How is it a scam to pay someone for their specific and learned knowledge about all the things you are asking about? You want intimate and specific info from a reliable source and you aren’t willing to pay for this info. So you’ll do it yourself. But then you want others to give you the info that the one person who’s profession is to know what you want to know, would know. But yet you don’t want to pay them?

And many of the high rises actually pay the realtor a finders fee anyway so in many cases you would still get this info for free. Additional since it’s a high rise you would only have to pay 1/2 the fee since your realtor doesn’t have to share the fee with a co-broker (other side of the transaction).

Find a reputable realtor from DTJC and they’ll know all the answers from the perspective of multiple people they have housed at the variety of buildings you are asking about. Rather then get one off antidotes for a single perspective experience or passing conversation with a friend.