I’m still unsure about my condo association

I am still unsure if I prefer residing under the dominion of a condominium association.

Many family members have complained to me over the years about how rough it can be owning a place with a homeowners association.

I have heard stories of all kinds. Things like being charged for leaving a garage door open for 2 minutes or getting in trouble for using the wrong shade of green on the exterior of your house. At first I figured that maybe these stories were exaggerated, or perhaps they were only characteristic of the worst HOAs, not the norm across the board. I can’t say anything about the rest of the country, but my experience with something like an HOA hasn’t been great. Condos inside large buildings are under the rule of a condominium association. They all function in nearly the same capacity of a HOA with several of the same rules as well as stipulations. But since we’re all in the same building, we can get things like free water and trash that you can’t necessarily expect from a regular condominium. They also cover all of the heating as well as cooling systems throughout the entire building. On the 1 hand, it’s wonderful never having to pay for HVAC maintenance or maintenance on my air conditioning. But then on the other hand, I do not like having to wait a long time for their techs to arrive when I call about a drastic problem. Don’t even try calling in June or you’ll be disappointed. I don’t hate my house association, but I really don’t love them either.

Click for more on air conditioning