Comment by Grombobulous
1 day ago
It seems like you're breezing past the concept of the fallacy entirely.
The value of the doorman isn't the intercom functionality.
People like doorman buildings because the building has a real person with eyes on the premises at all times.
An intercom or automatic door opening system can't deal with delivery people who can't figure out the intercom system, don't follow delivery instructions, leave your package/food somewhere random, etc. And that's only a fraction of the value a doorman provides.
An intercom system won't deter trespassers, petty crime, etc.
As long as the building is large enough, the cost is negligible.
I randomly picked a listing in NYC, 219 East 69th Street. 145 apartments on 13 floors.
Let's say you're paying a doorman 24/7 at $30/hour, that's $150/month/resident.
> $150/month/resident
Was this supposed to be negligible?
Google AI suggests the rents there run from $5k to $9k a month, so, is 1.7% to 3% of the rent negligible?
The unit I was looking at was listed $6k a month, so that’s about right.
I pay this much for a trash collection service that doesn't seem to ever show up and fines me if I get the unlisted rules wrong.
Maybe negligible was a strong word but I’ll say “a good value” instead.
The building I randomly picked out wasn’t particularly large, either. The larger the building, the smaller this cost becomes.
I know someone living in a 900 unit tower. A doorman is an obvious benefit in that building.
Compared to many condo fees that is tiny, yes
I’ve lived in NYC buildings with doormen and without. Making friends with them is key. They are very helpful to the residents that treat them with respect.
But if you never bother talking to the person at the door then you won’t see much value and thus an intercom seems just fine.
I’d choose the building with rather than without.