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View Poll Results: So you sold your house and moved to a condo. Regrets?
Very happy and have not missed the house 33 64.71%
Hate it but getting used to it. 3 5.88%
If i could do over I would have chosen differently. 9 17.65%
Happy with condo but location sucks. 0 0%
Not enough space and I cannot organize all our stuff 1 1.96%
Condo association problems make my unhappy. 7 13.73%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 51. You may not vote on this poll

 
 
Old 10-17-2015, 06:42 PM
 
4,538 posts, read 6,417,618 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ss20ts View Post
That's what by-laws are for!





Now that sounds sweet! Talk about a sexy kinda place to live......YIKES!!!! You wanna come over for dinner? Yeah, sure. I live at Taco Bell....all the burritos you can eat.

By laws are tough to enforce. We have a new lawyer for instance and were reviewing by-laws guess what we do not have the legal authority to fine people. We do have late charges and if you dont pay maint we can cut off amenity, (only one is parking on-site) and place liens, foreclose etc.

Plus even then stressful in a place with no on-site management. I also find it hard to enforce renting on furnished units. Black and white put a for rent sign up, hire a realtor, moving truck comes I can see. But right now 10-15% of complex is rented furnished I would say. How do you evict folks easily in furnished units? Even if you did what are you evicting, none of stuff is belongs to them, you have no lease and complex dont know the names of the people and no record money changing hands.

Blocking renting is tough as we will have to strengthen by-laws. Condo prez is single does that mean if boyfriend stays over after buying her dinner he is a renter? What about kids who come home from college and stay? What about roomates? What about VRBO/AIRBnB. What about short term furnished leases. What about subleasing. Guy below me a renter got divorced and like Oscar Madision he took in a roomate. What about lady in a nursing home who may come back who rented to Nephew. What about hardship cases.

I would say 50% of building is rented if you count roomates, and the roomate folks 100% dont want to restrict renting as they are next.
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Old 10-18-2015, 04:35 PM
 
Location: Greenville, SC
895 posts, read 1,133,077 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SandyJet View Post
how do you enforce no renting in a smaller complex?
We require notification when a condo is for sale (a copy of the listing agreement). This helps. We have an active HOA and we also have a management company that handles our monthly dues and other things. Since it is a small complex we are very aware of what is happening around us. Many are longtime residents. Btw, I've been out of town, and am just now seeing this. I am sorry for the delay in my response.
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Old 10-18-2015, 05:49 PM
 
4,538 posts, read 6,417,618 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lv2trvl View Post
We require notification when a condo is for sale (a copy of the listing agreement). This helps. We have an active HOA and we also have a management company that handles our monthly dues and other things. Since it is a small complex we are very aware of what is happening around us. Many are longtime residents. Btw, I've been out of town, and am just now seeing this. I am sorry for the delay in my response.
We have a management company. But they are not on property.

Sales we find out as the buyer wants to check outstanding main and get our right of first refusal waiver.

It is the rentals. We have a small complex too. Folks just don't tell us. But lets say someone just rented their place furnished for a few months while out of town in your complex what would you do. In our case owners just dont respond and they are paying maint on time. But maint is on ACH direct pay. Throwing tenants out is hard if they are good tenants. I mean a couple with a baby I am not in position to harrass tenant.
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Old 10-18-2015, 09:20 PM
 
Location: Somewhere in America
15,479 posts, read 15,535,995 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SandyJet View Post
By laws are tough to enforce. We have a new lawyer for instance and were reviewing by-laws guess what we do not have the legal authority to fine people. We do have late charges and if you dont pay maint we can cut off amenity, (only one is parking on-site) and place liens, foreclose etc.

Plus even then stressful in a place with no on-site management. I also find it hard to enforce renting on furnished units. Black and white put a for rent sign up, hire a realtor, moving truck comes I can see. But right now 10-15% of complex is rented furnished I would say. How do you evict folks easily in furnished units? Even if you did what are you evicting, none of stuff is belongs to them, you have no lease and complex dont know the names of the people and no record money changing hands.

Blocking renting is tough as we will have to strengthen by-laws. Condo prez is single does that mean if boyfriend stays over after buying her dinner he is a renter? What about kids who come home from college and stay? What about roomates? What about VRBO/AIRBnB. What about short term furnished leases. What about subleasing. Guy below me a renter got divorced and like Oscar Madision he took in a roomate. What about lady in a nursing home who may come back who rented to Nephew. What about hardship cases.

I would say 50% of building is rented if you count roomates, and the roomate folks 100% dont want to restrict renting as they are next.
That's your community. Many have strict regulations written into the by-laws and a way to enforce the issues you post. Many communities require the names of people at the closing. I had to fill out paperwork at my closing when I had an HOA. We were required to update any changes to the people living at our house. There were penalties if we didn't.
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Old 10-18-2015, 09:38 PM
 
15,836 posts, read 6,902,377 times
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65% are happy with their choice of moving into a condo. That is very encouraging. What I find when meeting people we know and friends is that with couple the woman is ready but the man is reluctant ro give up the house. This is the case with us as well but I think he is slowly getting there.
The next largest response 18%, is people who wish they had done things differently. how so?
Like get a SFH only smaller? Different locations? Bigger condo?
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Old 10-19-2015, 06:55 AM
 
4,538 posts, read 6,417,618 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ss20ts View Post
That's your community. Many have strict regulations written into the by-laws and a way to enforce the issues you post. Many communities require the names of people at the closing. I had to fill out paperwork at my closing when I had an HOA. We were required to update any changes to the people living at our house. There were penalties if we didn't.
Lets see I do try to enforce rules. I sued a recently retired NFL player for arrears and other issues who is 15 years younger than me and is like six foot four, 260.

Honestly, it gets tiring, we had have death threats, threats of lawsuits, hysterics, OMG it is too much. We even got tow trucks out to take the cars of a tenant. Who had no clue landlord did it against the rules.

We had the zoning dept, police, process servers. Heck for one maneuver we got a court to enforce a "furniture" judgement on primary and secondary. Our lawyer advised us psychologically women of husbands freak out if you take there belongings. So we got it and we were showing up with a moving truck mid day to take everything. Hours before I cured his issues.

We even had folks who could care less. So we resorted to serving their Mothers. Also embarrassment. Hiring process servers to serve folks while the Mother picks up kids at school. It was a joy to serve a 90 year old women at a deadbeats childhood home (60 year old deadbeat), we could not locate him so served next to kin.

Bottom line you have nice people. You still never answered the old what if. What if someone just does not want to follow rules but pays maint. I now rent my unit and in summer I use it less and less. Last year two nights. Why it is a hostile place. For instance we enforced one rule recently and owner got mad at it. He read bylaws back and forth and guess what it mentions no dog poops on common areas. But did not mention "limited common areas" So he decided the Prezs porch area "limted common areas' was a great place for his dog to pee and poop. The one day I was over she opened door and dog was taking crap on her steps. So funny in a crazy alternative universe sort of way.
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Old 10-19-2015, 07:17 AM
 
Location: Greenville, SC
895 posts, read 1,133,077 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SandyJet View Post
We have a management company. But they are not on property.

Sales we find out as the buyer wants to check outstanding main and get our right of first refusal waiver.

It is the rentals. We have a small complex too. Folks just don't tell us. But lets say someone just rented their place furnished for a few months while out of town in your complex what would you do. In our case owners just dont respond and they are paying maint on time. But maint is on ACH direct pay. Throwing tenants out is hard if they are good tenants. I mean a couple with a baby I am not in position to harrass tenant.
It is stated very clearly in our Master Deed that no renting is allowed. I suppose we would have our HOA attorney notify them via letter that they are in violation. I will add that there have been certain circumstances where a RELATIVE has been allowed to live(rent) the condo. However, it does need prior approval. In your case with the couple/baby, I am assuming your HOA would try to find out when their lease expires and notify the owner that no renting is allowed. Your HOA could allow them to stay until the end of their lease, your choice. Does your HOA have an attorney? You are right, it is probably hard to enforce, but your best bet is to consult an attorney and then decide how to proceed. ETA: Our management company is not on site.
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Old 10-19-2015, 07:44 AM
 
4,538 posts, read 6,417,618 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lv2trvl View Post
It is stated very clearly in our Master Deed that no renting is allowed. I suppose we would have our HOA attorney notify them via letter that they are in violation. I will add that there have been certain circumstances where a RELATIVE has been allowed to live(rent) the condo. However, it does need prior approval. In your case with the couple/baby, I am assuming your HOA would try to find out when their lease expires and notify the owner that no renting is allowed. Your HOA could allow them to stay until the end of their lease, your choice. Does your HOA have an attorney? You are right, it is probably hard to enforce, but your best bet is to consult an attorney and then decide how to proceed. ETA: Our management company is not on site.
Sure we have lawyers. Why do you think we sue so much. We have liens on 20% of complex and have active lawsuits vs 10% of complex.

I never heard of a master deed in a condo. Bylaws can say no renting. But that can be changed at any time by a 2/3rds vote. And condos that don't allow renting is very very rare near me in fact unheard of in fact it may even violate my fiduciary responsibility to try it.

We have tons of Coops near me that are very strict on renting and as such sell for around 20% less as no investor opportunities and limiting to owners. Whole point of condo is you can rent. But the trouble is when you open gates how do you control. So if I went to no renting it would cause values to drop like a brick short term. 1/3 of building is currently rented out. If I banned it I would have entire 1/3 of building up for sale and the majority would stop paying maint and most would sue me. And none would have the tenant move out which would lead me to more lawsuits.

Best we could do on advice of legal is to try to ban if via grandfathering. Meaning legalize rentals forever on current units but if a unit changes hands ban it.
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Old 10-19-2015, 08:46 AM
Status: "Mistress of finance and foods." (set 29 days ago)
 
Location: Coastal Georgia
50,095 posts, read 63,467,387 times
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I can't vote, but I would consider a condo next time I move. We have several friends who live in them happily.
I have noticed that DH and I really only live in 3 rooms of our house, so living in smaller quarters would most likely not bother us, as long as it was high quality.
What would bother me is...
I would need to have a lot of storage. I'm not a packrat at all, but I still need space to store seasonal things.
I would not be happy unless I had windows on at least one side, as well as the back and front of the condo.
There might be a time when we can't do yard work, but now, if we did not have the garden and yard to take care of, we would be hard pressed to find things to do. We like our projects in the house, too.
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Old 10-26-2015, 09:06 AM
 
Location: Columbus, OH
1,058 posts, read 1,241,017 times
Reputation: 1779
I'm 44 right now, and my wife and I bought a condo last year. We sold our house because we didn't need a big yard to maintain (we have no kids) and rif-raff was taking over the neighborhood.

We found a very nice condo community that was built in 2008-2012. Our unit was built in 2010, so still pretty new. Great high-end clubhouse with a gym, and nice pool. Very quiet and we have more privacy than in our SFH. No one driving by with their car stereo blaring. Yes, there are rules to follow, but I have no problem with them. Keeps all the rif-raff out.

It is run very well by members on the board (we actually have 3 separate boards of 6 members, with elections every year). There have been zero delinquencies on condo fees (we have 249 units total) and no lawsuits. We have a lawyer who checks everything and makes sure everything is run correctly. Special assessments are something that is being outlawed. We have a reserve study that was done in 2013 and will be updated every 5 years. They factor in 3% inflation every year to calculate how much money down the road will be needed for roof replacement and major street maintenance. The Clubhouse and pool are expensive to maintain, but are nice amenities to have.

Our condo fees are currently $235/m, and will probably go up $10-15 in January. Expensive? maybe, but every penny is accounted for. We get monthly emailed newsletters about current finances and where we saved or spent more money. Landscaping is most of the cost form April through October. Snow removal is budgeted in winter, if needed. The majority of the monthly fees ago to the reserve fund.

40% of our units are 55+ only, the other 60% are any age, but still mostly 50+ it seems. Will we stay here when we retire? Probably not. Our property taxes here in are through the roof (partly because we support an excellent school system). I figure by the time we retire (20-22 years from now) we will be paying $600/m property taxes plus probably $500/m condo fees. $1100/m total. Too much even considering a paid off mortgage. Besides, I want to move to a warmer climate.

I like condo living, so don't let blanket statements like "condos are horrible, you will regret it" discourage you. Just understand the fees you will be paying, and make sure the reserve funds are adequate for future expenses and your board is run correctly.
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