Guide to Condo Living

Before signing everything, you have to read those Condo documents. They don’t just make those things for nothing you know. 

Although to some, reading it may be a chore, especially if you’re uber excited in owning the unit. For example, if you see “no pets” or “no one under the age of 18”, but you have a pet Python and a month-old child, then the condo unit is just not for you. 

If the document has a lot of legal stuff in it, please consult your lawyer, or (better still) a condo consultant. He or she knows a lot of how these bylaws can be translated to layman English. 

If you’re worried that your condo fee is getting higher every month or so. Don’t fret, it means that the Condo Corporation cares about the well beings of their residents.

Condo fees are actually contributions, and therefore necessary. It’s way where everyone pools in together to cover common area expenses. There are three types of increases:

1. Energy Costs: example is using the heating system can be quite expensive or even electricity to light the hallways.

2. Personal Furnace Costs: If you have one, the gas company will definitely bill you on this one.

3. Reserve Funding: It’s a way to ensure that the condo has enough money if anything drastic happens such as a typhoon, or blizzard occurs.

On Carmel, Indiana’s The Villiage of WestClay, a new type of housing will be rising: high-end, loft-style condos. According to indystar.com, the upscale residential and commercial development is fashioned with a 19^th century architecture in present day pedestrian-friendly environment.

Will a condo in a suburb ever work out? According to Brenwick Development’s Chief Executive Officer, George Sweet, it will. “It’s a housing type,” Sweet said, “whose time has come.”

However, not all realtors believe this will succeed. According to Terry Warnick, a Realtor with Century 21 Scheetz in Carmel, it would be hard to sell these types of housing in the suburbs as they cost as much as a whole house.

Only time will tell if Sweet was a visionary or otherwise.

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Ever wonder who pays for the maintenance-free lifestyle you have on your condo? Who mows the grass out in front? Who ensures that the heater works every winter?

The group who pays for all those things are the financial entity known as the condominium corporation. This group is made up of a board of directors run by the unit owners. They ensure that the building and grounds are well-maintained and that all owners follow the bylaws.

So if you’re looking around for a condo, do look for the corporation’s monthly financial statements and Reserve Fund Study. Both provide a wealth of info on how the building is cared for.

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Last time, we gave you three tips on what to think about before buying a condo, well…here’s three more!

Heating: There are three kinds of heating available in condos. Gas-fired hot water heat (covered by your monthly condo fees), Electric heat (nice but expensive!), and in-floor radiant hot-water heat (takes time to heat up).

Age Mix: choose the right condo community or you’ll feel like the odd man or woman out.

Construction: usually overlooked; it will be important to you in the long run. For example, wood-frame buildings can quiver under heavy-set footsteps, “Post-tensioned” concrete requires a lot of maintenance.

Do grills and condo mix?

Reality bites, as soon as you transfer to your condo unit, you will start looking for the freedom of owning the garden, and being the “grill queen”. Now all you have as space is the condo’s sliding door to your mini backyard. You think the days are gone–your grilling days. It may be difficult, but with a grilling apron and ownership of your condominium, you are again on your way to your outdoor grilling. Here are some options.

Most convenient to use is fueling your grill with s gas line from your main line to your grill. This may not be usual though in high rise condos. Sometimes, also, thee are town laws prohibiting this, though there are common gardens where you could do so. If you have common areas or terraces, chances are you will have your chance to grill. And you get to know more your neighbors. Grilling is a social experience, don’t you think so?

An electric grill is another option.

If your condo unit doesn’t have sufficient closet space, you can follow one of two methods for efficient clothing storage.

One, you can purchase closed door wardrobe systems that have modular interiors. These provide flexibility in storage. You can keep any item, from shoes to belts to sweaters. Keep the door fronts minimalistic to fit the scheme of the rest of the condo.

You can paint or purchase the wardrobes with the same color as the room walls, so they would blend in with the look of the room.

A second option would be to install an exposed closet system. this can look more urban and have that chic, industrial look. Hang all of your clothes neatly with wood and chrome hangers. You can also let your newest fashion purchases be your bedroom’s art! You can keep your best, newest stuff in your main closet, and simply use an alternate closet for the regular, ordinary clothes!

As was stated in the last post, you should make the lives of the other tenants in the building better by being a good neighbor yourself. Below are other tips you should do to ensure peaceful relations among your co-tenants.

If you feel like doing some noisy activity at night, make sure it doesn’t land on a weekday or after 11 PM. Just because you’ll be on Leave the following day, other people in the opposite side walls need to work or go to school tomorrow.

You break it, you pay for it. Since everyone in the building uses the same amenities, please ensure that it’s still operating after you’re done using it. If for instance it breaks down while you’re handling it, please report the matter immediately to your landlord, so they can replace or have the handyman go through it. Other people shouldn’t be the ones to pay for troubles you’ve caused.

These tips may seem common sense, but it’s essential in making your relationship with the other people in your condo building better.

If you’re thinking of buying a condo unit, make sure it’s a decision based on intelligent information gathering. It’s like a war, where you have to choose which territories to attack. Is it on the high-ground or low-ground? Is it worth fighting for? Same thing with condo buying or renting, is it worth every bang for your buck? Here are some things you need to think about before you shell out that downpayment money and regret it.

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Sometimes, it’s easy to look around and see the beautiful view overlooking the city, the amenities of the condo unit, and the size of the bedroom. However, some totally overlook the security of the place. Here are some tips to make your condo a little more safer.

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