Here are additional research resources, that may be available in your local library:

• The Condo/Co-op Owner’s Survival Manual, by Harry M. Matthews, Jr.
• The Condo/Co-op Owner’s Survival Manual, by Harry M. Matthews, Jr.
• The Co-op Bible—Everything You Need to Know About Co-ops and Condos, by Sylvia Shapiro
• The Complete Guide to Co-ops and Condominiums, David T. Goldstick and Carolyn Janik.
• The Complete Condominium Guide, by Bruce Cassiday
• Condominiums and Cooperatives, by David Cluran and Edna L. Hebard
• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Online Buying and Selling a Home, by Matthew O’Brien

Source: my10101.com

More and more people are deciding to bypass purchasing a home in favor of buying a condo instead. Although condo living is becoming increasingly popular, many people still fail to realize the advantages of living in a condo and still do not fully understand what they can expect from condo living.

Mutual Ownership

One fact that you need to understand when you own a condo is that you will be sharing the building with other condo owners. Although you will own the actual unit in which you live, you do not own the building in which the unit is located. Rather, you and all of the other people that live in the condo are joint owners of the building.

Since you are joint owners of the building, you are also jointly responsible for taking care of the building. As such, you will need to pay fees that will go toward maintaining the building and its yards. In addition, you will need to help pay for insurance coverage for the building while also maintaining separate coverage for your unit.

Enjoying Amenities

One of the great benefits of condo living is the fact that you get to enjoy a number of different amenities. Common amenities that are included with condos include swimming pools, workout rooms, tennis courts, and more. Buying a condo makes it possible to enjoy these amenities because you share the expense of having them in place and maintaining them rather than paying for them on your own.

Being Part of a Community

Since living in a condo requires living in a building with other condo owners, you will need to be prepared to become part of a close knit community. Condo owners typically spend a great deal of time with one another and enjoy each other’s company. If you are looking to live somewhere that will provide you with solitude, condo living may not be right for you. If you like to socialize and you are looking for a way to meet new people, condo living is a great option to consider.

Taking Advantage of a Great Location

Condos are typically located in a great location that makes it easy to reach public transportation or to get back and forth from work. Many are also located near to great shopping and dining opportunities as well. In fact, condos are commonly found in cities where traditional homes are rarely found. Therefore, if you are interested in city living but want to enjoy the pride of ownership, purchasing a condo is a better choice than renting an apartment.

Making Decisions Together

Since you share the building in which your unit is located, you should also be prepared to make decisions with the other residents. In other words, you will not be able to make decisions completely on your own as you would with a house. Since your decisions will affect the other residents of the building, many of your decisions will be made jointly. In fact, you will be frequently called upon to vote on certain decisions. Be prepared to be outvoted by the other residents of the condo, though you can certainly take steps to let your opinion be heard before any decisions are made.

Condo living has a number of advantages, but you need to be fully aware of what to expect before you invest in this type of real estate. By being fully informed, however, you will be more likely to be thrilled with your decision and to love living your life in your condo.

Source: realtown.com

• High owner-occupancy rate (minimum of 51%)
• Stable monthly condominium fee
• Sufficient capital reserves (as evidenced in 5 year capital improvement plan)
• Strong, professional condominium management team (both on-site and parent company)
• Active, involved condominium Board of Directors
• Well maintained common areas
• Association rules regarding occupancy, parking, pets, etc.
• Independent utility meters? Pros and Cons:

1. Pro—you only pay for the utilities you actually use

Source: my10101.com
2. Con—utilities not included in monthly condominium fee. Larger condominium
complexes may be able to buy energy at lower costs.

Generally in most bedroom uses sconces or table lamps either side of the bed is sufficient for general lighting with a ceiling mounted fixture for occasional use. If the ability is there, a series of 4-6 recessed pot lights on a dimmer can replace a ceiling mounted fixture for a modern aesthetic and provide flexibility in lighting options. If further lighting is needed for wardrobe systems, purchase art lights and hang them from the top of the wardrobes for localized task lighting. If a makeup area requires lighting, install a light bar above a mirror. For lighting at a sitting area, use an adjustable floor lamp situated just behind the chair, away from the side table lamp.

Most condo living is easy to maintain and dust are unlikely to be present on coffee tables, china cabinets, and entertainment centers. As an alternative, buy double-duty furniture like day beds that can turn into a sofa and other decorative chest for storage. Unnecessary items can be stored on these and allowing more space as well for other things. The other side is that little spaces blow up anything that is less than white-glove dirt free.  If you forget to make your bed for example or clean the floor, you need to do quickly so that when you arrive with a visitor you’ll have a stress free environment.

The word condominium came from the Latin words ‘con’ which means together and ‘dominium’ which means property. This makes condominium as common property which is shown between people who live in a condominium. In condos, there are lots of families sharing the same building but they live in individual units. There are area where they gather such as lobbies, cafeterias, pools, activity rooms and gardens. Condo life is more complicated that living individually because you share property with yourself and you must learn to live and tolerate people living with you. Thus it is important to know what each one can do and cannot do so that you could live in harmony within shared property.

Do you believe in Feng Shui? It is the art of placing right objects at the right areas of your unit so that you would activate good Chi or universal energy. By doing so, you will receive good luck, sustain your relationships, experience good physical, emotional and mental health, and have success in your endeavors. On the internet, Joey Yap discusses how to make use of Feng Shui in apartments and condos. You will learn the basics of Feng Shui, the rationale behind furniture arranging and how to do it yourself. Try it out now and see if it really works for you.