Your Neighbor Did WHAT?? Interesting Notes from the Condo Trenches

Welcome to condominium life. Aren't those hardwood floors nice looking? Think stainless steel appliances are all the rage? Well, you too can get fancy-schmancy looking refrigerators, all for the convenient price of a large single family house in the burbs. However, before you ask for the fine print, remember that living amongst the living involves a bit of patience, when being so close - to those "others" called neighbors. When condo shopping, remembering these tips may save you!

First, you have to remember that condos are JUST like apartments, except with granite countertops and an extra fee called an assessment. This does not get you free HBO, and you really are lucky if it covers heat or snow removal. In a condo, you will hear your neighbors. You will know when they come or go, whether they have a kid or a dog, and you will receive their junk mail. You may know when they water their plants, because your deck may get wet, and you may know when they are in a relationship (read: creaky bed) or when they are in financial distress (read: foreclosure notices on the front door). As an association, the group necessarily becomes acquainted with finances of its individual members, and your privacy may go out the window in a condominium!

Living in a condo means that you are living in a communal space. Not everyone wants to navigate around a bike in the hallway, or to look at someone else's Christmas decorations on their doors. On a different note, what happens if a bird bores a hole into your neighbor's wall and starts a little pigeon family in their closet? Is that YOUR problem? Maybe. Who has to pay for bird removal? That unit owner, or the association? Good question. What about if the parking gate breaks mid-day and someone in your building has to get to a meeting and wants help? Guess who has to field those phone calls to find a bird-rescue or a gate repairman? Possibly you. Not worried about birds or parking gates? Well what about a slime that suddenly forms on your patio because your upstairs neighbor lets their dog urinate on their porch instead of walking it? It could be you staring that that slime - and yes, pee does still smell when it's frozen. Who has to clean it up? Who pays for this? It's not always an association problem.

When thinking about a condo, you must be prepared to figure out who shovels the snow, and who mops the floors in the hallway - and to talk about it with others from time to time. You have to be ok with looking at other people's shoes in the hallway on the way up to your apartment, and you have to stop allowing your neighbor's creaky floors from driving you crazy (after all, they are allowed to walk up there). Someone in the building likes patchouli incense? Be prepared to like it too - because that may not be something the group is prepared to take on as a problem. What if your neighbor paints their windowsill with oil-based paint and you develop a sore throat from it? Is that a community issue or a private one? It's hard to tell, and regardless of the size of the building, these issues are NOT black and white.

All in all, condo living has many advantages. Also though, it's always a good idea to remember the other side of it. There are other things than bad property developers or mortgage brokers to contend with. The more you think of the possibilities, the better you can decide if it's for you. Remember to sound it out, and ask questions. Home ownership is fantastic - but there can be pitfalls. For more information about condo living, the law, and your rights - feel free to email me or call me for assistance.