the things we’re trying to do (at TAS) is integrate consumer education more into our sales and marketing programs. Mechanical equipment, as one example, isn’t the most exciting thing to to talk about, but we want consumers to know what they’re buying into.

Prices are rising (you could buy a house outside the city for the price of some of Toronto’s tiny bachelor units, if I’m not mistaken…) - So what is making condo ownership so desirable in spite of the high cost relative to space? 

Again, it’s being driven a lot by lifestyle. People want walkable communities, they want to be close to amenities and they want to drive less. And they’re willing to give up space for that. 

When considering and comparing the cost of a home, I think it’s important to consider some of the indirect costs, such as transportation costs, travel times, quality life and so on.

Sure a home in the suburbs may be a lot cheaper, but what’s my total, all-in, cost? If you need to own 2 cars and you spend 2 hours commuting everyday, there’s a real cost to that. If you place a big value on your time (as I do), the cost equation isn’t so skewed all of a sudden.

Are more people choosing to live in rental condos instead of buying, because of the inaccessible cost? If so - why are we still seeing so many new ‘rental condo units’ being built, rather than purpose-built apartment units?

Condos are being built because, in most cases, it’s the highest-and-best use for the land. It’s the most profitable. And investors have been more than willing to step up and fill the rental needs of the market. But with the condo market now coming down from record levels, I wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing more purpose-built apartments.

Would you say that the majority of condo rentals on the market are owned by foreign investors who depend on building management to liaise with renters? If so, why are they choosing to buy units in Toronto?

I have no idea. It’s even hard to tell how many units are just investor owned, let alone local versus foreign. Because there are tax implications if you don’t owner occupy a unit, buyers have an incentive not to disclose. Overall, I find it problematic that the marketplace is so opaque. I wish there was a way to bring perfect information.

With respect to why they choose to buy in Toronto, there are a bunch of reasons. Real estate has been a phenomenal investment in Toronto over the past decade and that’s attracted a lot of investor attention. There are also segments that just want capital preservation in a safe and stable country. Even without great returns, that’s a valuable proposition for some foreigners. And of course, Toronto is a great city. Talent wants to live here and that’s important.

Generally speaking, is there a certain LOCAL demographic (ie, boomers, post-boomers) that are investing in condos for the purposes of renting them out? What makes that investment so desirable?

Again, there isn’t great data on this. 

What I will add to the investor topic is that, despite the fact that investors often get a lot of flack, they do serve two important needs in the marketplace for both developers and consumers. The first one we’ve already talked about. Investors provide rental housing in Toronto at a time when few, new, purpose-built rental apartments are being constructed.

The second one is that investors help to get projects under construction and built. I’ve heard one developer refer to them as providing a kind of short-term financing. Because consumers don’t always want to commit to a unit that might be built 4-5 years out, developers rely on investors to buy pre-sale units so that the project can get underway. Once construction is complete, these units then often get sold to end users who are now ready to commit and move in.

One of the objections I often hear from people regarding condominiums is that they don’t like the idea of paying maintenance fees. So I’ve been meaning to do a post for some time now that breaks down and explains exactly where that money goes.

Here is a simplified example. It ignores some of the miscellaneous income that buildings usually receive (from guest suites, the party room, public parking and so on). And of course, these numbers will vary based on the age of the building, specific amenities, and any deficiencies it may have. Nonetheless, it should give you an idea.

So assuming you pay $400 per month as a common element fee, a percentage of that will—or at least should—get immediately stripped away as a reserve fund contribution. Again this will depend on the age the building and the periodic reserve fund study that’s typically required to be done.

After that you have the operating expenses. The biggest items you’ll notice are contracts and utilities. Contracts are things like janitorial services, snow removal, property management fees, security/concierge services and so on. They’re contracted items. Utilities are self explanatory. 

Once all the operating expenses have been paid, any remaining money then goes to retained earnings and sits in the condo corporation to handle any other expenses that may arise.

Looking at the total operating expenses ($263), you should notice that it’s only about 66% of the total common element fee ($400). A big chunk of your common element fee is actually going towards saving for the future. Assuming the building is being properly managed, I’m okay with this.

If you have any feedback on my numbers, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below or on twitter.

Earlier this week I connected with a Ryerson student doing a piece on Toronto’s condo rental market. She emailed me and asked if I would mind answering a few questions. Here are my responses.

Generally speaking, why is Toronto continuing to see such a rapid increase in the number of condos in development? 

A lot of what we’re seeing is policy driven. It stems from the Places to Grow Act and the continued push towards intensification. It actually mirrors a similar boom we saw in the 70s. In both cases, it was policy driven and the market responded.

The other factor is a growing consumer preference for more walkable and urban neighborhoods. People are sick of long commutes and so we’re seeing a return to city centers and downtowns. This is happening across all demographic segments, though Millennials and Baby Boomers seem like particularly strong ones.

Is that boom, and the consequent rush by developers to create new units for rapid sale, affecting the quality of design and accessibility in new condo developments in Toronto?

When you have a hot market, you’re going to get lots of people rushing in and trying to make money. Whether it’s real estate, tech or some other industry, it’s to be expected. And I’m sure it impacted some projects negatively. But that market is gone in Toronto.

And regardless of the pace of development, there will always be varying degrees of quality across builders. The unfortunate thing for consumers is that it’s not always easy to tell which is which.

One of the things we’re trying to do (at TAS) is integrate consumer education more into our sales and marketing programs. Mechanical equipment, as one example, isn’t the most exciting thing to to talk about, but we want consumers to know what they’re buying into.

Prices are rising (you could buy a house outside the city for the price of some of Toronto’s tiny bachelor units, if I’m not mistaken…) - So what is making condo ownership so desirable in spite of the high cost relative to space? 

Again, it’s being driven a lot by lifestyle. People want walkable communities, they want to be close to amenities and they want to drive less. And they’re willing to give up space for that. 

When considering and comparing the cost of a home, I think it’s important to consider some of the indirect costs, such as transportation costs, travel times, quality life and so on.

Sure a home in the suburbs may be a lot cheaper, but what’s my total, all-in, cost? If you need to own 2 cars and you spend 2 hours commuting everyday, there’s a real cost to that. If you place a big value on your time (as I do), the cost equation isn’t so skewed all of a sudden.

Are more people choosing to live in rental condos instead of buying, because of the inaccessible cost? If so - why are we still seeing so many new ‘rental condo units’ being built, rather than purpose-built apartment units?

Condos are being built because, in most cases, it’s the highest-and-best use for the land. It’s the most profitable. And investors have been more than willing to step up and fill the rental needs of the market. But with the condo market now coming down from record levels, I wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing more purpose-built apartments.

Would you say that the majority of condo rentals on the market are owned by foreign investors who depend on building management to liaise with renters? If so, why are they choosing to buy units in Toronto?

I have no idea. It’s even hard to tell how many units are just investor owned, let alone local versus foreign. Because there are tax implications if you don’t owner occupy a unit, buyers have an incentive not to disclose. Overall, I find it problematic that the marketplace is so opaque. I wish there was a way to bring perfect information.

With respect to why they choose to buy in Toronto, there are a bunch of reasons. Real estate has been a phenomenal investment in Toronto over the past decade and that’s attracted a lot of investor attention. There are also segments that just want capital preservation in a safe and stable country. Even without great returns, that’s a valuable proposition for some foreigners. And of course, Toronto is a great city. Talent wants to live here and that’s important.

Generally speaking, is there a certain LOCAL demographic (ie, boomers, post-boomers) that are investing in condos for the purposes of renting them out? What makes that investment so desirable?

Again, there isn’t great data on this. 

What I will add to the investor topic is that, despite the fact that investors often get a lot of flack, they do serve two important needs in the marketplace for both developers and consumers. The first one we’ve already talked about. Investors provide rental housing in Toronto at a time when few, new, purpose-built rental apartments are being constructed.

The second one is that investors help to get projects under construction and built. I’ve heard one developer refer to them as providing a kind of short-term financing. Because consumers don’t always want to commit to a unit that might be built 4-5 years out, developers rely on investors to buy pre-sale units so that the project can get underway. Once construction is complete, these units then often get sold to end users who are now ready to commit and move in.