Poll of the Day > Whenever I look at condos to buy, the HOA fees kill the deal.

(+) Yeah! (+)

If I'm paying $500-1000 monthly in HOA fees I might as well invest the money I'd buy the condo with and then rent an apartment.

And property taxes are super unreasonable where I current live...I was looking at a house but then I saw property tax would've been what I'm paying now for my entire rent.

For a condo, I'd buy one in the midwest, it may not prevent the HOA fee but the property taxes are much lower.
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wow great story. thanks

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your hoa fees are more than my rent...

also, lol hoas... dang ass cults

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Hop103 posted...

For a condo, I'd buy one in the midwest, it may not prevent the HOA fee but the property taxes are much lower.

Yeah, I grew up in the Midwest. Property taxes are like 1/3 of many of the places in the northeast so Im still under shock. I wanted a condo in okc but the HOA fee was like $800/month.

Even in an expensive city here, property tax is only about $4,000 per year. So I guess thats no good for you wherever you are.

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Just buy a house or rent an apartment. Condos are a giant money sink.

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Sage_assassin20 posted...

Just buy a house or rent an apartment. Condos are a giant money sink.

Or better yet, just buy LAND and then live in a tent or RV on it... you don't have to pay property tax on land without property and land value only goes up

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zebatov posted...

Even in an expensive city here, property tax is only about $4,000 per year. So I guess thats no good for you wherever you are.

In rural Pennsylvania It might be 2% and in an expensive city such as Philadelphia it might be under 1%, or about half a percent in an expensive city like Salt Lake or it could be 1.7% in a place like Baltimore. Hey Raleigh is like 0.9% while outside of the city research triangle is like 1.3%

So I dont know what youre getting at. It varies based on city and its not necessarily more expensive for property tax to be in an expensive city. Even if it is high you dont know the value of the property, I was looking at a place thats $12,000 property tax before seeing that and saying no way. Saying your property tax is $4000 could mean your place costs anywhere from 160k to 800k.

I pay $380 for my HOA fees and it includes heat, water, trash, snow removal, etc.

The downside is that HOAs are fucked up. Right now my board President is like Trump but with even LESS checks and balances on his ass. He is engaged in discriminatory behavior that targets minorities and friends of minorities. He also isnt fond of anyone under the age of 40, regardless of race.

If you park in someone elses spot and he likes you... nothing happens. If someone else parks in your spot and he doesnt like you... nothing happens. But the moment you park in someone elses spot, hes out there placing a sticker on your car.

Fortunately Ive documented all this type of behavior and have spoken to council. If you guys remember my post on my neighbor checking my mail, well, shes one of his moles. She reports anything anyone does back to him.

TL;DR: No matter how attractive the price is... no matter how good the schools are... the neighborhood, etc. DONT go with a condo. Get a house. Itll save you a lot of headaches.

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I've never really liked the idea of condos, but I suppose a reasonably-priced HoA probably isn't the end of the world if it covers stuff you'd pay for yourself anyway where money might be saved via collective bargaining. Of course, the problem with condos isn't simply the fees, but all of the freedoms you give up.

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i would never move into an HoA. even if you happen to agree with all their rules (unlikely), there is no guarantee that they won't make ones you disagree with
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HornedLion posted...

I pay $380 for my HOA fees and it includes heat, water, trash, snow removal, etc.

The downside is that HOAs are fucked up. Right now my board President is like Trump but with even LESS checks and balances on his ass. He is engaged in discriminatory behavior that targets minorities and friends of minorities. He also isnt fond of anyone under the age of 40, regardless of race.

If you park in someone elses spot and he likes you... nothing happens. If someone else parks in your spot and he doesnt like you... nothing happens. But the moment you park in someone elses spot, hes out there placing a sticker on your car.

Fortunately Ive documented all this type of behavior and have spoken to council. If you guys remember my post on my neighbor checking my mail, well, shes one of his moles. She reports anything anyone does back to him.

TL;DR: No matter how attractive the price is... no matter how good the schools are... the neighborhood, etc. DONT go with a condo. Get a house. Itll save you a lot of headaches.

pretty sure blu would only get a condo to tell people that he has a condo

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HOAs are cancer.

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blu posted...

In rural Pennsylvania It might be 2% and in an expensive city such as Philadelphia it might be under 1%, or about half a percent in an expensive city like Salt Lake or it could be 1.7% in a place like Baltimore. Hey Raleigh is like 0.9% while outside of the city research triangle is like 1.3%

So I dont know what youre getting at. It varies based on city and its not necessarily more expensive for property tax to be in an expensive city. Even if it is high you dont know the value of the property, I was looking at a place thats $12,000 property tax before seeing that and saying no way. Saying your property tax is $4000 could mean your place costs anywhere from 160k to 800k.

Sure, its based on location. So if property tax is an issue, I would suggest finding a different area. I was saying that, and its unfortunate that theyre so expensive wherever you are.

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