Tour the building, not the finishes
Every high-rise shows well midday. The building you are actually leasing is the one at 6pm on a weekday in July, and the questions below get you to it.
This is the tower-specific version, and it is the checklist we run on every building in luxury and high-rise locating. For the general version that applies to any building, see the general tour checklist.
Elevators at peak
The ratio that matters is cars to units, and the number that matters is the wait at 6pm.
Ask directly:
- How many elevators serve the tower, and how many are dedicated to service or freight?
- What is the wait at peak on a weekday?
- Is one car reserved during move-ins, and how often are moves scheduled?
- What is the maintenance history — how frequently is one out of service?
A 30-storey tower with three cars and one in service mode is a queue you join every evening for a year.
The package room
Two systems, very different experiences.
A locker system assigns a slot and sends a code. Capacity is finite and December tests it.
A front-desk parcel room requires office hours, which is a problem if you work later than the office is open.
Ask what happens when the room or lockers fill, whether oversized items are accepted, and how long parcels are held.
Parking, in three parts
Resident parking. What is included, what does a second space cost, and is reserved priced above unreserved?
Guest parking. Does it exist? What is the visitor rate? Is there validation? What happens to a car in a resident space?
EV charging. How many stalls, assigned or first-come, and how is it billed — flat, metered, or bundled? Four chargers across 300 units means availability is the real question.
Parking is one of the heaviest lines in high-rise fees.
Valet trash and services
Ask whether valet trash runs, on what nights, whether it is optional, and what the rule is on setting bins out early. At most newer Dallas towers it is mandatory and it is on the fee schedule.
Also ask about pest control scheduling, dry cleaning or package concierge if advertised, and whether the front desk is staffed 24 hours or on set hours.
Amenity access
Amenity fees are charged whether you use the amenities or not, so it is worth knowing what the fee buys.
- Are amenity floors accessible 24 hours or on a schedule?
- Are guests permitted, and how many?
- Is the pool seasonal?
- Are work spaces or conference rooms reservable, and is there a charge?
- Is anything currently out of service or under renovation?
Ask the renewal question on the tour
“What did this unit renew at last year, and does the concession repeat?” Ask it in the leasing office, not eleven months later. It is the single most useful question on this page and almost nobody asks it.
In the unit
- See the actual unit, not the model. The model is usually the best floorplan in the building.
- Check the window line and orientation.
- Ask what the summer electric bill runs for that floorplan.
- Ask whether water, sewer, and trash run through RUBS, and last year’s average.
- Ask whether internet is bulk and mandatory, and at what speed.
- Check sound — run the HVAC, listen for corridor and elevator noise.
Write the answers down. Five towers blur together by Saturday afternoon.
We run this checklist on every building we send in luxury and high-rise locating, and the answers arrive with the numbers and a verification date.