Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with condo

Why am I paying property tax on land when I own a condo?

ObeyScient — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:15:00 -0800

So confused! My county thinks we have a condo but we thought we have a single-family home (i.e. a free-standing house on land we own). Then why does my property tax bill show that we've been taxed for the land? Here's a confusing and somewhat obscure situation. Please bear with me; I'll try to explain all the details and what I know as clearly as I can.

We're trying to refinance our (free-standing) house and as part of the process we had an appraisal. According to the appraisal report, we have a condo, not a single-family home. Zillow also thinks we have a condo. The appraiser told me that the definition of a condo is that the owner only owns the immediate space they live in, but not the land or other common areas. So our house was assessed as a free-standing building that is part of a complex, with the land being labeled "common area", even though we don't belong to an HOA or condo association, don't pay any fees, and do the maintenance ourselves.

The county's assessor's map shows that we live on a single lot with our neighbor. Our house is on an L-shaped chunk of the lot, and our neighbor's house is on the chunk inside the L. We're separated by a fence. Our respective parcel numbers are subsections of the lot and are designated for use as "Condominium - single residential living unit". The land itself has its own parcel number, with the use is designated as "condominium common area". The map also says "common area".

However, the property tax records for both us and our neighbor show that our taxable value comprises both land and improvements! If we look up the "common area" parcel, it shows that no one has paid any taxes on it at all.

I was not involved with the original purchase of the property, as my wife bought the house before we got married. Her understanding was that she owned the L-shaped chunk of land as well as the house, but we don't have any documentation to support this.

So, I have a few questions. I'd really appreciate insight into any of them.

1. Did someone pull a fast one on my wife? That is, did she pay a single-family home price for land + house but only get the house?

2. If we actually own a condo, then why are we paying property taxes on the land *and* the improvements? (I understand that we should be paying property tax on the house itself.)

3. How can I find out who actually owns the "common area", and should that person be the one who pays property tax on the land?

4. Are we entitled to any of the back taxes we've paid based on the value of the land?

5. Lastly, if it does turn out that we own a single-family home, would this increase our appraised value? How would we go about making the legal change?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

OK, so like, the walls are still here, so I guess things are still cool?

ignignokt — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:51:54 -0800

What should a landlord look for during a mid-lease inspection? I rented out my condo for the first time a few months ago and am going to check in on it next week. Is there anything I should look for beyond obvious damage? Are there any online checklists (that don't charge you to view them)?

Only You Can Help Make Maui Awesome!

joelhunt — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:35:29 -0800

Where should we stay in Maui? "We"are my wife and I (early 30s) and our son (will be 19 months).
We want to probably rent a condo somewhere on Maui in early February. We're looking for someplace clean and cheap (who isn't?), hopefully in a good location on the island. Looking for suggestions, ranging from the vague (general area in Maui) to the specific (name of a great condo complex).

We'd like to be close to a beach, ideally. We'll be renting a car. Also, any suggestions on must-do activities or things that are awesome for a small family with a toddler to do are appreciated.

Aloha? (Is that right?)

Will a condo be built in front of me?

nyc_consultant — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:13:53 -0800

If I buy a condo in Seattle with a great view, will that view be blocked by new condo construction in the near future? There is a condo for sale that I am interested in which has a great view. Currently there are 2 small commercial buildings in front of the condo, which do not obstruct the view.

I'm going to be devastated if I buy this place, and then either one gets torn down and someone builds a shiny new building which will block my view.

How can I figure out if this is likely, possible, or planned?

[Side note: I asked a question 6 months ago on how to convince my wife to move to Seattle. Thanks folks, she agreed to the move, and now she loves it!]

Renting out a Chicago condo

parakeetdog — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:55:21 -0800

My grandpa lives in Chicago and has decided to move into a retirement community (also in Chicago). We are not sure what to do with his condo. The mortgage is paid off, but the assessments come to about $550 a month with taxes being around $1000/yr. We would like to sell the condo at some point, but right now market is so bad that it might not be worth selling. We are considering renting it out, but have never had experience with renting. We believe we can rent it out for about $1,000 a month. Has anyone had experiencing renting out their house/condo? We're not trying to make a lot of money in renting it out. We just want to wait out the bad market without my grandpa having to struggle to pay the assessments/taxes in addition to the rent for his new apartment.

What has your experience with renters been like? Did you use a property management company? How did you handle repairs? I've read horror stories about tenants not paying rent, refusing to leave and trashing the place. Does anyone have any suggestions in finding honest tenants? I'm interested in both good and bad stories. We want to go into this with our eyes open.

Condo property manager overstepping her authority?

urbanette — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:43:12 -0800

My condo suddenly wants me to sign an agreement saying I will abide by their draconian rules and provide a tonne of personal data to them. This is all under the guise that they are creating 'files' for residents for access to the building. Is this legal? I'm renting from an owner in a condo building in Ontario. Over the past few months, the new property manager has exhibited major control freak tendencies - there are notices about some perceived problem posted in the elevators every other day. Recently all residents received a form that we were 'required to' fill in. The form asks for you name, but all sorts of other personal details, email, job etc. There isn't any privacy or usage policy presented.

The form also has a spot for you to sign that says you agree to abide by the condo 'rules' a copy of which I have not seen since 2005. This all strikes me as odd - I think the agreement should be between my landlord and myself.

There are omnious notes about residents not being able to access their 'file' under the new 'entry system' whatever that means.

This seems rather intrusive and odd. What are my rights as a tenant?

Too many condo noise rules = no condo for us?

bibbit — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:56:03 -0800

My fiance and I are in the midst of buying a condo. Offer accepted, inspection went great, still collecting all the documents related to the condo association. Yesterday, we got a three page document that is the "noise abatement policy." We are not happy. But should we suck it up and still buy the place? The condo is in a 3 floor, 7 unit building. Built in the 1920's, gut rehabbed less than 10 years ago. According to meeting minutes, there have been issues with noise because not enough soundproofing was used. In the four times we've been in the place, we've never heard anyone in other units, but we were making enough racket ourselves and we never saw anyone either.

The noise abatement policy requires area rugs covering almost the entire floor in all major rooms (bedrooms, living room, dining area, hallway). It requires padding on the washer/dryer. It requires "major activities" such as "house cleaning, minor repairs in the unit, etc." to be done between 9am and 7pm.

This went into effect last year. The owners of the unit we have the offer in on put their place on the market in January. They are not in complete compliance with the rules, though they do have wall-to-wall carpeting in the bedrooms.

The issue is: my fiance likes his music. And his movies. And he's not a night owl, but he'll have music on until 10:30-11pm sometimes. Movies might go later on the weekends. His dream is a gorgeous surround sound system. He considers himself an audiophile. Is this compatible with such a noise policy?

We also have two rather large cats, both of whom like to run around occasionally and one of whom is a bit of a talker at night (loud enough to wake us). I can hear our current upstairs-neighbor-cat all the time when its running about. Are we in trouble with our cats?

There is a unit below us, a unit above us, a unit next to us. How do we find out if this is an association that will complain if they hear a pin drop? How do we determine if we're being unreasonable? How do we know if we're going to get nasty notes and fines if we have 6 people over for dinner and they don't leave until near midnight on a weekend? Any experiences with this?

Where did the water come from?

spacefire — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:06:29 -0800

Miystery Leak in apartment that we just purchased...where could it be coming from and how to proceed to ensure it doesn't occur again? We bought this apartment in as-is condition. It is on the ground floor of a building that used to be a bank since 1900s and was converted to condos in the 1980s. We did some renovation work and for about a week and a half since then everything appeared fine.
However, late night on Thursday I noticed water seeping from under the refrigerator. We do have a unit that came with the apt, bottom freezer style, and the freezer door has a broken hinge so sometimes it doesn't close properly. I naturally assumed the water was coming from the freezer/refrigerator, and moved the unit a bit, but the water was not coming from the refrigerator, rather, it seemed to be coming from the area without tiles shown in this picture (now dry):
where water was pooling

We have a cabinet over that area, now it is in the living room, I am afraid to put it back there.

We have a dishwasher and sink in the kitchen, but we haven't used those because of a small leak under the sink. Also, the floor appears slanted in the opposite direction, so water could not have come from the direction of the kitchen sink or dishwasher.

I kept mopping the water and eventually shut off the cold water from the water heater valve, and the flood seemed to stop.

But!

The next day I had plumbers come in and look at it, and we open all the valves and ran water in the bathroom (tub, sink, toilet) (which is adjacent to the kitchen, more on that later)...and the area stayed perfectly dry. Over the weekend, using these fixtures normally, no water appeared in the kitchen.

Now, as I said, the kitchen abuts the bathroom. The wall you saw in the picture is between the bathroom and kitchen and is empty inside. In the second picture you can see the area inside the wall where a big (drain?) pipe is coming through. The shot is taken from the bathroom and plumbers and I noticed evidence of prior water inside the wall, also what looked like recent moisture.

looking in the wall that separates the kitchen and bathroom, from behind toilet

The plumbers said to monitor that area, and that water was coming maybe from someone upstairs who had a flood or something. The said they didn't want to break into the wall yet. I asked the neighbors upstairs if they had any issues and they said nothing happened on their end, but there are six more floors above.

The water heater had been through a flood in the past as evidenced by rust on the bottom, but no recent moisture was noted, also, the water heater is on the other side of the bathroom from the kitchen.

The building management said that they cannot yet investigate unless the leak occurs again and they are called when there is actual water...which, if the leak occurs that late at night again, obviously is not an option. I sent them a report with photos of the areas, just to be on the record. Obviously it would be a lot of detective plumber work to figure out what happened and since it is not our fault someone else would have to pay for it.

I don't want the leak to occur again, because, if it does when we are not home and stays unchecked, it can do a lot of damage.

So, how should I proceed from here? If I keep on going with life and normal, we might end up with a lot of damage in the future. I can't keep a constant eye on that area and I also hate having the area bare and the cabinet in the living room. The volume of water observed is such that a simple towel placed there would not contain it.

I live in a condo and pay association fees...what can we do to ensure all the work that was put in the apartment doesn't go away. I don't think we have flood insurance but we have some form of liability insurance called HO6, I assume other owners in the building have it too and it would pay for the damages to our apt, but we have already been through one stressful period of time buying this place and getting it fixed up, and we don't have the time or energy to deal with all this.

Using the web to make HOAs/Condos click?

lowlife — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:21:48 -0800

Looking for suggestions or examples of websites dedicated to folks who live in Condos or HOAs (i.e. a website for a specific building or development), and what makes them work (or not). I'm in the midst of developing a webapp website for the condo where I live, and taking a look around the landscape of existing sites, things are either basic or barren.

Looking at examples (in Canada), A few sites seem to have gone the phpbb route (such as this site) which is simple and cheap; others are apparently spending money on hosted solutions by a company, but their sites are templated and barren.

If there are other pre-existing solutions out there, I'd love to hear about them. If you live in a community with such a website, I'd be very interested in knowing why it does or doesn't work the people it's meant to serve.

Pay my mortgage for me while I'm gone.

milinar — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:32:45 -0800

If I move for 6 months to a year, what do I do with my condo? I'm in the los angeles area, but considering relocation to London or NYC next year for work and a change of scenery. The rub is that I'm paying a mortgage on a condo right now. Renting it is problematic because the spare bedroom is used on a regular basis by my parents, who are co-owners of the property. (It is also their temporary residence when/if they need to evacuate because of wildfire, so it needs to be available on short notice.)

What are my options, then? Can you craft an agreement that would require tenants to leave the spare bedroom off-limits? Or does anyone have an experience with something like a short-term rental agency that would handle all the details of renting for a few days at a time?

Thanks in advance!

INSPECTOR GADGET I NEED YOU!

thetenthstory — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:47:24 -0800

Does anyone know of a reliable home (or condo in this case) inspector that specializes in the Hoboken / Jersey City area? So I am lining up some possible home inspectors. My agent has provided me with a few inspectors but I am not sure if I want to use any of them yet. Does the hive mind have any good experiences with a home inspector that specializes in the Hoboken/Jersey city area? Thanks in advance for your responses.

Is it OK (consequence-free) for my condo association to delay all roof shingle replacements until January?

amtho — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:28:30 -0800

Is it OK (consequence-free) for my condo association to delay all roof shingle replacements until January? We're heading into hurricane / big wet storm season here in North Carolina, and I just found out that our condo association, in order to build up our cash reserves after some heavy spending, has decided that only certain repairs (safety issues, condo sales inspections) will be performed until the next fiscal year begins in January.

I don't care too much about my one shingle falling off, but knowing the extent of the damage that a leaky roof caused to my condo _before_ and not wanting to see that happen to several people through the community -- and thus being, as part of the collective, responsible for those expensive potential repairs -- I'm worried about this as a policy.

I just talked to a board member who seemed to feel that roof shingles weren't that big a deal, and that even under normal circumstances, a single shingle might not be replaced right away. But the roofs here are such that shingles fall off occasionally, and so I'd really like to know what the risks are here.

I realize that there's a "membrane" under the shingles, then the plywood of the roof under that, so obviously water's not going to be dripping in any time soon - but I don't want my or my neighbor's wooden roof framing to rot, I don't want additional damage if a very strong storm does come along, and I'm not sure whether the (perhaps low) risk of these things happening would outweigh the "reward" of merely delaying these repairs for five months.

Does anyone know how worried I should be?

If you think I should be worried, I'd love to have some data-like facty sources to bring to the next board meeting.

I have bats in my belfry! How can I inspire action from my condo association?

steeb2er — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:44:12 -0800

Bats are living (and excreting) in the attic of my condo unit. I first noticed them in Sept 08, and immediately contacted my property management company for removal and cleaning. Since then, I've called every 2-3 weeks and attended two HOA meetings to bring up the issue. I keep getting excuses or brushed off. How can I motivate them to ACTUALLY remove the bats, protect my unit from further infestation and clean the insulation? Long story: I bought my condo in Jan 08. During inspection (before buying), the inspector found evidence of bats in the attic. This became a negotiating point with the previous owner. The HOA / property managers trapped the bats, removed the insulation, cleaned the attic and installed new insulation. But it appears they did not properly prevent the bats from re-entering the attic.

In July 08, a bat was in my unit. He was removed by the local police without incident, and I thought nothing of it (in hindsight, he probably got into the unit from the attic via recessed lighting in the main room). In Sept 08, I put some things into storage in the attic and noticed a large amount of bat droppings. I contacted the property managers immediately. They investigated the original trapping work order and discovered what I already knew: Bats had been trapped, attic had not been sealed. I requested they do the work again, they told me they'd need new quotes and HOA approval. In March 09, the property managers sent one insulator out to my unit to provide a quote. In May 09, the property managers told me that they would need to wait until "mosquito season in late May" to properly trap and remove the bats. It's now late June and nothing has happened. My last three calls haven't been answered, nor my voicemails returned. At meetings, the HOA didn't seem particularly concerned. The HOA claims that bat droppings aren't a health concern, but articles online say they can transmit several diseases and parasites (I'm particularly concerned because my wife is 'of child-bearing age', though not currently pregnant and we have no kids).

No additional bats have been found inside the living space of my unit. No one has been bitten. Now that it's hot and humid, the kitchen and laundry room (directly under where the bats are living) stink with bat droppings. I need to get back into the attic to trade summer and winter clothes, but I'm nervous about it. I've been keeping "good" records of this whole process including who I've spoken to, when, what resulted, etc. and I've kept all my cell phone records as "evidence".

What can I do? Can I stop paying some or all of my association fees? (I've read articles online that HOA have foreclosed on homes or sold them at auction because of non-payment of dues, so I'm very skeptical) Should I write an mean letter? Do I need to call a lawyer? Could I go to small claims court?

Thanks MeFites!

Help me rent my condo

HotToddy — Sun, 17 May 2009 08:51:07 -0800

I need ideas for renting out our furnished Seattle condo while still allowing us to use it periodically, and while not running afoul of our condo association's rule regarding rentals. We have a studio condo in downtown Seattle. It's just a vacation home for us and we haven't been using it that much lately. We would like to rent it out, but don't want to give up the use of it completely.

One obvious solution would be to list it as a vacation rental, but I am looking for a steadier source of income than that, and without the constant turnover and need for cleaning. This morning I happened to read a story in the NYT about "crash pads" for commuter pilots and, while that is not a good option for us, it got me thinking that there are probably a lot of niche markets of which I'm unaware. Do you have any other ideas?

Possibly relevant information:

-It is in downtown Seattle, ideally located for tourists (right under the Space Needle).
-It is very small--365 square feet with one queen bed, two Aerobeds, and a sofa bed that sleeps one (really it would only be good for, max, two adults and two kids).
-Everything in it (furniture, carpet, paint, bedding--everything) is less than two years old and I am very concerned about these things getting trashed. I realize these concerns are somewhat incompatible with renting it out but I'd like to minimize my risks as much as possible.
-Although everything is new, it's not luxurious (mostly IKEA-type furnishings). A fancy executive, for instance, would probably not find it suitable.
-We would like to be able to use it one weekend every month or two. The ideal situation would be to rent it to some individual who frequently travels to Seattle, but I've no idea how to find such a person short of Craigslist.

Complication: Our condo association charges a $500 "move in" fee and a $500 "move out" fee for renters. The ostensible reason for the charge is to compensate the association for the wear and tear incurred while people are moving their belongings; however, the real reason for the charge is that they want to discourage owners from renting out their units and are trying to make it economically unfeasible to do so. However, because our condo is furnished, there will be no "move in" or "move out," right? How likely do you think I'd be to prevail with that argument?

Thanks!

North Shore Kauai Condos -- Worth it?

Ham_On_Rye — Mon, 04 May 2009 22:11:31 -0800

We're heading to Kauai in late June/early July for our anniversary, and are leaning toward staying on the North Shore--I'd love to hear from folks out there about their experiences with condos. Worth it? A Hassle? If I can't sear a mahi mahi steak to save my life, and there aren't any restaurants nearby, will we starve? (tried combing the other Hawaii posts, but couldn't find anything that fit just right...please redirect me if I overlooked something!)

A few additional deets:
My husband and I have been to Maui, and stayed in Ka'anapali. Although it was probably a bit more touristy for some folks' taste, I enjoyed being able to pretty much walk wherever we needed to go--beach, ocean, pool, food, drinks, etc., were right nearby, without feeling too crowded.

Hotels that aren't going to break our bank (i.e. under $300/night) do not seem to exist on the North Shore of Kauai, so we've been reviewing condos (using the "ultimate kauai" Bible, of course). A lot of them seem to be larger than we need (it's just the 2 of us, typical condos we've looked at come with 2 bedrooms at a minimum), and it also appears to be luck of the draw when it comes to which rental agency you use--some good, some not.

For some strange reason, I have a weird impression that renting a condo is a much bigger deal/commitment than renting a hotel is [I shudder to think what I'll be like when/if I actually purchase a home], so am a bit more cautious than I would be normally. As such, my questions are thusly:
If you have stayed on the North Shore, did you condo-it or hotel-it?
If you were in a condo, how did you navigate the dizzying number of rental companies/agents to ensure you got the best price for the most well-kept place? Any rule of thumb we should follow?
Did you go local for your food, or stock up in Lihu'e at yonder WalMart?
Most people I know who have been to Kauai rave about the seclusion they feel--if you have been there, and still wanted to do "stuff" did you feel too secluded?

Thanks again for your help!

How would a condo board know a unit is being rented?

rsol44 — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 08:27:48 -0800

I'm on the board of HOA of my building and we have a bylaw which prohibits leasing of units. But it occurs to me, couldn't an owner just rent on the sly? For example, they could say someone is house-sitting their condo. Or they could say they're letting a friend stay at their place for a while. How can a condo board prove a unit is being leased?

Silicone smell in condo

fantasticninety — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 09:48:41 -0800

What is the cause of the slightly silicone/leathery/car interior smell in my condo? I've just moved into a condo. The building is about 20 years old, but everything has been redone inside within the last two or three years.

When I walk in the condo, there's a slight smell of silicone or leather. It smells sort of like when you sit in a new car. The only thing in the condo at this point is a "bonded" leather couch, which may be the cause of the smell as I don't remember there being this smell beforehand, but when I go up to the couch I can't locate it. To be honest, I can't find any area of the condo that has this smell more than in other areas.

Is there a way of locating the source of the smell? Do air purifiers or filters work in these situations? Could it be the paint? The fridge?

What's my best next action in this instance?

Thanks so much for any help.

Buying a first residence in a major city: can it be done?

cranberrymonger — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 09:41:50 -0800

Buying a first residence in a major city: can it be done? I live in Toronto, but I think this question could apply to other major cities. I talked to a banker and found that with my current income ($40 000) the maximum mortgage I could get is around $150-175 000. I couldn't find anywhere even close to downtown or near the subway stations that was less than $300 000.

Toronto MeFites: What are the cheaper but still TTC-accessible neighbourhoods?

Any downtown condo/apartment owners: How did you afford this?

Is it possible for a first-time buyer to make a mortgage work on a single income?

Tips on buying condo in New York?

Malad — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:41:33 -0800

For purchasing a 1- or 2-bedroom condo in NYC: tips and links to how to search effectively, evaluate wisely, and get a great deal and wondeful home? Ideas (or links to forums) about which neighborhoods and types of condos are the best values, broker recommendations, etc.?

My condo taxes are overtaxing my brain!

B-squared — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:13:16 -0800

Unfortunately for my condo association and me, I have been designated to do our annual taxes. It's supposed to be really easy. I just fill out form 1120h and pay the tax. Except, according to my calculations (and including the $100 deduction), the government owes us money?! (only $5 of our income is taxable) What am I doing wrong? Why would the government owe us money when we haven't yet paid any tax? I will go to a tax professional, albeit embarrassed and defeated, if necessary.

Etiquette / protocol

SSinVan — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 20:34:09 -0800

I and four friends have rented a condo in Kona for four nights. Now, a cousin of one of us is going to "crash" in the condo for two nights. How should we share the costs? (other logistics within...) Here is the accommodation set up:
King size room (me and partner)
Queen size room (a single female friend)
Two singles room (two female sisters).

We are all good friends - including the extra female cousin - so I don't want to cause trouble, but I feel like she should contribute something. Even if she is sleeping on a couch or floor somewhere, it is still an extra body in the space.

Or - should I just suggest she buys the wine for the two nights?

So, why should I pay these dudes?

ignignokt — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 23:10:38 -0800

Please make it clear to me just how essential property managers are. I'm moving out of town, and I've rented out my condo to tenants. Because I won't be able to manage the property in person, so I found a property management company that can do it for me for a monthly fee. Most people I talk to seem to think it's a good idea to hire such a service, just in case.

I agree with that at some level, but the more I look at what they do for me, the less compelling they seem.

Here's what they do (and my reactions to these service claims):

- Find you tenants and run credit, reference, and background checks on them.
(I already did this myself.)

- When there's a maintenance issue, they call the plumber, electrician, or what have you, and pass the bill on to you.
(I can do this myself. It doesn't seem that hard.)

- Handle lockouts.
(I'm fine with just paying a locksmith $100. It's what I had to do when I locked myself out of this place.)

- Collect rent. If there's trouble, they call a collection agency. Again, passing the costs on to me.
(I feel like it wouldn't be that hard to call a collection agency.)

Check on the condition of the apartment twice a year.
(I can just have my parents or a friend do this.)

I suspect I may just be a hard-headed control freak cheapskate. Give me a rational, solid reason for using a property management company. I know thousands of remote landlords use them, so they must be good for something, and I want to know what they know.

Which is the best buy?

crewshell — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:20:31 -0800

Should I buy a 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom condo? Specifics after the break... Option 1
Asking 149k, down from 239k 8 months ago. 1 Bedroom condo. Great floor plan, brand new renovation. So So area. Nothing really on the horizon to make it jump up. I can afford the payment by myself. Semi Close to a metro

Option 2
Asking 219k, down from 305 a year ago. 2 Bedroom condo. Brand new renovation. So so floor plan (small 2nd bedroom, small living / dinning combo) Great set up for roommates (2 seperate entrances (front and back door) 2 full baths. Just not a ton of living "space". Very close to current job (hopefully be gone soon though!) and closer to the metro. Area is ok, but has more up swing potential. Need a roommate to make the payment comfortable.

Goal - Live in until I either A) can afford somethign better, B) move to a different city. I'd own / rent it for at least 3 years to get the 8k from the gov and possibly hold onto it to start building my property portfolio...

Thoughts? Both of these are in DC. Option 1 is in Brentwood, Option 2 is off consitution over by RFK / Armory Stadium.

Honolulu vacation rentals?

sanitycheck — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:25:06 -0800

My boyfriend and I just booked a flight to Honolulu for the first week of May and now we need to find accommodations. We're hoping to find a week-long rental somewhere within the city to use as a home base, spend most of our time at the beach and/or exploring nearby tourist-y sites via public transit, and maybe rent a car for just a couple days. I've had a look at the other ask.me questions about Honolulu but we have some pretty specific requirements that aren't really covered in those.

Our ideal place would be:
- around $100 US a night
- equipped with a kitchen
- walking distance to a beach that has decent waves for surfing
- a short walk or bus ride to a grocery store or farmer's market

We don't need anything super-fancy - a basic studio or one bedroom apartment would suit us just fine. We might be willing to pay more for somewhere *really* nice though.

I'm checking out the usual suspects (TripAdvisor, VRBO, craigslist) but would love to hear personal recommendations from anyone who has stayed in the area before.

Will the HOA Come For ME?

duckus — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:04:56 -0800

Can the HOA make me ultimately responsible for their drama ? I own a condo, but rent it out. Last year, the owner below me experienced leakage in her ceiling due to a design flaw. The leak originated in the outside deck of my condo.

At first, she contacted me, and we found dry rot in the door frame, which was replaced. At this point, it was also determined that the damage was centered outside, which is considered a common area and not my responsibility.

Now, she is still experiencing the leak and new damage and is going to the board demanding they resolve the issue. The board is maintaining (politely) that the original issue was resolved several years ago. I have not been directly contacted about anything, but am being cc'ed on various emails. It does seem that everyone wants to avoid litigation.

I am worried that at some point, this will come back to me. Can they come after me at all after they exhaust all of their options with each other? And if they can .. what are my options? I mean .. other than shelling out thousands of dollars I don't have.