Condo Living

The first comprehensive architectural and cultural history of condominium and cooperative housing in twentieth-century America. Today, one in five homeowners in American cities and suburbs lives in a multifamily home rather than a single-family house. As the American dream evolves, precipitated by rising real estate prices and a renewed interest in urban living, many predict that condos will become the predominant form of housing in the twenty-first century. In this unprecedented study, Matthew Gordon Lasner explores the history of co-owned multifamily housing in the United States, from New York City’s first co-op, in 1881, to contemporary condominium and townhouse complexes coast to coast. Lasner explains the complicated social, economic, and political factors that have increased demand for this way of living, situating the trend within the larger housing market and broad shifts in residential architecture and family life. He contrasts the prevalence and popularity of condos, townhouses, and other privately governed communities with their ambiguous economic, legal, and social standing, as well as their striking absence from urban and architectural history.

Adventure is just an elevator ride away for brothers Noah and Michael, who are best friends with all the other Condo Kids in their building. This tight-knit group of pals just want to have fun, but always wind up in hilarious, sticky situations. The latest adventure finds the Condo Kids keeping a major secret from nosy neighbors, after Noah, desperate for a pet, sneaks a Barbary sheep named Bob home from the zoo. While Bob is heaps of fun to have around, the Condo Kids soon learn keeping a secret pet is a risky game to play. Between Noah's suspicious mom and the scary superintendent on their trail, they are just one mistake away from being discovered once and for all. Will the Condo Kids manage to keep their furry friend hidden from prying eyes? Or will they be found out and lose the newest member of the Condo Kids gang?

The majority of people now live in cities and for many that means apartment living. Apartments are where we spend our time, make our homes, raise our families and invest our money. Apartment living requires that we try to get along with our neighbours and make decisions collectively about the management of our buildings. This book examines how different housing markets, development practices, planning regimes, legal structures and social and cultural norms affect people’s everyday experiences of apartment living.

At last a book that guides the reader through the perils and opportunities of buying a home within a community association. Condominiums, townhomes, cooperatives, and single-family homes within a community association share similar issues with respect to financial and governance surprises that may affect your pocketbook and quality of life. Learn how to ask for the right information, ask the right questions, and decide for yourself the best home that reflects your values, lifestyle, and budget—and of course to help avoid a major surprise after purchase. David T. Schwindt, certified public accountant, consultant, and reserve study specialist, brings over thirty years of experience with community associations in an easy-to-understand resource that you will find invaluable in making the right decision for you and your family. Included with each informative chapter are tips, best practices, and ways to create community and harmony within an association.

Offers a complete overview of these special, usually smaller, residences. It points out dozens of hints and suggestion as to what to look for as well as demonstrating the many mistakes common with these types of investments. You will learn how to find the best opportunities, to negotiate, finance, budget, handle pre-construction issues, set values, and make the offer. You will be able to define what you are buying (and what you are not) issues on your right to sell, lease, or mortgage. You will be prepared for restrictions pertaining to children, pets, parking, vehicles, boats, music, maintenance of windows, doors, screens, air conditioners, plumbing, club memberships, recreation facility leases, use of recreational facilities, and common areas. In addition, you will learn the advantages of using credit reports, home warranties, insurance, creative financing, closing procedures, moving plans, closing and settlement inspections, and certain legal contracts. You will have instruction in obtaining mortgages -- which government agencies can help, considerations for veterans, IRA use, hiring an attorney, calculating monthly payments, and establishing an escrow account. The real estate and mortgage glossaries alone are invaluable resources, even for the 'old hand' at property acquisition.

When condominiums first emerged in North American cities in the 1960s, they were a new kind of housing governed by boards of resident owners volunteering in a community. Condo Conquest shows how the condo and its inner governance have since become something else entirely, taken over – or conquered – by an assemblage of commercial interests specializing in condo law, real estate, security, and property management, as well as growing numbers of non-resident investors. Drawing on the accounts of residents and board directors in Toronto and New York and myriad other sources, Randy Lippert reveals how a growing reliance on commodified technologies, emergent forms of knowledge, and the exploitation of renters are threatening the condo’s future and undermining the integrity of urban communities.

In the Make Money series, renowned real estate investor and bestselling author Gary W. Eldred shows you how to profit from the safest, most reliable wealth builder in the world-real estate. With coverage of all the fundamentals-from finding the right properties to financing and managing them-Eldred shows you the ropes so you don't have to learn important lessons the hard way. Unlike general guides to investing in real estate, each title in the Make Money series gives you the specialized expertise necessary to fully profit from a select investment strategy. Make Money with Condominiums and Townhouses shows homebuyers and investors how to travel the road to real estate wealth-often with little or nothing down. As an affordable investment vehicle, condominiums and townhouses offer numerous advantages over other types of rental property-they require relatively little day-to-day management, they tend to attract more desirable tenants than other rental properties, and they offer low risk and high returns. Full of time-tested techniques and proven money-making strategies, Make Money with Condominiums and Townhouses will show you how to: * Relax while you put your money to work * Find properties with high rates of appreciation * Evaluate homeowner association finances * Choose profitable locations * Understand the changing demographics that may affect your investment * Finance your properties with little or no money down * Achieve positive cash flow quickly * Build up equity * Understand by-laws, disclosure statements, and management contracts