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I am in a condo/townhouse. I have a small patio and fenced area in back. The HOA takes care of the grass and all I do is put out new pots of flowers. Love it! Some seasons i buy pots already planted. I like not having to find a handyman for every job. The HOA takes care of all outside house issues plus the yard. This is a 2 year old building with all new appliances so I do not anticipate much in handyman work for a few years. We always had houses with good sized yards until we turned 62. This is our second condo/townhouse. Never will I go back to a house. We spend a few days each week traveling to area small towns, birding, visiting art gallery, taking in festivals, looking at vistas, etc. Yes, it is nice to let someone else do the work. My fees are $170 per month for HOA which includes insurance, roof replacement, gutter cleaning, painting, and yard service. I bet my children would gladly pay my HOA fee each month so they wouldn't have to come help.
Sounds like heaven. Good for you. Which state are you in?
We moved into a condo. This is a newer building built commercially. Not like apartments converted to condos. Steel beams, 9" concrete between floors, commercial windows. We cannot hear a neighbor. Our fees are high but we don't lift a finger outside at all. Hallways & parking garages, elevators and common areas are pristine. Garbage bin in the stairwell is clean 2x daily. Parcels are brought to our door. We are happy we moved here.
That spunds great. Glad it worked out so well for you. How high are the fees, if you don't mind. Our expenses for maintenance is going up as well.
The condos we go look at have fees of 400 per month or about. I don't know how to judge construction and i always suspect they are not built well. I love our sun room and deck and would hate to give it up.
Have someone else do all those things and keep it simple.
Got rid of my big flowerbeds. Put in a couple raised beds for veggies. So much easier than the regular veggie plot I used to tend.
If I want flowers, I buy a big mixed pot and when it dies, it goes into the compost pile or give it to my sisters. They don't mind trying to bring something back to life. I hate scraggly plants.
We don't have flower beds but shrubs and landscaping which needs edging, mulching, clean up. Good idea to just replace with grass as much as possible. I will think about that. We get grass cut, spring and fall clean up, house cleaned, snow moved. But we still have to take care of winter damage, small animals getting into basement, water leaks, washing the driveway which involves heavy hose and blowers, cleaning out basement. I have reduced a lot of clutter and stopped shopping for things.
A nice condo where i live costs as much as a house, even more than what our house will sell for.
That spunds great. Glad it worked out so well for you. How high are the fees, if you don't mind. Our expenses for maintenance is going up as well.
The condos we go look at have fees of 400 per month or about. I don't know how to judge construction and i always suspect they are not built well. I love our sun room and deck and would hate to give it up.
It includes: 24/7 concierge who will also unload groceries and take to your condo and valet park your guest's cars; several outdoor gardens with fountains and even outdoor fireplace; infinity pool and spa; steam room; very nice on site fitness center; hotel with restaurant on site; water and gas; all exterior maintenance and also any quick interior stuff (maintenace tech will check out issues and do small repairs no charge), insurance much lower than a house because all exterior is paid for by condo; $930/mo.
I am working full time at 62. I have people come in for heavy cleaning once a month, call a handyman service, have a lawn guy. I have been doing my own shoveling but intend to find someone to do it sooner rather than later. None of this is because I can't do it, but because I don't want to. My house is 1250 sq.ft. and I basically live on the first floor (because the second is a guest room and exercise equipment- dusty). I think I never upsized beyond this!
At first I felt odd hiring out so much, oh yes, there's the handyman service… Then I thought, well, I don't maintain my own car, I hire a mechanic, so what's the difference? It's all a matter of choice and priorities. At some point, it could be a matter of abilities.
I guess I still feel odd but just don't want to do these things, and want the personal freedom and lack of cooperation with others and multiple dogs that I have in a house with a fenced yard.
You are right. My DH says the same thing or he will advice me to let it go. We have different tolarance for mess!
We lived in a townhouse BEFORE we retired. Hated living in an HOA! Swore never to do it again. When we retired we bought a ranch house with 3+ acres. We love it. In the spring, summer, fall and early winter we are in upstate NY. Day after Christmas we head to the FL Keys in our motorhome. We have been retired 7 years and still enjoy and are able to handle the work of owning a house. Have made improvements to house so that it is easy maintenance. Our neighbors plow the snow while we are away. Still love to take care of the gardens and yard. Nothing like sitting out on our porch with a glass of wine and enjoying the silence. If the day comes when we can't do it anymore, we'll deal with it then.
Glad you are able to engage in an activity (the bolded one) which you enjoy. I believe I was permanently turned off to yard/garden work as a child when my father forced me to do a lot of it, which prevented me from playing with the other neighborhood kids of my age. Children having some chores is a good thing, but there can be too much of a good thing.
I know a few people that live in a HOA situation, costs are out of their hands and you may not like the choices they make...one lady said when they had their last home at least she was in charge of who worked for her...right now we are in our late 60's, hire cleaning, maintenance people, can change them when we want...we decide what we want to pay. Not saying all HOA's are bad, just be careful.
i live in a townhome, and have someone do grass mowing- although it is a small yard- twice a month and have someone do snow shoveling if i need it. usually if it's 3 inches or less, i'll do it. again, driveway is flat and not long. i also have someone about 3 times a year do yard cleanup. i've had housecleaning for a long time, twice a month. the yard and snow costs are about $950 a year. last year i only had snow removal twice.
this works for me at this point in time, and i consider the costs worth it.
I'm in the process of turning a high maintenance yard into a low maintenance one. Each season I add more gravel and raised veggie beds to cut down on mowing. I wanted a place with a much smaller yard, but there wasn't one on the market at the time that fit my other requirements.
I'm still mowing and hand shoveling. This year, I hope to get a used snow blower. I'm still looking for the right one.
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