Carefree Living?

Everyone has moved on. You just spent three hours working on the house. You have thoughts of a loft on the river that you and Smoochie can lock up and leave without worrying about the yard etc. No need to meet the air conditioner guy on Tuesday at 12:00pm or the tile guy at 2. There you are, walking down the hall, headed to the airport, key in your pocket. Gone.

There is alot of merit to that scenario. We help people do it all the time. I have one piece of advice before you pull the trigger. As much as it is a pain to manage the maintenance of a single family home, it can be equally as painful to be involved in an association dealing with those very issues. You think it's a pain to get your gutters redone? Try coordinating it with 35 others through a long standing president who never liked you and prefers you fax things to him. If you have ever been a part of an organisation that manages through consensus, you know what I am talking about. Nothing will make you feel like the life is being sucked out of you faster than sitting in an association meeting. It will make you wish you were back home listening to the tile guy go on adnauseum about his dog. At least you can walk away from him in a split second purposeful move,finger raised, and still have some level of confidence that the project will happen in this biennium.

There are a few factors we look at when evaluating things. All associations provide documentation regarding the financial health of an association. You can get an idea of the reserves on hand for bigger projects. A home inspector can be a good person to talk to regarding any deferred maintenance issues that would result in major cash outlays down the road. I like to review information about construction. When was it built, by whom, how many units are there, what is the non-owner occupied to owner occupied ratio etc. Exterior issues like the roof, walks, paint, driveways can be an indicator of what is coming down the pike and if they are planning for it. If they are, then off you go. Down the hall to the airport. Key in hand. If they haven't and the people running the association have personality issues as well as management skill deficiencies, lordie lordie... you'll be calling your old painter just to check in.

There are many wonderful, well managed developments. God bless the people that run them. The association fee you pay often times you pay gladly not to have to mess with the hassles of owning. Just know that there is a level of involvement in a townhome or condo development. Research the association as much as the unit. After you do, you may decide to keep this weeks appointment with your lawn guy.