How much is fair? That depends on what those fees are intended to cover. At the same selling price, is condo unit A with $350 a month fees a better deal than than an identical unit, B, with $450 a month fees? Depends entirely on what those fees cover.
In most condos the monthly fees cover insurance for the buildings (usually the biggest single item), maintenance, water and sewer, basic cable, grounds care, trash pickup, common area electric, salaries for employees (if any) and other common expenses. There may also be money going into reserves for future expenses. More on that later. Some condo fees also cover hot water and WiFi and some even cover AC units. At the other end of the scale, some associations do a special assessment every year when the insurance bill arrives and a few complexes with artificially low monthlies seem to assess every time the Marlins lose a game.
So, back to the question; is the unit with low monthly fees better than the one with higher fees? Probably not if the lower fee unit is not funding reserves. If the unit with $450 fees is contributing 20% of the annual budget towards reserves ($90 per month per unit) then the units appear to be close to equal value at the same selling price. That is until the roof needs replacing or the building waterproofed and painted. In the building without reserves, the owners get a special assessment to pay their share of those items which can run into seven figures on some buildings. The buyer of the unit with the higher fees and a roof needing replacement next year has his share of the cost safely socked away in the reserve account (thanks to the previous owner's share of reserves) while the buyer of the lower fee unit may find himself writing a five figure check for his share of the replacement.
There is another danger to the seemingly attractive low-fee unit. It may not be mortgage worthy. Unless a buyer is paying cash or making a substantial down payment, lenders may not loan on any unit in the complex. At the very least, most lender reviews of a condo are going to want to see 10% of the annual budget going into reserves and an amount equal to to the insurance deductible in the bank. It is normal for some owners to want to keep monthly fees as low as possible. Why fund reserves or keep unused money in the account if it means higher monthly fees? What they may not realize is that lower condo fees with no reserves means that the future sale of their and their neighbor's units will be more difficult. Funding the reserves at a rate of less than 10% of the total budget or not keeping the amount of the hurricane deductible in the bank might keep monthly fees low but it might also push your unit into the cash-buyers-only category.
[update] Another important factor to consider when reviewing condo reserve accounts. The amount of money in the reserve accounts is not a good measure by which to compare associations. For instance; If the amount of reserves designated for replacement roofs is $500,000 then the reserve account should contain $500,000 the month before the new roofs were paid for. However, the month after those roofs were paid for that reserve account would be depleted. A quick glance at a tiny reserve balance might lead an uninformed buyer to assume that the association was not adequately funding reserves. Don't assume, ask.
One last thought on the whole condo fee thing: Single family homes have the same expenses. They are just funded differently. The monthly costs for insurance, water/sewer, pest control, lawn and pool care for a Cocoa Beach home can easily run more than our example condo fees. Then there is the cost of the roof, painting, driveway, etc. when it's time to address those. It's a rare homeowner who has a designated reserve account. As they say, there is no free ride.
"Some people call me obsessive or driven or lucky or whatever. I'm all of those things. Shouldn't we all be?" ___Kelly Slater
