In the early days of the Internet (at least in its use by the public) a clear phone line was the key to access, hopefully with a 56k modem to guarantee fastest results. Today's choices for condo dwellers include development-wide wireless and it's a growing industry.

Groups like Hospitality WiFi, WiFiFee and Meraki are some of the up and coming companies that are making the internet available to condo dwellers and renters worldwide. Internet usage and the expectation of such is now becoming a defining amenity to renters and purchasers, according to some rental agents.

"Prospective renters, as well as residents, have come to expect reliable wireless Internet as an included amenity," according to Condo Management Magazine (condomgmt.com). "Our rental guests expect WiFi before they expect a stove," Kathy Holdrum, tells the online publication. Holdrum is manager of SunDial East, a condo community on Sanibel Island, Florida.

"Rental agents in the area report that when they show two comparable units, only one of which has WiFi, renters almost exclusively choose the unit with WiFi. 'That's a key advantage for rentals,' according to Bret Fisher, CEO of Caller-IP. 'They don't lose business to other developments,'" that don't carry area wide wi-fi.

The decision to install a WiFi system at SunDial could save residents as much as $600 per year as the full-coverage system to serve more than 400 units costs roughly $6 per unit – about $50 per unit less than what it would cost individual owners to install DSL or cable internet access.

Published: July 13, 2009

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Mr. Carr is an award-winning real estate broker in Northern Virginia and authored "Real Estate Investing Made Simple: a commonsense approach to building wealth." He also contributed to Donald Trump’s book, "The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received," and is an active trainer and coach of top producers in the Washington DC market. As a sought-after expert on real estate, Mr. Carr has been featured on CNN, various broadcast outlets and was the former real estate editor for The Washington Times. He accepts questions at his blog www.RealEstateOlogy.org.