Do you enjoy living in a condo?

shoegal715 · July 2010

I have a question to the condo owners / former condo owners. FH and I are seriously considering putting an offer on a great condo, but our parents are trying to talk us out of it. Neither of them have lived in a condo themselves, but they think that it will be too small, too noisy, too smelly from the food of other neighbours and too much of a hassle. I disagree, but I'd love to hear some experiences from people who have done the condo living.

Did you enjoy it? What's some of things you didn't enjoy? Did you ever hear your neighbours? Did you miss having a 2nd or 3rd floor?

FYI - here is the listing we love. It's a little small, but it's just the two of us so it works perfectly : )

http://www.alexx.ca/listings/40oldmill810/

ctag416 · July 2010

I don't mind living in a condo but I do hear the people upstairs all the time. We also just recently got damage to our condo due to our upstairs neighbor having a leak. It's all going to be paid for but still a hassle. I don't regret buying my condo but my next home will be a single family house. The condo you are looking at is really nice:)

shoegal715 · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_chit-chat_enjoy-living-condo?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:14Discussion:9fa7f34d-d295-4519-8ee5-9562e78c5eccPost:8687ae26-87bb-450f-b993-34da3dd93525">Re: Do you enjoy living in a condo?</a>:
[QUOTE]I don't mind living in a condo but<strong> I do hear the people upstairs all the time.</strong> We also just recently got damage to our condo due to our upstairs neighbor having a leak. It's all going to be paid for but still a hassle. I don't regret buying my condo but my next home will be a single family house. The condo you are looking at is really nice:)
Posted by ctag416[/QUOTE]

<div>Are they particularly noisy, or can you hear them walking around and talking? </div>

deepcovejackie · July 2010

I lived in a condo for many years. It was a concrete building so we rarely heard our neighbours. It was in a really good area of town though, and most of them were retired. I had friends in a condo in a not-so-nice section of town. It was filled with people in their 20's that were renting. It was loud and the place got trashed in about a year.

Can you talk to people that live in the building? Is it in a nice area? From the photos it looks great and congratulations in advance if you go for it.

megk8oz · July 2010

I live in a condo. At the time when we were looking for a place, we just couldn't afford a house, and we decided a long time ago that we would never rent, unless we knew for certain we were only staying some place for less than a year.

I'm not going to lie, I would love to have a house. I want my own backyard, I want more space in general, and I'd love my own driveway/garage.

However, I actually like condo life, too. Our neighborhood is relatively quiet (I live near the beach, the majority of the units in my neighborhood are only "summer homes" for people), but we do have next door neighbors year round. The units we have are pretty well-insulated, I guess, because we never hear or "smell" them, and we've asked them a few times, they swear they can't hear us.

We pay condo dues every month that cover power-washing, spraying for bugs, and any outside building maintenance. My lawn gets cut for me once a week. Whenever it snows, our sidewalks get completely shoveled within 24 hours. I can't speak for all neighborhoods, but ours (If you own) allows you to own dogs of any size and cats.

Also, while I b!tch about the "tiny" factor, it's great on our electric bill. It doesn't take as much energy to heat or cool our place ... we actually can get through most of the winter with just space heaters (And it gets pretty damn cold).

When we finally start having kids, we're going to have to move, because we just don't have space for them, but for now, I have to say, it's a great way to start out. I'm pretty happy.

bellebride116 · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_chit-chat_enjoy-living-condo?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:14Discussion:9fa7f34d-d295-4519-8ee5-9562e78c5eccPost:35751cf1-1ef3-4af6-8cbb-4b4baf8a2e6b">Do you enjoy living in a condo?</a>:
[QUOTE]I have a question to the condo owners / former condo owners. FH and I are seriously considering putting an offer on a great condo, but our parents are trying to talk us out of it. Neither of them have lived in a condo themselves, but they think that it will be too small, too noisy, too smelly from the food of other neighbours and too much of a hassle. I disagree, but I'd love to hear some experiences from people who have done the condo living. Did you enjoy it? What's some of things you didn't enjoy? Did you ever hear your neighbours? Did you miss having a 2nd or 3rd floor? FYI - here is the listing we love. It's a little small, but it's just the two of us so it works perfectly : ) <a href="http://www.alexx.ca/listings/40oldmill810/" rel="nofollow">http://www.alexx.ca/listings/40oldmill810/</a>
Posted by shoegal715[/QUOTE]

<div>We currently own a condo and HATE it. We cannot wait to move. TO be honest we probably should have looked at all our options before purchasing, but I was desperate to get out of his bachelor apartment! </div><div>
</div><div>ENJOYS:</div><div>1) WE DO enjoy spending all the time with each other... our living room/office is really the only room to socialize, so we are in close proximity ALL the time. It's actually kind of nice. </div><div>
</div><div>2) Our units here have a bottom and top floor, I am <strong>so GLAD</strong> we bought a top floor. I can only imagine it being much worse if we had people above us. Between us and our two dogs, I sympathize with those who live below! </div><div>
</div><div>DISLIKES:</div><div>1) It IS too small. We have a tiny one bed/one bath. If you are set on a condo, definitely look for one with MULTIPLE bedrooms. We need more space! Just for an office, a guest room, more kitchen space to keep all the things we got for the shower, etc. </div><div>
</div><div>2) We DO hear our neighbors. Bottom line, it's community living, we're gonna hear them.</div><div>
</div><div>3) AND THIS IS THE WORST. <strong>HOA FEES</strong>! We pay almost $300 a month in HOA fees {we have no playground, swimming pool, etc} it's mainly for yard maintenance. We thought we'd like condo living which is why we bought it. But, I wish we only knew. We could have gotten a bigger place and been paying more towards our mortgage instead of all the HOA fees we waste per month. There are always troubles with our HOA, rules, etc. </div><div>
</div><div>I wish I had someone to tell me to look at a single family vs. condo. We can't wait to move!</div>

SarahPLiz · July 2010

I don't mind at all. One of our side neighbors died before we bought the place and her son comes by every now and then, but its pretty quiet. The upstairs neighbor isn't bad either. However, we live in a community with lots of more mature people. I also like the bottom floor because my utility bills are less, as we are insulated from all but the afternoon sun. The electric bill for my house was easily 3x what it is here.

FI and I like it. The only thing I don't like is that we only have one covered parking space, and my uncovered one is across the lot from our unit.

I think it is better than living in an apartment because the people around you own as well, and they tend to take better care of their places. You can't blame a landlord for something being broken or ugly, so it tends to stay nicer than most apartment complexes I have lived in.

megk8oz · July 2010

Ok, I was finally able to look at the link you posted, and that place looks really nice. I'm not sure what pricing is like in your area, but for that kind of money, I think I'd try for a house instead (In my area, you can get a regular sized house for that price), but it's still a really nice looking place, so I wouldn't knock it.

Another thing, I'm realizing that I have a not-so-common condo set-up. The way our neighborhood is layed out, it's not 1 or 2 giant buildings with like 20 units in them, it actually looks like several giant houses, each "house" has 4 units in a row. Nobody has "up" or "down" neighbors, so I really never had to worry about things like that. Although, like I said earlier, I also don't have too many neighbors 70% of the year ... so I really might not be much help here.

blondie82784 · July 2010

We have a 2 bed/ 2bath condo... We enjoy it.. Its made of concrete so its not to nosey we hear our upstairs neighbor once in a while but nothing that bothers me at all. We got a really good deal in a really nice town. We have a pool a little out side area, with a gym to... I do want my own house but for starting out I am happy with it. We have the spare bedroom as a office but when we have a child we can still live there so there is no rush to move....

I dont know where you live your condo looks nice but wow I would never pay that much for a condo. If it was a house it would be a different story. I can get a nice house for that price( not trying to be rude or anything)

shoegal715 · July 2010

Thanks for the replies. I really appreciate it. That price is actually amazing. 2 years ago this unit would have been at least 370. We live in one of the most expensive housing areas in North America, about 20 minutes to a major city. People come here and look at house prices and think we're nuts... but it's all relative I guess.

APW2010 · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_chit-chat_enjoy-living-condo?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:14Discussion:9fa7f34d-d295-4519-8ee5-9562e78c5eccPost:d5eacf32-9cf0-49eb-91d5-7173f0a93732">Re: Do you enjoy living in a condo?</a>:
[QUOTE] I dont know where you live your condo looks nice but wow I would never pay that much for a condo. If it was a house it would be a different story. I can get a nice house for that price( not trying to be rude or anything)
Posted by blondie82784[/QUOTE]

She's right, this is a completely normal price for a condo here, actually, often condos are smaller than this for more $$$ if you are a bit closer to the downtown.

From my experience renting a condo, and from my friends who have condos, the noise you hear varies so much from building to building it is hard to give advice. Some have way better soundproofing than others, and it does depend a lot on your neighbours.
If I didn't have a dog I would prefer to live in a condo than a house. You can get something nicer and newer and more convenient, plus you don't have to worry about yard work or snow removal and maintenance is so much easier.
This is such a personal thing though, it is really about what suits your lifestyle.

vegasgroom · July 2010

Dealing with home owners association BS makes me want to move back to a condo.

Dferrari17 · July 2010

My FI and I bought a condo a few years ago for a great price. It has its ups and downs but, honestly, we're planning on selling or renting it out and buying a house next year. It hasn't been horrible by any means. It's a 2 bedroom, 2 bath. Around 1000 sq. ft. We don't really have a noise problem. It's gated, 24 hour security, pool and gym on premises. We just have outgrown it, especially with our hobbies.

We have a large amount of musical equipment (stage amplifiers, several guitars and monitors), and a ton of tools and a project car. We also have 2 cats and would love to get rid of the litter box.

I would say that it was okay to get us through a few years but we definitely don't want to raise a family here. So I guess it depends on what point in your life you are at. Living in it throughout school was fine but now that we're both on the verge of graduating and wanting to start a family it just doesn't seem worth it.

MyWedding13 · July 2010

I bought a condo three years ago, and it has been amazing. I live in downtown Chicago and you have so much access to everything. I had some noisy neighbors, but they have calmed down. I think your parents don't want you in a condo b/c it is smaller...and hence no baby's room? I think condo living is great for your first few years of marriage. My recommendations would be to thinking about what you really want: do you want an in-unit washer/dryer or are you ok with traveling to a different floor or end of the hall to do laundry? If you have a car, is parking available?

Kristin789 · July 2010

Yes, love it. Really not interested in a house. We want to spend our non-work time traveling, so we need a place that will be OK for four days or a week or two weeks, etc.

We're on the top floor, end unit. So we only have someone on one side, and someone downstairs. I only hear a little car noise on the weekends when there is a car race on TV - the guy next door has a big screen TV and hardwood floors, and he's a retired race car driver who loves him some racin'. Other than that, nothing.

The homeowners association is very attentive. We have beautiful yardwork, landscaping, a great pool, and tennis court. And the cable TV is included in the maintenance fee. The buildings are on a tight schedule for repainting and re-roofing, and they just replaced everyone's garage door. And these people are always walking the complex, looking for problems and troublesome people. They have a pretty stringent screening policy, so the people who get in here aren't goingn to go into bankruptcy or foreclosure, etc.

jenn.daniel · July 2010

We live on the top floor, so we never hear anyone above us. No elevator, but 3rd floor isn't too bad. We CAN hear our neighbors (music and baby), but from the bedrooms we can't hear anything, so that's the important thing. Sure it's small, but it's still about the same size of the apt I lived in with 3 other girls in college.

The biggest downside is not having a garage. I also wish we had our own yard so we could get a dog and let it run. Pets of all sizes are allowed (one girl has a Great Dane, and I'm jealous). At least we don't have to mow!

Shtallionchick14 · July 2010

We live in a condo and have for three years. Recently I have become very upset with condo living. For one, we pay tons of association fees and don't really see them coming back to anything. The maintenance isn't very well done and we have been trapped in our lot before because of snow. We live in the basement condo and today our kitchen sink backed up. This is the third time it has occurred, apparently some neighbor above us is putting something that should not go down a sink in theirs. I also hate not having a garage. There are lots of great things about them, but realize you may have to live with other people's stupidity when you have common drains, etc.

flyjawn · July 2010

i don't hate living in a condo but i would prefer a house because i have kids and not having a backyard is really tough.

i don't hear my neighbours, no weird smells and neighbours are friendly.

my sister on the other hand, bought a condo and was forced to sell a year later because of noise issues, horrible smells and a very grumpy neighbour.

i think it's sometimes luck of the draw.

flyjawn · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_chit-chat_enjoy-living-condo?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:14Discussion:9fa7f34d-d295-4519-8ee5-9562e78c5eccPost:35da3763-0b8b-4272-a683-c66aa4ae0f86">Re: Do you enjoy living in a condo?</a>:
[QUOTE]Thanks for the replies. I really appreciate it. That price is actually amazing. 2 years ago this unit would have been at least 370. We live in one of the most expensive housing areas in North America, about 20 minutes to a major city. People come here and look at house prices and think we're nuts... but it's all relative I guess.
Posted by shoegal715[/QUOTE]

<div>you are SO not joking. i've been househunting in the danforth/beaches area for a few months and it's outrageous. <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-surprised.gif" border="0" alt="Surprised" title="Surprised" /></div>

shoegal715 · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_chit-chat_enjoy-living-condo?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:14Discussion:9fa7f34d-d295-4519-8ee5-9562e78c5eccPost:7f93d487-2f90-41e9-86c9-cdbd3ac2c140">Re: Do you enjoy living in a condo?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Do you enjoy living in a condo? : you are SO not joking. i've been househunting in the danforth/beaches area for a few months and it's outrageous.
Posted by flyjawn[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>I know! A guy I worked with had a 1 bedroom condo on the lake - 1.5 mil!!! His fees alone were $950 a month!

</div>

KyKel85 · July 2010

I bought a condo on my own this past Jan. Then I got engaged. I must say I really do love my condo and the lifestyle that comes with it. My realtor informed me that I was buying a "lifestyle" not a house.

The lifestyle I bought was no worrying about outside maintenance, no grass cutting, no roof repairs, no snow removal, etc etc etc.

I couldn't be happier with my purchase. I got it WAY under market, it's on the top floor with big valuted ceilings, with its own garage and private entrance, more like a townhome!

FI and I realize this house is not forever, but it works for us for the next 3 - 5 years!

P.S. Only down side - I REALLY want a dog, but don't want to subject a dog to condo living with no yard. And I don't want to walk the dog when it's snowing or raining...not fun!

oogiejonz · July 2010

The worst thing about living in a condo is that you have no control over the fees. I own a townhouse/condo and the condo fee has gone up over the past 3 yrs from $150/month to $350/month. They keep saying that it is due to the high cost of natural gas (gas is included in the fee and we have gas heat). If everyone in the place set their thermostats to 63F all winter we'd use a lot less, but I know that all the little old ladies who are home all day have their thermostats set to 85F all winter - so we have high fees. I suppose others feel that since they have to pay for it anyway, why not set their thermostats to 85 as well and use lots of gas-heated hot water and oh yeah run the gas fireplace all day long too. You are at the mercy of the condo board and your neighbors.

Do you enjoy living in a condo?

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