Condo Living

When Chris and I were deciding to become home owners we had a big decision to make. Did we want a home, a townhouse, or a condo. How much did we want to spend? Where did we want to live? So we picked a few locations and looked at all three kinds of places. I had my heart set on a townhouse so we would have a garage. But when we found our condo, it was the right price, the perfect amount of space, and was in a pretty good location (in the center of the valley). All the other places we walked through, after viewing this one, paled in comparison. Then and there we knew we were going to be condo owners.

Now that we have lived here nearly 2 years, I have learned a lot about condo living.

Here are the Pros:

1. Generally a good price. Chris and I found that we could get a newer place with a good amount of square footage by buying a condo as opposed to the house.

2. Low Maintenance. They take care of the lawn, the shrubbery, and the snow on the sidewalks in the winter. You don't have to do any weeding, leaf raking, or back breaking snow shoveling!

3. Amenities. Our condo has a clubhouse, gym, swimming pool, hot tub, basketball courts, beach volleyball, tennis courts, and a little kids playground. Oh and basic cable TV comes with it too. It is also on the edge of the Jordan River. Now, how much I use these amenities is another story...

4. Good neighbors. Our neighbors who live below us are so sweet. They always bring us treats and gifts. They are fun to talk with and we have had dinner with them a few times.

Con's:

1. No back yard. I guess you could use the general grounds as your yard, or the amenities to have a get-together. But it doesn't have the privacy and ownership of a backyard.

2. HOA Fee's. Our HOA fee's have been a fairly reasonable over the past couple year. But they just increased by $20 and will increase by $20 more the next year. They claim they are using the extra fee's for "future projects and repairs". Sure, thanks for making me pay for the roof you are going to repair 10 years down the road when I will no longer live here. Glad I could help out the future residents.

3. Parking. I get one "covered" spot. Even though my car is covered, it does not protect it from the elements. My car still gets snow, rain, and dirt on it all the time. The rest of the parking is fend for yourself. It is difficult to find spots on Friday and Saturday night.

4. Living on the 3rd floor. I wanted to live on the top floor because we have the vaulted ceiling, there would be a little to no bugs (I had a bug problem at one of my old apartments, and it was horrible!), and I figured it was a lot less likely to be burglarized. However, we found out real quick after moving in the disadvantages. My whole family and our friends were cursing us for having to walk up 3 flights to move in our furniture. Every time I bring up groceries, I just try to tell myself it is a good workout to repress the bitterness of walking up those flights. Also, heat rises, so our electricity bill is INSANE in the summer, but the winter heating bill is always reasonable.

5. The mail. Our "mailbox" is located inside the club house. Which happens to be about 3 large buildings over. The clubhouse is open from 6am to 10pm. If the mailman is there, you cannot go into the mail room because he opens all the mail box's. It is for security reasons I guess. However, Mr. Mailman takes about 2 1/2 hours! One time my sister and I went swimming at my pool. When we got to the pool he was there (Rats!) So I figured when we were finished I would pick up my mail as we were leaving. We were at the pool about 1 hour. He was still there when we were finished, so we went back to my place to shower so we could go shopping. When we left to go shopping I drove over there, AND HE WAS STILL THERE! I secretly wonder if he delivers the mail and then goes and takes a nap on one of the couches.

As you can see, there are lots of Pro's and Con's of Condo living. Either way, I am glad to be a homeowner instead of a renter, and I really do love our little place!