Living in a condominium seems to be a good choice for people who like to be in the heart of the city. For many it is better than living in an apartment. Condominium living has so many great things to offer than an apartment. But let me tell you now, before you finally make a purchase, that living in a condominium is different from living in a single family home unit. This is mostly because of its particularities.
• Condominiums are located in the cities and when living in a condominium, you own the space between the walls of your unit and share ownership of the common areas with other owners, but you do not own the land where the building is built. You just share an interest in it with your neighbors.
• Most people who live in condominiums own their spaces. Therefore, you can have long term neighbors and build relationships with them, but you also have to share walls and common areas with them. If you are not a very social person, this could become a problem for you.
• Condominiums offer better security than apartments. Condominium buildings often have security features, be they buzzers or a guard service. Plus, you find it easy to leave the place for a trip or vacation knowing that you’ve got neighbors whom you are familiar with. The thing that you might find a problem is the sharing of amnesties with your neighbors and whenever there’s a association meeting, as a part of the community you have to show up, attain, and coordinate.
• Living in a condominium could be less expensive than living in an apartment, but with the maintenance and repair of the common areas, your monthly pay could go upward. You will be charge with the swimming pool fee, but you didn’t use it.
• More people, especially first time buyers prefer condominiums because it is less expensive than those residential single family homes. But in real estate market, when there’s a downfall, condominiums are the last to recover. Therefore, it will be hard to sell a condominium after a tough climate.
• In condominiums, you have access to gym, swimming pool, and other common areas that you would not be able to afford on your own. But the problem is, there’s what we call Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CC&Rs), a set of rules that forbids space owners to bring pets or make a renovation and many others.
I hope you found this article helpful in making decision whether you like to buy a condominium or go for a single family house.
