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I rented a condo for four years and would never do it again. I would consider a townhome, especially and end unit as you're not having to listen to people overhead. The people above me had wood floors and wore cement shoes.
Seems like many of the condos in my area are 3 stories which means they don't have to put in an elevator. May not seem like a big deal until you're walking up stairs with a week's worth of groceries.
HOA's can be as low as $100 a month to over $600 a month depending on the amenities and after the Surfside building collapse I would never buy an older unit, especially a high rise on the beach.
Elevators are expensive to install/maintain which is why a developer would try to avoid them. The glitch becomes when a resident can't do the stairs anymore (age/injury) they basically become a shut in and those unit are less desirable for future buyers due to the lack of an elevator.
I've seen that rule before. It's understandable if you've ever been to a neighborhood where people use American flags, sheets, or aluminum foil as window coverings. Or beat-up, bent mini-blinds. Makes a neighborhood look really trashy.
If you see bent or crooked curtains/blinds in a decent neighborhood nine times out of ten an excitable dog or energetic kitty resides there.
Sometimes it feels like we just have to surrender our window treatments to the pets.
Really? Every single condo HOA that I worked for had the white or beige curtains facing out rule — so
over 21 years that was about 18 places. It was boiler plate.
I made a typo. on the original comment I made about condo fees (I don't live in one and wouldn't personally live where there is an HOA) - but anyway - I have seen outrageous fees in some areas: from $100 or so up to over $1,000/mo.
I also don't think the white/beige curtain requirement is at all odd from what I hear from people I know w/an HOA.
I rented a condo for four years and would never do it again. I would consider a townhome, especially and end unit as you're not having to listen to people overhead. The people above me had wood floors and wore cement shoes.
Seems like many of the condos in my area are 3 stories which means they don't have to put in an elevator. May not seem like a big deal until you're walking up stairs with a week's worth of groceries.
HOA's can be as low as $100 a month to over $600 a month depending on the amenities and after the Surfside building collapse I would never buy an older unit, especially a high rise on the beach.
That was part of my criteria in seeking a condo. I did not want anyone living over me or under me. I could deal with the shared walls. I don't hear my neighbors that much, but I'm not a big princess over a bit of sound because I grew up in a large family. I lived in garden apartments, though, and having a noisy person over you or a cranky complainer beneath you is annoying, and I didn't want to buy a place and find myself stuck in that situation.
It worked out well. In my townhouse complex, some of the units are two-or-three bedroom, two-story units, and mine is a one-story, two-bedroom "ranch" style with only an attic above me. I'm flanked by two two-story units, and their living rooms are in the back of their units, while mine is in the front. I hear some creaking when someone comes down their stairs, and that's pretty much it.
Really? Every single condo HOA that I worked for had the white or beige curtains facing out rule — so
over 21 years that was about 18 places. It was boiler plate.
Interesting. I only know the one that I live in. Also, your condos sound as if they were the single-building high-rise type, and I live in a townhouse complex. Maybe that makes a difference.
We do have to have the same style front window itself if we have it replaced. Owners are responsible for the windows and doors in their units, and I had mine replaced a year or so after I bought. I had the old wood ones, which were warped and drafty, replaced with vinyl. That was fine as long as they were the same style as the original (bay window with two other windows on each side).
Interesting. I only know the one that I live in. Also, your condos sound as if they were the single-building high-rise type, and I live in a townhouse complex. Maybe that makes a difference.
We do have to have the same style front window itself if we have it replaced. Owners are responsible for the windows and doors in their units, and I had mine replaced a year or so after I bought. I had the old wood ones, which were warped and drafty, replaced with vinyl. That was fine as long as they were the same style as the original (bay window with two other windows on each side).
Given our space issues here, a lot of our condos ours kind of specifically high rise or low rise. Stacked units.
Given my knees, townhomes are out for me. Every townhome I’ve ever been in is entryway, stairs to the living area, more stairs to the sleeping area and my knees are shot.
However we have this new thing that is being built call patio homes. There is a shared wall, however that shared wall is the garage wall. As in my garage is to the left, my unit is to the left of my garage and your garage is on the right, and your unit is on the right. Some of them have steps, a lot of them do not, or if they do it’s steps up to a storage area in the garage. With both knees needing replaced, right now I am very anti-step.
Given our space issues here, a lot of our condos ours kind of specifically high rise or low rise. Stacked units.
Given my knees, townhomes are out for me. Every townhome I’ve ever been in is entryway, stairs to the living area, more stairs to the sleeping area and my knees are shot.
However we have this new thing that is being built call patio homes. There is a shared wall, however that shared wall is the garage wall. As in my garage is to the left, my unit is to the left of my garage and your garage is on the right, and your unit is on the right. Some of them have steps, a lot of them do not, or if they do it’s steps up to a storage area in the garage. With both knees needing replaced, right now I am very anti-step.
That's why I felt I lucked out when I found my complex during an open house. I had moved to the area, rented while I searched for a condo and researched suitable towns for places in my price range (I was still working in the city so I needed access to a train station with available parking) and I was going to open houses to see what types of units were out there.
This was the only place I found like this, where they had a mix of up-and-down townhouses, only two levels, but still, the bedrooms and full bath were upstairs, and one-story units. I don't even have any front steps leading up to mine, just a sidewalk. I was 52 when I bought it, and I said, "Gee, I can get old and decrepit here". No garage, but I have a storage room, the attic with the pulldown stairs, two bedrooms and one full bath, and a fenced-in patio and garden area out back, which was a bonus. Most of the townhouses only had a backyard partition between them and the neighbors. I have a covered front porch, too.
It's small, 940 s.f. but perfect for a person living alone. Well, I wasn't exactly alone when I bought it. I had four cats.
In theory, condo living would suit my needs pretty well. I’m looking at one right now that was really appealing until reviewing a prior inspection report and the HOA’s financials.
For the third time now, I found the HOA to be severely underfunded and a special assessment looming. In this case, the buildings will need to be resided. This is going to be a big job and the cost, right now, is unknown. The HOA is aware of the problem and will eventually get a contractor for estimates and repairs.
I feel if I move forward with this, I’ll be doing so missing some critical information. Such as…how much are these repairs going to cost? If this was a single-family house, I could go get my own estimate from a contractor of my choosing and make a smart decision.
Besides the possibility of shared walls, would you say the HOA component is the bigger reason why people prefer single-family homes?
Are you willing to move? I have a condo in Vegas (sold - I mean the complex is superb) and the hoa has a huge reserve and do everything and anything. Only $145 per month with abundant trees, lovely landscaping, pools, spas.
My one shared wall has only heard my neighbor one time since here and I have very sensitive ears.
No, I don't think hoa is in top 5 of why to move (for me) but I am dealing w a superb hoa. People don't like the homes that are same price as condo is # 1, they want a yard for dog/puppies, privacy and the others with a bad hoa would say that is number 1 or 2. You should sell asap. Your intuition is correct with your hoa.
I'm sorry you are going through this.
We are moving but they are all fixer uppers (home) they are beautiful if you like year 2000. But if you want high end 2022 they are just ok homes.
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Solly says — Be nice!
sell
