location, condo living is not for me.
The problem is there is a mix of owners and renters.
Each brings problems.
Due to the economy and the big (and I mean big) drop in house prices here values are way down so many owners are under water and pissed. The unit I'm in sold not that many years ago for over $300K and now I don't think they can give them away.
For those units that are not owner occupied the owners are desperate to keep the rent flowing in (HOA fees per month for a 1 bedroom unit like mine are $300) and so they'll accept tenants that well, they shouldn't accept.
So what I find is the place is noisy, not just the guy downstairs, but all over with people going in and out all the time, driving too fast through the complex at all hours, parking their vehicles in the driveway sometimes blocking me in.
Then there are the pets: The pet owners walking their dogs and not picking up the mess (even off the sidewalk...) Dogs barking all night (right across from my unit the occupant leaves two small dogs out all night on the balcony and one of the dogs barks at everything (lots of cats/racoons running around). Then the cats meowing at all hours.
I made a big mistake thinking a condo complex would be better than a pure apartment complex.
The best place to live is a higher end (but not too high I'm only a poor underpaid firmware/software engineer) apartment complex that has a manager who lives on site and runs the thing like a ship. Nice and tight. No nonsense. Also, no pets, no way no how no exceptions.
I found such a complex just a mile or so away from where I am now. When I spoke with the manager about the conditions were where I was she told me her policy is 3-strikes (noise or other complaints/problems) and you're out. There was even a vacacy (rare believe it or not because these places are highly desirable) coming up (back in March) but I didn't take it because at the time I would have had to pay $2K to break the lease and I was told by the property management where I live it would go before the HOA and get this sorted out.
Anyhow, we'll see how it goes. I think it will all work out ok.
Sincerely,
MarcW.