Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Condos

Tips for buying a condo

page123 — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:24:48 -0800

Insider tips for buying a condo in Toronto? How come the Condos in Toronto downtown are going for above the listed price these days?

What did you wish you knew when you formed your condo association?

damn dirty ape — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:59:51 -0800

What did you wish you knew when you formed your condo association? It looks like we are accepting the condo association from the developer soon and I'd like to know some pointers on how to get this to work correctly as well as pointers on how to deal with people, money, etc in a condo association. Anecdotes, books, websites, etc all welcome.

If it helps this is a 6 unit building. Thanks.

Back flow preventer and legal liability...

DorothySmith — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:46:32 -0800

Bubbling toilet and a back flow preventer! Could we be held responsible for other units getting backups from their toilets if we put a back flow preventer on the plumbing? I recently asked a question about our toilet which is backing up with suds (which destroyed our floor etc. and has happened more than 7 times). We live on the first floor, and we think it's likely a venting problem, and we've been told by city experts that a back flow preventer could solve the problem. We've told all of this to our condo board and building manger. But, our condo board is and building manager is useless and don't respond, even with letters sent by lawyers. We've talked to some plumbers who said it's possible for us to break up our floor and have a back flow preventer put on the stacks to prevent the pipes from backing up into our unit. We realize we shouldn't have to pay, but think it might be cheaper for us to pay for plumbing ourselves, than to pay for a lawyer to fight with them to fix the problem.

So, my question. If we were to put a back flow preventer on our unit (well, on the plumbing below our unit) this doesn't fix the plumbing problem and another unit might experience the backups we are having. Would we be responsible for their flooding and be held liable for their damages even though it's still building plumbing and the condo board refuses to solve the problem? What are some of the negative consequences that might arise if we go ahead with this? We're also not positive that the building will even let us do this anyway...

Feedback?

Cheap, nice studio within 30-45 mins of Manhattan?

shivohum — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 07:05:49 -0800

Where can you get a clean, safe studio apartment, if possible in a cool area with cheap good restaurants, for under $700/month or less, within 30-45 minutes via mass-transport of Manhattan?

What happens to condo owner if condo reverts back to apartment?

rainygrl716 — Wed, 14 May 2008 20:25:45 -0800

My husband and I are looking at buying this lovely condo that was once an apartment. Unfortunately, with the market the way it is, these converted condos have been on the market since January and haven't sold but one unit. What happens if we buy one and it "reconverts" back to an apartment complex? We live in the Seattle area (on the eastside).

The condo is gorgeous and I fell in love with it when we toured it, but we are worried about buying it and having the condos convert back to apartments. What happens to people who own units in a complex if it is forced to convert back to an apartment building? Are there any legal rights owners have or are they forced to sell (probably at a lower cost than what they paid, I'm assuming)?

Also is it possible to negotiate the price further down with a condo dealer? I'd want to offer them a little less than what they are asking for and right now I feel that is fair but I don't know how much negotiating is acceptable when it comes to condos from builders.

It is just worrisome that they have only sold one unit so far and the prices are not bad at all. Any advice?

Hey, could you have a look at this condo I've been having?

willpie — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 09:48:35 -0800

How necessary is a home inspection when buying a condo? My wife and I are in the process of purchasing a condo. We know a couple of people who live in the condo development (which is about 20 years old) and their overall satisfaction with their condos was a big factor in our decision to purchase in this development.
Never having purchased any sort of house or condo before, my wife and I are a little unclear about the necessity of a home inspection. Our attorney essentially told us not to bother with an inspection beyond a radon inspection, because any structural issues would be the problem of the condo association (which is well-funded). The realtor (who also lives in the development) recommended a few home inspectors and said that it would probably be a good idea to do a full inspection if for no other reason than the inspector could show us how to work the furnace (which struck me as a little lame; $400-500 for furnace lessons?). Closing costs are going to be a bit higher than we'd anticipated, and so if it really is optional, well, we could stand to save the money. What other factors are there here? Why should or shouldn't we skip a full-on home inspection?

what to look out for when buying a condo?

scarabic — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 20:54:25 -0800

I have made an offer on a condo and it's been accepted. I'm in the contingency period and now is my chance to investigate/negotiate anything that might be a problem down the road. I'd like general advice on what to watch out for in a condo situation, and have included more specific details and questions inside. It's the upper unit in a 2-unit building. There is a common yard, common laundry room out back, and a common storage room out back. There are deeded parking spaces for the unit on the lot.

Currently there is no permanent owner in the other unit. It's being prepped for sale by the same couple who are offering the upper unit. They say they are 2 months from finishing and selling it. This is my first home-buying experience.

1) HOA fees have not been established. My agent says that the estimated monthly is low, but I'll need to sort that out with the owner later. That seems odd to me. Why not sort it out now?

2) The common laundry room is currently non-conforming and was cited by the city. The plumbing was disconnected. As part of their counter offer, the owners disclosed this and said that while their intention was to complete the laundry room with permits, that might not be possible. In such a case, they say it might be completed in a non-conforming manner. I think they're being as honest and up front about it as they can be, but it feels weird to have that room be part of the offering, yet have its status still be in flux. I want to know what I'm buying, right down to the common laundry room out back. They wrote this uncertainty into their counter-offer, which I signed, but I'm wondering what I can do now to pressure for a resolution or concession on this point.

3) The CC&Rs stipulate tighter restrictions on cats than I'd like. Indoor-only, no more than 2... My agent says I'll have to negotiate an ammendment later and that it's not a big deal. But I don't want to commit to a rule I plan to break. How mutable / negotiable are CC&Rs in a situation like this, where there are only 2 units and the other one is presently vacant?

4) What else do I need to know about condos and what should I watch out for?

5) Any advice for the finance / lending side? My dad is a former lending banker and will be helping me, but advice is welcome.

THANKS!

How many homes/condos did you go and see before deciding on the home/condo you bought?

chunking express — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 12:01:23 -0800

How many homes/condos did you go and see before deciding on the home/condo you bought?

What are you in hiding in your closet?

phoenixc — Tue, 16 May 2006 05:33:12 -0800

What's in your condo storage locker? I bought a condo early this year and expect to move in sometime next fall (knock on wood) if things are on schedule. I paid the ransom for a parking spot, but not a storage locker because I figured it's just me, and I don't have THAT much stuff. Besides, if worse comes to worst, I could always store my stuff in my mom's basement.

With the warmer weather and the stock of patio furniture in stores though, I'm beginning to wonder if maybe I should get one. I will have a fairly large balcony (100+ sqft) and I'd probably get some chairs and a table for it when the time comes. But where would I store this stuff once the cold and snow arrives if I have no locker?

So, what do y'all keep in your condo storage lockers, if anything? Do you find it a useful piece of real estate to own?

More songs about buildings and . . . more buildings

bibliowench — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 15:54:46 -0800

I'm putting together a care package for a friend of mine who just bought her first condo, and I'd like to include some music. My mixtape muse has fled, and I need suggestions for songs about real estate, houses, condos, mortgages - you know, the usual stuff of melodic inspiration.

The Super Across The Way

fandango_matt — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 14:46:56 -0800

What qualifications and licenses does one need to be a building manager? Some background: the building/condominium in which I live is currently managed by one of the owners who also happens to own a construction business, and his business has been the one making repairs--and billing the HOA--since the complex was built.

As more units have been sold, the new owners have begun questioning the bidding process (or, more accurately, the lack thereof), the cost of repairs, the budget, and exactly what is being done for the money being paid. The budget is out of date and several of the repairs and maintenance have not been made, and there's a sense of frustration among the owners at the money being paid for the slow pace of repairs and the lack of attention to detail we're getting. I suspect the current manager--who lives off-site and rents his units--has other projects with which he is occupied and he's too busy to give the complex the time and attention we need.

I've been doing many of the day-to-day repairs and maintenance for which the building manager should be responsible--essentially, I've been picking up his slack--and several of the owners have mentioned they'd prefer I be the building manager since I live and work here and I get things done quicker. The objections to this came from the current manager and another owner, both of whom said the building manager needs a contractor's license and workman's comp.

I'm interested in taking this on, and I'd like to know more about the legalities, qualifications, and licenses one needs to be a building manager/super.

Condo conversions worth it?

superkim — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 05:10:29 -0800

I have good reason to suspect that the apartment complex in which I live might be going condo. This is a pretty common occurrence in the area (southeastern FL) where I live. I've considered buying into others before but always hesitated - the pricing seems good but there must be a catch. I've heard that if my apartments go condo that I can get a really, really good deal...but... ...I've heard stories about structural damage that wasn't discovered until after the sale, mismanagment of the properties by new boards, maintenance fees being raised, and that a high percentage of units end up being rented to loud, dirty people with overseas (as in absent) landlords who bought the condo as investment property.

The situation sucks. I sometimes think that I need to buy one because there will seriously be very few rental apartments left and it'll eventually be too expensive to rent anyway. Houses and new condos are way out of my price range.

Home owners association issues.

jerseygirl — Fri, 27 May 2005 17:42:53 -0800

We're having issues getting communication from and outstanding problems resolved with our townhouse homeowners association president. We've lived here about 8 months. The entire time we've been here, trying to get something fixed or have legal documents owed to us actually given to us, has been like pulling teeth. We tried to get the master insurance document to see what was covered so we could insure accordingly and thoroughly and it took months, literally. We've been trying to get our rotten leaking bulkhead replaced and two pieces of rotten wood fixed for the entire 8 months we've been here. We've called and sent a letter regarding issues and while he acknowledges the letter and returns calls nothing is getting done. 8 months later we still have 2 pieces of rotten wood on the outside of our unit and a rotten bulkhead, and now the landscaping company employed by the H.A. is doing a shoddy job around our unit.

Because we got the repairman's number ourselves, we're getting our bulkhead replaced finally. The HA president insists he's been trying to call the guy and never got a return call. We called, got a return call and the repairman was down the next day for the estimate. The rotten wood on the outside of our sliding door is still rotting away. The HA President actually asked if I was planning on replacing the slider, because if I did, it'd be easier and cheaper for him to replace the rotting wood. There's nothing wrong with the slider at all, and no reason for me to pay to replace it to make their job easier, I'm afraid. The other piece of rotten wood is on a window sill and is now starting to fall off the front of our townhouse.

We pay our condo fees each month in a timely manner, so at the very least we feel like we should at least be getting our lawn mowed in a somewhat decent manner (we're not expecting Fenway Park here, just having the lawn mowed evenly) and have these structural issues resolved for what we're paying for. I know this guy doesn't get paid for the president position, and we were totally willing to give him some slack, but he's clearly not making an effort. On top of that, he's a miserable communicator when issues arise that we should be made aware of. We follow the rules per all the set association regulations (which took over a week for our closing attorney to get from the guy), and have always done our best to be considerate neighbors and appreciative of the president's efforts, but we've reached our limits with this guy. This is the first home we've owned, and hopefully, we're going to move on to bigger and better real estate in 2-3 years, but in the meantime how should we proceed to get these issues resolved and better deal with this guy in the future?

Mysterious Condo Noises

goethean — Mon, 15 Mar 2004 10:11:51 -0800

There's a noise in my wall [mo]. About six months ago, I bought a medium-sized, third-floor condo in a three-floor building. We started hearing a noise in one of the walls. It sounds like some hard object expanding or contracting. It is kind of a simultaneous click and thump. It's not bothering us enough to hire somebody to do something about it, or to consider taking action against the seller, but the curiosity is driving me up a wall (so to speak). There is a built-in gutter inside along the outside wall, but the noise seems to be about two feet in the interior of the building from the outside wall, if you follow me. I assumed that it was ice in the gutter expanding, but now everything's thawed, and the noise is louder if anything.

We were in bed the other night and thought the cat was tearing something up. I get up and go to the front room...it's the wall-noise. It happens at random times of the day, sometimes once a day, other times, over and over again. There was a storm last week and the noise occured many times, which leads me to think that it's related to changes in temperature, which leads me to think that it's something expanding or contracting. We have never even met our seller, so we can't ask him.