[lluvia]

Rational is correct about condos. Just wait for the stand alone shacks to crater some more and buy one of those instead.

[Downtown Dave]

Originally Posted by Whiskey-Pete

We're moving to Henderson and considering buying a Condo in the Green Valley area. My question is.....Are Condos built to sound proof the neighbors more than apartment buildings? What are some of the pros and cons of buying a condo?

Whiskey-Pete,

I hope I am not too late in replying. I don't know anything about Nevada housing construction standards.

I have bought condos in 3 different complexes in Dallas. All 3 were a complete failure. They really negatively affected my life. My life would be different today if I had bought a house like I should have way back when.

In my experience, wood frame condos are total garbage. There is no real way to know how they were built. If they are wood frame condos then they were probably built as cheaply and quickly as possible.

Remember, a lot of condo complexes started out as sh**ty apartments. Then the owners wanted to get out of owning the property and turned it into condominiums.

I should write a really long post describing my condo nightmares. Suffice it to say, I would only buy a condo if it is a concrete high rise, did as much due diligence as possible, and I couldn't afford a house - and never, ever, buy a wood frame condo.

Also, if you are someone who is affected by noise - take extra, extra, caution when buying a condo. If you live in a noisy apartment complex at least you can leave. With a noisy condo, you are stuck with it.

[JonathanLB]

Originally Posted by Whiskey-Pete

We're moving to Henderson and considering buying a Condo in the Green Valley area. My question is.....Are Condos built to sound proof the neighbors more than apartment buildings? What are some of the pros and cons of buying a condo?

Eh, it depends. A high rise condo is built perfectly to prevent noise, I’ve lived in several high rise condos and never heard my neighbors or even pretty much anything outside. The key is what you’re looking for is steel and concrete with very thick glass windows (last was triple pane). If it’s just wood construction then, eh, could be ok but that’s not how you build for quality or duration.

[Whiskey-Pete]

Originally Posted by Downtown Dave

Whiskey-Pete,

I hope I am not too late in replying. I don't know anything about Nevada housing construction standards.

I have bought condos in 3 different complexes in Dallas. All 3 were a complete failure. They really negatively affected my life. My life would be different today if I had bought a house like I should have way back when.

In my experience, wood frame condos are total garbage. There is no real way to know how they were built. If they are wood frame condos then they were probably built as cheaply and quickly as possible.

Remember, a lot of condo complexes started out as sh**ty apartments. Then the owners wanted to get out of owning the property and turned it into condominiums.

I should write a really long post describing my condo nightmares. Suffice it to say, I would only buy a condo if it is a concrete high rise, did as much due diligence as possible, and I couldn't afford a house - and never, ever, buy a wood frame condo.

Also, if you are someone who is affected by noise - take extra, extra, caution when buying a condo. If you live in a noisy apartment complex at least you can leave. With a noisy condo, you are stuck with it.

We just moved into a condo in Henderson a week ago but didnt buy it. We got a 6 month rental lease to plant our feet here , find jobs, then shop for a house. My wife is already complaining about neibors being noisey so i guess we're going to buy a small stand alone house with 2 beds and 2 baths. It's only me and my wife so we dont need tons of space. Will just raise utility bills anyway.
Thanks.

[luckydogg]

I would never EVER buy a stick built (wood) apartment-style condo. If you get noisy people, stompers or people who walk around all night above you, or you get a complainer below you, you're life will be hell. They are worse than apartments because as someone else pointed out you can at least move out of an apartment - a condo you are stuck with unless you sell it. The only type of condo I would consider is a high rise steel and concrete because they are built to limit noise, however those tend to not be good investments because the maintenance costs mean high HOA fees.

However, I do really like townhouses which I don't even consider the same type of housing as a condo. Since townhomes often are built as an alternative to standalone homes the builders tend to design them with more features, privacy and less common walls than condos. I own two that have private garage with the unit above the garage, so nobody above me or below me. There's only one common wall in the back, which is stairwell, kitchen and bathrooms - so can't hear neighbors at all. The HOA is low and takes care off all landscaping, pool, gate (gated community), as well as the outside of the unit (paint, roof, etc). So it's perfect for me since I don't want to deal with all that stuff anyway. Something to look into if you want something halfway between a standalone home and a condo - townhouses can be a great alternative.

[Whiskey-Pete]

Originally Posted by luckydogg

I would never EVER buy a stick built (wood) apartment-style condo. If you get noisy people, stompers or people who walk around all night above you, or you get a complainer below you, you're life will be hell. They are worse than apartments because as someone else pointed out you can at least move out of an apartment - a condo you are stuck with unless you sell it. The only type of condo I would consider is a high rise steel and concrete because they are built to limit noise, however those tend to not be good investments because the maintenance costs mean high HOA fees.

However, I do really like townhouses which I don't even consider the same type of housing as a condo. Since townhomes often are built as an alternative to standalone homes the builders tend to design them with more features, privacy and less common walls than condos. I own two that have private garage with the unit above the garage, so nobody above me or below me. There's only one common wall in the back, which is stairwell, kitchen and bathrooms - so can't hear neighbors at all. The HOA is low and takes care off all landscaping, pool, gate (gated community), as well as the outside of the unit (paint, roof, etc). So it's perfect for me since I don't want to deal with all that stuff anyway. Something to look into if you want something halfway between a standalone home and a condo - townhouses can be a great alternative.

Thank you for that valuable info.

[movin1]

RE: High rise buildings. I lived in one in Chicago. You could not hear your neighbors through the walls (concrete and steel), but you sure could hear them in the hallway as they were going to the elevator. Loud, obnoxious people with no consideration for others. A guy who lived on our floor decided he didn't want to take time to go to the fitness center in the building, so he ran back and forth in the hallway for exercise. He let his kid ride his bicycle in the hallway and left rubber tire marks on the walls at both ends. Kid also dribbled his basketball in the hallway and bounced it off the walls. Every noise made our dogs bark. I asked him to stop and he went off on me, said he had lived there longer than we had and I was the problem. We filed a complaint with management who told us they had been dealing with complaints about him and his son for years. After 9 months, we sold and moved. I will never live in anything but a house again and pray I have good neighbors that don't have dogs that bark incessantly. HOA fees in high rise buildings are exorbitant.