Purchase a condo or buy a land to build a small house?

[Haakon]

Originally Posted by HuskyDawg

I thought Seattle issued land grants to all new residents? What does it cost per square foot to build vs buy?

What kind of finishing you want, vinyl floor, laminate counters with particle board cabinets will be much cheaper than expensive tile, granite and hardwood. Building will easily cost $120 / sq foot on the eastside, plus $10-15,000 just for permits. If you need to install septic and drill a well, add another $50,000 to the end price, plus several thousand for installing a driveway of some kind if it's undeveloped property.

When a builder quotes a per sq foot price it often is JUST the building, it may not include the foundation work or all of the ground prep work it will take to put in the foundation.

[HuskyDawg]

Thanks for the information!

[Cinema Cat]

Originally Posted by pnwguy2

always know the HOA dues. ... Also, (and this one bit my in the butt), if you buy and discover later that you have noisy neighbors, you are stuck. Investigate first!

Yeah, it's good to investigate. But that's no panacea. I've lived in a condo for 28 years. Things change. Neighbors come and go. Some were noisy, some not. HOA dues change over the years, and you can't predict the special assessments.

Of course, even if you own a house, you can be stuck with a lousy neighbor.