"bob kater" wrote in news:rXGig.17783$ snipped-for-privacy@tornado.southeast.rr.com:
ONLY if those were built AFTER the code was enacted. If they were apartments converted to condos,they may have been built before the code became law.
Not all condos were built AS condos.
If I were getting on in years, There are a few things that I would consider: Ranch house (no steps) Or a modern trailer on a small lot. (Fairly cheap, allow you to put money you've put in your current house into something earning interest to help you live with the reduced income) Small yard (less maintenance, cheaper to hire out if you need to do so.) Close to local stores. (walk or scooter to the store)
The trouble with some of those, is that it can often mean less safe neighborhoods. Of course, the thing to do there is to work on a call tree with your neighbors. Something bad happens, call the police and then call your neighbors, who call the police and more neighbors...etc. The police know that if something happens in that neighborhood, they'll be getting a ton of calls... and eventually put the area on regular patrol. A friend of mine helped organize this in their "transitional" neighborhood and it really helped to clean it up. Not sure if this amounts to harassing the police though.
Hey, don't rule them out completely- I'm not personally a big fan of condos, but I can see where they make sense for people in certain situations, like the snowbirds who are gone a third of the year, or folks like you that don't feel up to doing outside upkeep any more. You just need to go into the situation with your eyes open, do a lot of research, and take everything the sales guy says with a big grain of salt. If you can find a community where you already know some people, asking them for an honest account of their ownership experiences is a good place to start. A few hundred bucks to a lawyer to examine the tiny-print boilerplate contract before you sign anything is a good idea, too. Ask about worst-case scenarios- can the condo association spring huge suprise assessments, and are you locked into arbitration by their designated service in the case of any disputes?
Might I suggest renting a condo for a year? Perhaps you can find a rental in a community where the owner you rent from isn't quite ready to sell? If you can rent, and get the owner to share the paperwork over a years time with you, that would give a good taste of how well the place is run, how competent the management company is, etc. IIRC, the IRS gives you a couple of years to roll over the proceeds from selling your current house.
As to the physical aspects of a condo- most of the ones I have seen are physically similar in quality to mid-level apartments. The upper-end condos are about the same price as buying a fancy house, and just hiring a lawn service and regular handyman to do the outside work. Only the upper-end ones will have similar quiet and solitude to a private house.
Yet another idea- if you own your current house free and clear, and like it, and if you have the income to afford it, have you priced out just hiring out the work you don't feel able to do anymore? My father stopped doing yard work around ten years ago when he started having vision and balance problems, and found a guy to do the yardwork and simple outside upkeep. Costs 80-100 per month, depending on how fast the grass grows. That is comparable to the monthly hit in many condo communitys.
aem sends....
OR, they fear that a GOOD plumber will point out all the deficiencies and open up lawsuits.
That is also not unheard of, and likely FAR more common than most would care to admit.
Federal law says I can put a satellite dish outside my condo? I doubt it. Florida statutes specifically allow one American flag and access to cable television without additional charge. Condo's can require me to install hurricane shutters or white mini-blinds in my windows, so the power over appearance seems absolute. What does fed. statute say about satellite dishes in condos?
My sister just moved out of a nice condo to a different condo place. The old neighbors were so loud she got sick of calling the police. She moved to a better town, so the trashy types didn't have enough money to move to the new town. I'd have to be desperate before I ever moved to a condo. Couldn't stand living so close to people like that.
Norminn wrote in news:jhZig.4490$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net:
Section 207 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 directed the Commission to enact regulations to prohibit restrictions that impair a viewer's ability to receive video programming through devices designed for over-the- air reception of direct broadcast satellite ("DBS") service, multichannel multipoint distribution service ("MMDS" or "wireless cable"), or television broadcast signals. The Commission adopted the rule that currently applies to antenna restrictions on property within the exclusive use or control of an antenna user who has a direct or indirect ownership interest
Condo owners own their condo.
in the property. At that time, the Commission issued a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comment on whether Section 207 should be interpreted to apply also to rental property and common areas.
you can probably find more at
They reminds me of where I used to live. I didn't like having to listen to loud Mexican music every evening. Then there was the dog that bit people (dog belonged to the Mexicans).
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