If you easily get bored or befuddled when you read a long paragraph, then you may be in trouble when it comes to signing contracts or documents. It’s very important that you read the fine detail of a document before signing it or you will regret it.

Although to some, reading it may be a chore, especially if you’re uber excited in owning the unit. For example, if you see “no pets” or “no one under the age of 18”, but you have a pet Python and a month-old child, then the condo unit is just not for you.

If the document has a lot of legal stuff in it, please consult your lawyer, or (better still) a condominium consultant. He or she knows a lot of how these bylaws can be translated to layman English.

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Cheap condos these days are extremely rare, if not non-existent. However, you may notice that the prices go up every year. According to a condominium-specialist realtor, a good benchmark for operating costs or “housing fees” should be 30 cents a month per square foot of private property.

So where does those fees go to? The landowner’s pockets? No, they go to a lot of things: building maintenance, landscaping, waste removal, legal fees incurred by a condo board—in short it’s for the betterment of the condo and its owners.

“There are certain responsibilities a corporation has to maintain — whether it’s the exterior of the building, amenity rooms and, in some cases, betterment to the property and (condo fees) can also include paying a management company looking after things.”

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Those with cars or SUVs are going to have a hard time looking for condos with the right parking space for them. Even if you do find one, it may not be the one best suited for your car and lifestyle.

Here are three types most condos have regarding parking:

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I guess that when the condo seller showed you pictures of the condo you’re going to buy, you felt pretty awed. All the hippy and trendy furniture, the young, able-bodied couples having a candlelight dinner on the condo grounds, and happy children jumping up and down the bed. However, once you’ve signed the dotted line and ready to live the fantasy you saw in the brochure, reality hits you: them things are expensive.

We were able to gather some tips for you to chew on while you decide how to make the condo of your dreams into reality (or somewhere near it):

• Budget: be creative with items that you already have in order to compensate for that one key piece.
• Functionality: Evaluate your space and ask yourself, “Do the items I have lying around fulfill my needs?”
• Scale: Measuring the individual spaces in your condo gives you a wealth of accurate information to help you select your pieces for each room.
• Color: Color is the ultimate tool that you can utilize to establish mood and feeling in your new place.

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The condo space is just right for a small family. Unfortunately, appliances built for households normally don’t fit in there at all. It’s either that or you sleep on top of the dishwasher and 21” flat screen TV.

Condo unit owners or renters cannot place large appliances and furnitures in these tight places. They also require them to be as silent as possible, since they’ll be sleeping next to it. Besides, bigger is not always better.

“People are not equating space with luxury anymore. It’s becoming more about convenience and comfort – that’s why you are seeing quieter dishwashers, even in the lower-end condos, so people can run them and also watch TV or go to bed and not be bothered by the noise.”

With the increase of condo users, manufacturers have decided to make appliances that will fit in a condo unit. The challenge is how to make them as effective as their large counterparts but smaller.

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When you leave the condo unit, you notice that the grass needs mowing, or the plumbing in the public restroom needs to be repaired, and then to your surprise, it’s all done!

The group who pays for all those things are the financial entity known as the condominium corporation. This group is made up of a board of directors run by the unit owners. They ensure that the building and grounds are well-maintained and that all owners follow the bylaws.

So if you’re looking around for a condo, do look for the corporation’s monthly financial statements and Reserve Fund Study. Both provide a wealth of info on how the building is cared for.

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If you find yourself buried under tons of condo-related paperwork and deluged with legal gobbledygook, maybe it’s time to call in the pro—the Condominium Consultant.

This person has been in the trenches when it comes to dealing with condo documents, and experience in haggling with Developers, Realtors, Buyers and Sellers of condo units.

Buying a condo is more complex than it seems because not only are you buying a unit, you’re also buying an interest in real estate. This is where the Condo Consultants come in and make it all organized for you.

The problem is, since there are very few of them around, they cost a lot. Usually, their pay start at around $350. Don’t worry, it’s better to spend early than regret buying the unit in the end.

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Although the real estate market in America these days have not been doing well, the condo market is only slightly affected.

A new National Association of Realtors study estimates that sales of vacation homes in 2007 fell 31 percent, to 740,000, from 2006. But sales of condos dipped only slightly—down 2.8 percent—while sales of detached homes dropped 38 percent.

The good news is that there was a 8 percent increase from 2006.
Why does a condo sell well? Lister below are the reasons:

So what are you waiting for? See your nearest Condo seller.

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