Making an offer on a condo tomorrow - things to put in contract?

[space-time]

insist on the seller giving you credit (discount) for whatever turns out to be broken.

Then you could upgrade to whatever model/features you want, not be stuck with the sellers cheapest choice.

[decocritter]

I wish I did not live where folks are putting crappy holiday lights of any color on their units and porches and leaving them up and on all year. It is against the by-laws, yet they do it. They are cheap and a fire hazard and ruin the landscape Put a lamp or a light fixture that goes with the building architecture, please.

Grills on porches are against fire codes and cause many fires. You can use them away from building and must empty, clean and store them for safety. If you want a permanent grill get a patio at a house.


Also watch out for the condo board members that break all the rules. But they will enforce willy nilly on every other resident.


Lax rules contribute to a run down community and low property values. Then nothing sells, because of all the new, nice condos. When the board is the biggest violators, it is hopeless. Look at where they live and judge.

What you see is what you will get, permanently. It usually only goes downhill.

[decocritter]

The condos across the street are FHA approved and have about 65% or more rentals. No one checks. You need to check.

Rentals only degrade a property. There will be too many animals, people and noise per unit. The tenants are not vested and don't care. They take up all the parking and cause most noise problems. You do have the occasional quiet single person that rents and treats the unit like their own.

Landlords are desperate and will rent to anyone.

[SDGuy]

Besides the usual inspection of the condo itself, take a CLOSE look at the reserves/financial health of the association, and how well they're maintaining the property.
I've known of at least two different complexes that were hit up with 5-figure (per unit) assessments when the duct-tape and bondo method of maintenance finally caught up with them.

Also ask the people living there how the HOA runs things (iron-fisted old biddies, lackadaisical stoners who will let the whole place fall apart, something in-between?)

[Mike Sellers]

Depending on the age of the unit, get a separate HVAC inspection. Home inspectors include so many caveats about how they're not HVAC/electrical/plumbing/roofing experts that you have to wonder why you hired them at all. If possible, spend some time scrutinizing the house before the inspection and definitely walk with the inspector, asking them to point out things to watch and also point out things to them. I've found so many problems in my current house that the inspector totally missed. As decocritter pointed out, consider getting a second inspector to come in. It's an additional $300-400 but could be worth it.

[3d]

As mentioned above... go over the HOA rules with a finetooth comb. And make sure you are agreeable with everything.

My pet peeve: seeing a neighbor's raggedy laundry being hung out to dry in any area visible from the front. And blankets/quilts hung out from an upper floor window-sill to dry, flapping in the breeze. G-H-E-T-T-O.

[Yoyodyne ArtWorks]

decocritter wrote:
I wish I would have gotten a second inspection, someone not in the pocket of local realtors. An inspector from outside the area.

Big agreement, this is a HUGE point that most people underestimate. Many inspectors are utter whores for the local realty trade. A good, honest inspector is worth his/her weight in gold.

decocritter wrote: I wish I would have been tougher on accepting things that were not in good condition. I trusted the realtor and it was a big mistake.

Another +1; realtors only make money if the sale goes through and thus have a huge incentive to ignore/diminish any issues that might impede a sale.