Condo Buying Tips

Living in a condominium is like living in a small village, albeit you may not know the names of everyone. A condo has a board of directors made up of its residents much like a town council, and likewise it has rules, restrictions, bylaws and even fines for misbehavior such as loud, noisy parties at 4 AM on a Tuesday morning.

Heck, there might be a condo across the street that looks EXACTLY the same as your condo, but it may be a completely different community when it comes to the way it is governed and its rules.

It pays to keep these things in mind when finding the condo unit which is right for you.

1. Condo Parking, Pets and People

You might own your own parking spot or it might rented from the condominium, and this in turn will affect whether you can sell/rent out your parking space or if you can rent/buy another parking spot for a second car.

Many condos restrict or prohibit pets such as dogs and cats, and sometimes even restrict the quieter pets like spiders, goldfish, snakes, gerbils and (heaven forbid) beekeeping.

There may also be rules restricting how many people that can live in an unit or even just occupy it temporarily in the event of a party, barbecue on the balcony, have all your yoga friends over for a vegan lunch or whatever. There might even be rules restricting you from putting a satellite dish on the outside wall. Other restrictions include when you can play musical instruments, use the pool or the party room.

2. The Condo Reserve Fund

The condo board needs to keep track of how much money is in the reserve fund and how much is needed in order for them to pay for cleaning and maintenance of the lobby, hallways, elevators, furnace, roof and parking garage. They must always be maintained and repaired or else they are liable for lawsuits for failing to fulfill contracts with condo residents. Thus the condo needs a reserve fund for emergency repairs. Often the prices of utilities, security, landscaping and snow removal go up too, so expect inflation. If there is no reserve fund, be very wary of buying.

3. Condo Management and Professionalism

Most people on the condo board of directors lack any kind of business, legal or people skills needed to manage their building, let alone dog grooming business. They are on the board because they ran for the position and got voted in on popularity. Nothing to do with skill at all. However the are responsible for a budget that could be in the millions and must also deal with sometimes complex disputes between owners and the condo corporation. This requires a working understanding of the Provincial Condominium legislation that governs their condo. Even simple decisions such as when to turn on the air conditioning requires basic understanding of how it works and how the AC will affect unit owners in different ways, like whether they are on the south or north side of the building.

That’s why a condo needs a professional property manager. They know these things inside out and if they don't do them properly, then condo residents complain. If the condo you are buying doesn't have a property manager... then cross your fingers and hope you never run into an incompetent and belligerent elected-member of the condo board. It will be guaranteed to be headaches galore.

4. Insurance Deductible

Does your condo insurance policy have a $5,000 or $10,000 deductible? Make sure you speak to an insurance specialist about obtaining your own unit coverage to protect your belongings and any renovations made to your unit.

5. Were those renovations legal?

If any alterations to your condo were made you should check to make sure that they got the necessary approval via the condo board. Otherwise you might have to get it approved yourself, even though its after the fact, and this can be costly. You may end up paying for further inspections and certifications by plumbers, architects or engineers, things that should have been paid for by the previous owner.

6. Do the condo residents behave?

Call it schoolyard justice and bullying if you want to, but many condo residents don't play fair. They get into feuds about the stupidest little things and the next thing you know they're both running for condo president so they can try and kick the other person out of the building. Its ridiculous.

Before you buy its recommended you knock on some doors and ask your would-be neighbours about the building and how happy they are about other neighbours. Remember to look at the minutes of the last annual meeting. Were there many items disputed? Be suspicious if they haven't had a meeting in over a year.

7. Status Certificate

This handy little document issued by each condo shows an up to date copy of the budget, the last annual meeting, whether there are arrears / expenses, special assessments and a Reserve Fund Study. Your purchase agreement MUST be conditional on you being satisfied with the contents of this very important document. Review the document carefully with your real estate salesperson and your lawyer.

So remember these things to ask!

Parking, Pets and People

Condo Reserve Fund

Property Manager

Insurance Deductible

Legal Renovations

Condo Disputes & Annual Minutes

Status Certificate

See Also:

The Future of Condos

Toronto Condos and Highrises

Tea Leaves for Toronto Real Estate

The Toronto Real Estate Market

The Housing & Mortgage Industry

Real estate market correction coming

Toronto's real estate market is overdue for a “moderate correction” according to the TD Bank which is predicting home prices should slip 10 to 15%.

“The excessive pricing of Canadian housing in relation to fundamentals is now clearly correcting,” says TD Bank economist Grant Bishop. “We expect a moderate correction in prices over the coming year.”

The TD bank is predicting a “downward correction of 10 per cent in monthly average prices, followed by several years of stagnation of price growth,” especially since many Canadian families have large debts which is hampering their ability to borrow more.

Other Canadian economists also believe the Canadian real estate market is overvalued, with estimates varying between 25% and 40%. The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) downgraded their estimates in August as sharp declines in home sales made it clear it was becoming a bear market (a bear market means buyers are hibernating and waiting it out).

Seasonally adjusted national home sales were down 6.8% in July compared with June. On a year-over-year basis, Canada's sales activity was down by 30% compared with July 2009. Home sales have declined for three months in a row.

“The market went up faster than most people have expected and it’s going down more quickly than we had anticipated,” says Sal Guatieri, a BMO Capital Markets senior economist.

The average price of homes sold in July was $330,351, only 1% higher than a year earlier. If more potential buyers hold back prices might begin to dip, sparking a price drop as the market recorrects itself.

“The combination of tighter mortgage insurance rules, a modest back up in borrowing costs, and the HST have delivered a hammer blow to sales,” says Doug Porter, deputy chief economist for BMO Capital Markets.

CREA is warning there will be more dismal sales numbers in the future.

Parking, Parking and Bicycle Parking

When you buy a condo its often assumed that you also getting a parking spot. This is not always true however.

You may have to pay extra for your parking spot. On a monthly basis as opposed to outright buying the parking lot when you buy the condo.

Thinking to save money (and get some exercise) you might also say "Hey, I'll just get a bicycle instead and sell the old car."

But do your research first because some buildings don't have the greatest parking spots for bicycles either. Some buildings are bicycle friendly, to both their residents, their guests and whomever happens to be visiting the neighbourhood...

Its called "Being Neighbourly" or just plain nice.

But some building managers are just plain jerks. They want their bike racks to be for residents only so they stick them in the parking garage... or alternatively they do have it outside, but they chop off bikes of people who don't live there. (Often using a sticker to determine who is actually a resident.)

See 565 Sherbourne Chopping Off Bikes.

Its not very neighbourly at all. Its arguably illegal because it involves stealing people's bikes right off the sidewalk. (And bicycle theft often leads to a rash of bicycle thefts in the area, because some people figure its okay to just steal someone else's.)

When it comes to parking you want everyone in the neighbourhood to get along. You don't want people fighting over parking spots, whether they be residents or guests. Its smart just to have extra parking spaces for both cars and bicycles. The moment people start fighting for a parking spot that is when things start to get ugly.

You know... vandalism, scratched cars, potatoes in the exhaust pipe, your car set on fire...

So when picking a condo make sure you understand the condo's policies on both parking for you and for guests. The last thing you want is a feud that is going cost you more than you bargained for.

"Good fences make good neighbours."