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I've enjoyed condo living. In part because I like my neighbors. We can count on each other. Some of us have formed a real community and I was loathe to move into my late mother's house and give that up.
I also like just paying the HOA $200/month and letting them take care of everything outside, and I sometimes use the amenities especially the pool. I LOVE the pool.
However, after selling my late mother's house, I am having regrets. It's about the same $200 for upkeep over there if memory serves for the lawn guy and pest control and water and so forth.
It has two bedrooms and two living areas. We called one the office (large) and the other a living room for TV and whatnot.
It needed work but so does my condo. My condo is actually worth more than the larger house.
I could have bought out my brother with proceeds from the condo.
I've started to fear the HOA, primarily because if I run into financial trouble, I never really own my home. The same is true of property taxes in a non HOA house, but you don't owe $200/month to an entity that can foreclose.
Everyone in my family wanted me to move in there. I am starting to think they were right.
I think I did. But it's futile to discuss. It's sold. I guess I just need to process. Or discover that I didn't make a mistake and feel good about my choice.
I did not enjoy the month I spent there house and pet sitting. But I didn't take into consideration that all of my stuff would be moved in and I'd be more at home that way. Yard for a dog. A BIG back yard. More privacy. LOVE the nextdoor neighbors. I would have created community there too.
Sounds like you're second-guessing yourself. If you had sold the condo and moved to the house, you most likely would be questioning that move too. It happens. Kind of a "grass-is-always-greener" type of things.
Think about what you like about where you are now, it sounds like the community aspect is a big part of your life. Bank whatever proceeds you got from the sale of your mother's house. That can maybe one day help you put a down payment on a house if you're tired of condo living. Until then, enjoy the life you love in your condo.
You "love" the pool. Make sure to spend time enjoying this amenity at your condo and let that ease any regrets you may have over the house. It sounds like the community you have with your condo neighbors is something special and you'd be missing that if you were in the house. Either choice would have had tradeoffs, so just acknowledge that and move on.
OP, you can make yourself crazy thinking like this.
You acted as you did based on your feelings and knowledge at the time. So examine what you did in light of what you feel and know now, and see what lessons you can draw from it for the future. Then move on.
You still have a decent place to live, don't you? You still have great neighbors, don't you? You still have an appreciating asset, don't you? Sounds to me like you're in fine shape!
There's nothing you can do about it, right? It's sold, too late to back out?
If that's the case, then as others have said, there's no good in thinking or worrying about it. There's nothing you'd be able to accomplish by thinking about this, so don't let yourself. If you're not actually unhappy where you are and there's nothing bad about it, then there's not a lot you're actually missing, right? If you were fine with your life before this, then there is no reason to be unhappy about it now just because you wonder if you should have made a different decision (it would be one thing if you had already hated where you currently live, etc., but you say that's not the case).
It's done. Just move on and don't stress about it.
I would take the house. The $200 HOA might not stay at that level forever. The house extra expenses was a choice and you could skip some in hard times, HOA fees is not a choice.
Condos usually depreciate faster than houses. You don't own the condo 100% but you could own the house.
But Jonah ^^^ is right - don't think about it anymore. Too late for that. The house is sold. You got the money. Invest wise and close that chapter.
"AFTER SELLING MY LATE MOTHER"S HOUSE" means it's a done deal.
Your sense of community that you have in the condo is priceless, much better for you than living alone in the house. It's over. Let it go.
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