Hi emkayoh,
For one bedrooms in elevator buildings (walk ups are an exception) I would typically like to see maintenance between 600 and 800/mo, and 2 bedrooms between 800 and 1000 per month... There are some specific buildings that have slightly higher maintenances, which are perfectly healthy buildinds like The Berkley and Terrace View, but the average is closer to the numbers I mentioned above.
Even though it's true that in the same line a few extra shares are allocated to the higher floors in coops, given that you only have 6 floors in most elevator buildings here, the range of maintenances in the same line isn's too wide.
Closing timelines with coops CAN be stretchy and tricky, especially in occupied unit scenario. To do a coop deal efficiently and to get it through the contract process, the mortgage bank, management company, and ultimately the boad of directors to get clearance to close, your timeline is highly dependent on the efficiency, level of communication and the diligence of everyone involved in the deal (you, broker, bank, appraiser, attorneys, managing agent etc.). In builidngs that we've had experience selling in, we may be able to give you a better estimate, and manage your timeline and expectations better. We had a deal close as soon as 30 days from contract signing, and we usually expect to close on or about 60 days from contract.
In terms of renting vs purchasing - renting is the current and the default alternative in every case. In my experience, purchase happens when the purchase becomes the ultimate goal and the right property presents itself within relatively reasonable move-in timeline.
We have a lot of information on our site which may help guide your purchase process :
www.jacksonheightslistings.com Warmly,
Armen