Tell me everything I should know before buying condo Monsey

Highstrung

Tue, May 16 2023, 3:40 pm

Not sure if condo living is the same as multi family living . But if it is:

Find out who’s responsible for the garbage cleanup . I lived in a multi family where there were constant fights about the garbage , pulling it to the curb and putting it back after garbage pickup. because they didn’t have anything worked out .
Also kids trashed the property with snack wrappers and ices wrappers. Who is responsible to clean those messes ?

Find out if there is soundproofing between apartments.

What’s the parking situation. Many such homes don’t have sufficient parking and you can’t park in the street during winter time.

amother

Holly

Tue, May 16 2023, 9:25 pm

Garbage - whose responsibility is it

Parking - not all houses have enough/what happens if someone has more than one car

Shortcuts - does house have one in back/do ppl use it to cut through

Layout - what’s under/over you. (Think master on top of master heating from your neighbors master or dining room on bedroom one finishes meal much later or earlier and bothers neighbor)

Sound - even soundproof houses you can hear through. Check where pipes run - I hear my neighbor flushing 2 flights up in my master

Co-owners - if you’re the only owner living there only you will care… fact is tenants are more negligent than owners (think landscaping, garbage…)

Privacy - does porch face someone else’s kitchen, Does master window open to another master window etc…

NEIGHBORS, NEIGHBORS, NEIGHBORS - the kids and parents should be normal healthy ppl emotionally

A ton of luck and siyata dishmaya….

amother

Birch

Wed, May 17 2023, 3:44 am

Most condos in Monsey the people don’t wanna pay for maintenance it becomes a huge mess and hassle and lots of work

The houses are made out of wood and you hear your neighbors flush the toilet, use the treadmill and when they are together with their husbands. Your neighbors can see right into your house and tell you what you’re eating for supper. The kids have no place to. Play.

amother

Midnight

Wed, May 17 2023, 4:13 am

amother Birch wrote:

This is exactly my experience

Amarante

Wed, May 17 2023, 6:35 am

People seem to be focusing on the physical attributes of the condo - which is of course important as you will be living in whatever unit you buy.

What is equally - or even more important - is to understand the legal implications of owning a condo

Do you literally mean condo - which is a form of ownership in which the HOA which is a corporation owns the communal areas of the development and only the interior of the unit is owned by the homeowner. The HOA has a Board of Directors which runs the development including determining the budget; the monthly maintenance; is responsible for physically maintaining the property and there is a set of legal documents - the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions as well as By Laws. The Board is elected and typically meets once a month (or more) and the meetings are open to the owners and there are minutes.

New York City historically had coops in which residents owned shares in the stock of the corporation which actually owned the building and had leases with the ownership but outside of New York City and newer development in New York City are typically structured as condominiums.

If you are moving into a condo and not just a townhouse type of situation then you have different issues.

Highstrung

Wed, May 17 2023, 6:52 am

amother Birch wrote:

Lol. Years ago when I lived in a multi family home in Monsey , I overheard one neighbor tell the other neighbor , “I could hear you brush your teeth and know exactly when you do every day” they then went on to compare the sounds they here from each other . They were cracking up with laughter but it really wasn’t funny.

amother

Tangerine

Wed, May 17 2023, 7:00 am

I live in a condo in a different city. Here are a few things to look out for based off my and other's experiences...
- our home value went way up. A smaller unit in our building just sold for more than we paid for ours!
- no monthly rent that the landlord can just increase. There are HOA dues to pay monthly for upkeep, landscaping, gardening, certain bills for the building, repairs... and yes they can increase those but it isn't like landlords who just say "pay 500 more a month now" as here the board has to pay too.
- you will own it!! Unlike rent...
- please check CC&Rs. People buy thinking "well I can just replace the floors" but there are rules about that. If you put hardwood in then everyone else can hear your noise even more!! Or they want to put a trampoline in the yard or a play structure.... follow the rules.
- you will have neighbors that don't care about the building. They damage it? It comes out of the communal budget which means you pay for their mistakes or negligence.
- owner/dwellers tend to take care of property more than sub renters. Does your building allow people to rent out their condos?
- check out the neighbors. But then again, We had lovely people who owned next door but moved soon after we came...
- can you build a sukkah?
- neighbors can sue each other. One unit leaks into another etc. Get homeowners insurance.
- you pay for all internal repairs. Dishwasher broke? Your issue. Plumbing problem? You.

Good and bad here!

amother

Blushpink

Wed, May 17 2023, 7:15 am

amother DarkKhaki wrote:

We bought a small dumpy house built 1965 on a street with only 3 yidden because we had been tenants for 8 years in a five-family house in main Monsey. I would say live in the condo for a week before buying it.

This. I would rather live in a small bungalow ( actually I do!) than in a development. I don't have experience in a condo or in Monsey but living in an apartment building, you're at the mercy of your neighbors as to how clean the place is. & the privacy issue ..

Ultimately it's completely up to your & husbands personality, how important is privacy to you? Would it bother you if you invite guests & the place looks like a pigsty because your neighbors let the kids go wild?

amother

Blushpink

Wed, May 17 2023, 7:18 am

amother Tangerine wrote:

Most of what you listed applies to home ownership in general, not specific to condos.

Amarante

Wed, May 17 2023, 7:28 am

amother Blushpink wrote:

Most of what you listed applies to home ownership in general, not specific to condos.

There is a significant legal and economic difference between owning your own single family home and condo ownership.

In a condo you are tied to the fortunes of the other people in your HOA - literally. Let us assume that it costs $100,000 per year to maintain the condo. Everyone who owns is responsible for paying for that - generally in the form of the monthly maintenance. If one or more people don't pay, then others need to make up the difference and the HOA needs to take action to collect the money - but if people don't pay it can take a long time before they are replaced by an owner who does pay.

Running a condo is done by the Board of Directors who can either be good or bad. They control decisions regarding budgets; who to hire; enforcement of rules etc. A well run condo needs a Board of Directors who are knowledgeable and ethical. I live in a condo - typically our Board has someone who is a lawyer; someone who is knowledgable about construction and repairs and someone who is a realtor or knowledgable about real estate values.

A well run condo actually prevents a lot of the issues that people have with neighbors since they typically have rules covering everything and the HOA can enforce the rules. Typically they do it first by sending a polite letter but they can hold a hearing and impose various penalities including fines.

amother

Holly

Wed, May 17 2023, 7:36 am

Living in a Monsey condo for about 10 years, I’ll tell you what has broken already… (For reference, I have 2 little kids…)

Divider from kitchen between milchig and fleishig
Built in vanity door
Central Air conditioning motor leak (the one that’s on the house which caused floor to get ruined)
A broom fell and made a hole in the wall
The house settles so there’s a 5-7 inch hole between the doorpost and the path to door
Water pipe is leaking somewhere- bills are through the roof

My neighbors had the following broken
Motor from a/c outside
Boiler
Steam
Walls on top where they meet ceiling cracked from settling
Outdoor stucco is cracking

And much more.

House is standing less than 10 years

amother

Valerian

Wed, May 17 2023, 8:16 am

Wow so much negativity. Can I say some positives. I live in a condo in a monsey development.

A. Neighbors!! Lots of them. Company for myself and my kids at all times. Theyre never bored and they dont depend of just a neighbor or two their age - they each have many options for friends. Waiting for the bus is a social activity, not lonely. I'm an introvert and I'm not always up for schmoozing but I often am and there's always a large variety of women to socialize with. Since I don't work out of the house, this social life is priceless to me.

B. Ok so you do hear some sounds but what's the big deal. Your neighbor flushed their toilet. So what? And maybe you can hear yelling - so that's a great impetus to learn to use a calm voice - isn't that great?

C. Never deal with snow removal, lawn care, garbage issues, cleaning gutters. The maintenance takes care of all that. Personally I used to live in a private house and I was overwhelmed by all that - it was enough keeping up with the internal maintenance.

D. There's always a neighbor to lend a bottle of milk or to happily take your preschooler off the bus if you're running late getting home.

F. Safety. Safety in numbers. I'm not afraid to sleep home alone when my husband is away..or to allow a younger teen to babysit...if chv a kid runs into the street or tries to cross themselves when I'm not around, someone will notice and intervene. We look out for each other.

amother

Seashell

Wed, May 17 2023, 8:26 am

Amother Valerian, OP did ask for everything she should know. Facts don't mean negativity! In every thread discussing facts of living in a certain city, someone always jumps in berating about the "negativity." She asked for information, you're not doing her any favors by not telling her the truth, and the truths that you may not like, is nothing personal against you.
(And not everything you listed is true across the board for all condo living.)

amother

Bergamot

Wed, May 17 2023, 8:30 am

amother Seashell wrote:

I don’t know if you read the op well, but she most definitely did not ask for negative only. So valerian is giving the positives. What’s your issue?