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I checked into living in this complex several years ago and visited it at least 40 times over 6 months but try as I might, I could not get past a few things. All of the common areas are so old, smell musty and are very run down. It doesn't seem like they are doing any maintenance thus the falling sales price. Also driving around, the chicken coop-like wire that they attached to every deck for a cheap security measure combined with too many trees and therefore no sun, made for a very depressing feeling for me every time I envisioned "arriving home"! I tried so hard to make it work but in the end I felt the money I would save on the "lower cost for the space" condo, I would probably end up spending on therapy and anti-depressants. Hope this helps.
I checked into living in this complex several years ago and visited it at least 40 times over 6 months but try as I might, I could not get past a few things. All of the common areas are so old, smell musty and are very run down. It doesn't seem like they are doing any maintenance thus the falling sales price. Also driving around, the chicken coop-like wire that they attached to every deck for a cheap security measure combined with too many trees and therefore no sun, made for a very depressing feeling for me every time I envisioned "arriving home"! I tried so hard to make it work but in the end I felt the money I would save on the "lower cost for the space" condo, I would probably end up spending on therapy and anti-depressants. Hope this helps.
I think what you are referring to is wire steel mesh or aluminum cable often used with cedar deck fencing. You will see this on higher priced housing and in recreation areas too. It isn't used for keeping out home invaders, but it does provide some safety for small children and pets. It is sometimes used for decorative purposes too.
Personally, I find having trees and growing things around a home uplifting. They also provide cooling in July. I find some of the newer developments that look like hotels and urban areas, even some of the so called "upcoming" ones, without a single green thing, inhuman and depressing.
I like the look of the trees also. I never saw the inside of a Nagog condo except online photos, and they do appear dated but not in poor repair necessarily. I do like the contemporary look a lot.
I lived in this village for 8 years and I would recommend it for anyone with school age kids. School buses -including high school, junior high- inside the complex. There are playgrounds, swimming pool, a club house, 2 tennis courts one is covered for winter use); bike/walk sidewalks. All the shared areas are well maintained and managed. Vey nice neighbors all around the complex.
The unit are mostly 3 level and designed in a way you can't hear next door unit.
For the questions about spending, all the roofs were updated in the last 3 years, side walks updated , and a new Tennis dome was added and it makes an income from leasing it. The insurance was the biggest increase that I am aware of. The fees went up $8/year in the last 3 consecutive years (for my unit)
The associations are responsible for all snow removal, trash pick up, and fixing anything exterior to the units. The fees are very low compared to he expenses of maintaining your own house in Acton. (You have to haul you trash to the exchange station, for which you buy trash bags ($20/week depending on your use), and pay $100/year. To plow snow from your driveway, a truck usually charges $45 every time they come by in snow storm, add the cost to remove leaves every season, the cost of repairing your roof, and any other external repairs. Add the time you spend, and the cost comparaison becomes trivial.)
Yes, Acton has excellent schools and it is great town to buy in before RE goes up even higher.
But, SF is much healthier investment for family with kids. No amount of space in TH will offset the fact that it is TH with no yard, privacy, and has high fees. Be careful.
Good luck.
While SFHs generally have an easier resale than TH's, the point about it being a healthy environment for a family with kids is off base. We have friends who had a strange situation happen, but they moved from a very large house with a yard in a neighborhood to a townhouse in a large townhouse development, and the kids are thriving there -- there is so much more of a sense of community and the kids all play together much more than the kids did in the development that had large SFH's.
A townhouse development can, in many ways, be an ideal environment for kids to grow up in. They have direct access to at least a small yard outside, and there are often playgrounds within the development for the kids, with high numbers of children living in the complex and it is safe and close by if they want to play with each other.
I think the biggest worry in this situation is the fees and potential special assessments that might be needed for some community asset. But if that looks okay, the townhouse can be a great solution. I can't speak, though, to this particular townhouse development.
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