The reason why “people dare to live in the lower floors” of a condominium tower, even though they cannot enjoy the view.

Concierge, party room… all the common facilities that tower condos boast are available for 20-30% less!

Tower condominiums seem to make sense because you live on a high-rise floor. On the other hand, high-rise floors also have disadvantages such as power outages and large shaking during earthquakes. What advantages do the lower floors of tower condominiums have? We asked real estate journalist Junji Sakaki, who is critical of tower condominiums.

He said, “Tower condominiums often have a large number of units; some have more than 1,000 units, while others usually have more than 500. In the case of tower condominiums with such a large number of units, there are many common facilities, and residents of tower condominiums can use them regardless of whether they are on a high-rise or low-rise floor. Isn’t it an advantage to be able to use the common facilities?”

Shared facilities include fitness gyms, swimming pools, spas, saunas, lounges and bars, and large public baths, and the type of shared facilities provided depends on the property. Even if the management fee is a little high, it might be a good deal considering that you have to go to the fitness gym and pay a membership fee, but

“It may be good for those who use it, but there is the aspect that those who don’t use it also have to pay the same management fee,” he said. Also, most tower condominiums have party rooms on the upper floors where you can have parties while enjoying the view.”

Enjoying a drink while enjoying the night view of the city. Isn’t it quite nice?

It seems that this room is used frequently, and parties are often held here on a pay-as-you-go basis,” he said. It seems that when a party is held in a tower apartment with a great view, women are inclined to say, ‘Let’s go there. They might think, ‘It’s so nice that you live in a place like this.

Certainly, I’d like to go there for a while.

But are the shared facilities the only advantage? I hear that there is a concierge at the front desk who offers a variety of services.

‘If it were more than 500 units, there would be some sort of concierge at the front desk. This also varies depending on the property, but in general, they can take care of dry cleaning, send out parcel deliveries, arrange cabs, provide photocopying and fax services, and even sell stamps and batteries. These are also convenient services for those who use them, but if you don’t use them, you just end up paying the cost.”

Generally speaking, the lower floors of a tower block are said to be 20-30% cheaper than the upper floors; a 100 million yen condominium can use the services that only a tower block can boast for 20-30 million yen off!　This could be a big advantage.

As for security, triple locks are the rule!

However, it is sad that the shared facilities and concierge are the only advantages. Aren’t there others?　Isn’t the security perfect?

As far as security is concerned, triple locks are the rule. When you enter the entrance, when you get on the elevator, and in front of your unit. It’s a hassle to say the least, but I’m sure the security is good.

How about earthquake resistance?　The earthquake resistance of the building seems to be excellent, since it prevents such a tall building from collapsing.

The earthquake resistance of a tower condominium is the same as that of an ordinary condominium, as long as it meets the standard of withstanding an earthquake of intensity 7. However, the higher you go on the upper floors, the more it shakes, but this is not the case on the lower floors, which is probably the advantage of the lower floors.

Waiting 30 minutes for the elevator…but on a low-rise you can take the stairs!

What about the higher floors?　You pay a good amount of money for it, so I guess it must be worth it.

‘I guess it’s just the view. It’s windy, so you can hardly open the windows. You can’t hang your laundry or put things on the balcony. The sunlight is harsh, so the upper floors facing south are very difficult. In summer, for example, you have to close the curtains and leave the air conditioning on.

However, the high-rise floors of tower apartments are vital for the view, so if you can see Tokyo Tower from a south-facing room, for example, the south-facing rooms are likely to be more expensive.

Moreover, the elevator doesn’t come up easily when you go to work, for example, and you have to wait for 10 or 20 minutes. If you are on a low-rise floor, you can use the stairs, but this is not the case on a high-rise floor. The advantage of low-rise floors may be that you can use the stairs.”

Using the stairs might be a good idea, but the management fee includes the cost of electricity used for the elevators. It would be a loss if they always had to use the stairs.

Some properties are now offering “discounts” on management fees and maintenance fees for low-rise apartments.

In the old days, management fees and repair reserve were calculated on a per-square-meter basis, so the lower the floor, the more expensive it was from a purchase price standpoint. However, many recent tower condominiums seem to have a slight difference depending on the number of floors. However, the price is still about 20-30% lower than that of a high-rise condominium. Still, compared to ordinary condominiums, the management fee and reserve for repairs for the lower floors of a tower condominium may be said to be relatively expensive.

Hmmm, I can’t see any reason to choose a low-rise floor. I wonder what advantages those who chose the low-rise floors saw in them.

“It’s probably just vanity,” he said. I think they want to say, ‘I live in that tower apartment. I don’t think tower condominiums are worth the price. However, everyone has his or her own sense of value, so if you think tower condominiums are cool, I think you should live in one.”

Junji Sakaki For more than 30 years since the late 1980s, he has been involved in developing advertising and sales strategies for condominiums. Drawing on this experience, he holds home-buying seminars for the general public, regularly contributes articles to newspapers and magazines, and explains the inner workings of the real estate industry in his blog and e-mail newsletters. His publications include “Do condominiums make Japanese people happy?” (Shueisha Shinsho), “All condominiums will become ruins” (East Shinsho), and “Marginal tower condominiums” (Shueisha Shinsho).