Condo Dwellers....what do you have to say? (floor, roof, pool)

[Chinolala]

I've lived in a condo for some time and prefer it to living in houses for a variety of reasons. Single family homes have pluses and minuses, as do condos. I'm interested in hearing from condo dwellers. What are your likes an dislikes of the condo lifestyle?

[MINNIEMEME]

I would love to live in a condo. But I don't like the idea that the fees go up . Where we live the fee our 500. to 800 a month Plus resales our hard due to so many of them were in Fl .But there so easy just close the door and walk away .

[cdelena]

I bought a condo and tried to make it work for ten years... I am now out and will never buy another.

IMO shared ownership has many more disadvantages than advantages. You must involve others in any maintenance, change, or upgrade decision and getting a consensus is not always easy. Each owner has their own priorities and budget and you can bet they will vary from yours.

On top of the frustration in dealing with other owner priorities I found the fees, dues, and assessments go up much faster I would like (even when I had a leadership position on the board) as others vote to pay for features, changes, maintenance contracts and services that are discretionary or most costly than needed.

Selling was also a challenge as approvals needed from the board were held up until an additional assessment was approved requiring payment on close.

Make sure you know all the details before deciding that a condo is good for the long term.

[koofie]

We are selling our condo for a SFH. I don't like the "apartment" feel. I don't like sharing hallways and walls with others. I don't like feeling like I should be quiet late at night. I don't like the lack of outdoor space and no garden.

Saying that, I am a mother of 2 young ones and perhaps I will feel differently when they are grown and gone. I doubt it though - I like my outside space and enjoy privacy.

[amberamour]

We didn't have the real picture of condo life until that first meeting to be "approved" by the condo board. Only one gentleman would agree to meet us at 6 p.m., the time my husband could get there from work. There were many retirees on the board who, we assumed, didn't leave their condos after noon and would not accomodate working people. At that meeting the man went over the many rules and added at the end, "... and the assessments are due at the first of every month..."

We thought that assessments were only occasional events but as it turned out we had only 3 months in 8 years without one assessment or another. One huge assessment was for $5 million and our share was the equivalent of a second mortgage for us! They have the right to foreclose if you can't pay assessments too. It was an unexpected financial hardship.

The reason for assessments is that no one wants to fund reserves that would stockpile money for future repairs. I guess the majority think they won't be around that long and so why pay future residents' bills? Meantime, many are there decades and have bitten off their noses to spite their faces by not funding reserves.

The unit itself was wonderful and if you are lucky enough to be in a corner apartment at the end of a hall it is quiet and private. Our neighbors were great.

The board will make all decisions re: common areas and many times there is no vote. In the time we were there our lobby and halls were redecorated and the lobby was fine but the halls were atrocious and when we tried to offer feedback we were told: "You elected us to make all your decisions so this is what you get." You could speak up at meetings but it was all nothing more than letting off steam as nothing would ever be done outside the Board's wishes.

We would have joined the Board if we didn't have to work. They refused evening Board meetings, so working people were unable to make a difference.

Many of the rules are utterly ridiculous and make you feel like your civil liberties are being violated. If you get on the bad side of anyone on the Board, you will become a victim of harrassment. If you complain too much you will be harrassed. At some point the building's aviation light on the roof was broken, for months. We lived on a high floor and worried about a plane or news chopper crashing into a dark building. After numerous letters to the Board were ignored we reported it to the FAA. After that we became the targets of the Board. We stood up to them but if we were passive people, it may have been more than we could handle. They begin looking for any infraction of the rules to indict you with. This is the horrors of condo life.

We had constant parking problems and were often told to park off property when the guest spots were full. (Guest spots were for your second vehicle. Unless you could afford to buy two spaces in the garage it was a crapshoot if your car would be on property or sitting in the dark bank lot across the street.)

The obvious pluses are very little work on your part. Just come home and relax. While you were away the landscaping was done. The building has been repainted. The tennis court lights turn on automatically. The pool is sparkling clean. The guard is watching his little lobby TVs and the mailman has left you a note to pick up your UPS package when you get a chance. Often your property taxes are low as you don't own land. Ours were $900/year for a 1,300 sq. ft unit. Compare that to the $4,200 in taxes we now pay for a 1,900 sq, ft. house in the 'burbs.

It's wise to understand the market too. In an area of many condos like here in SoFL, slow markets like this one will have you stuck with your condo unless you have a fire sale to get out. Luckily for us we sold ours at the peak of the last seller's market. Otherwise, we would still be there.

Needless to say but we would not buy a condo again.