[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by Sable99

I will give you my view in case you really do mean condos But, like Gracie said TV doesn't have many condos.

Personally, I loved living in condos. I lived in two when I lived in VA. My last was almost 1600 square feet and my condo and building was wonerful. The fees were about $300 a month but they paid for everything: indoor pool, outdoor pool, huge community room (with am coffee and donuts and lots of other functions), game room, exercise room, tennis courts, underground assigned parking, etc. And, it also paid for my snow removal, lawn care, water bill, sewer, and anything else.

Mom and I live in a two story condo in Michigan now with a two car garage. We have 4 bedrooms and 3 baths. Our home backs up to a country club golf course so we have a beautiful view. Its great because Mom is 90 and I'm close but we both have our own space We have lawn care and snow removal. They trim our trees and even weed our huge rock garden. But, we don't have any of the other amenities. We had ice damage this past winter and the condo paid for it.

The bad side of a condo is that if you want to do anything major inside your home, you usually have to get permission from the association.

Many people have a misconception of exactly what a condo is. Simply stated, a condominium is a form of ownership -- nothing else. Condos can be a garden type apartment, a duplex, a single family home, a high rise, a townhouse, etc. Whether it is a condo association or a homeowner's association makes no difference. In either case you can own your prooperty in fee simple ownership.

Depending upon the association, there are many similarities and many differences. There are some that maintain the front of the property but you might have to maintain the back (as in the case of some townhouses or single homes). In the case of a single family condo, you may be responsible for your own roof. If a wall separates you from your next door neighbor, the wall can be the responsibility of the two neighbors, or the association.

In any association, you must read the by-laws and rules and regulations to understand who is responsible for what -- you or the association. By and large, in either form of ownership, you can do what you want inside unless there's a possibility you could harm the integrity of the building as in a high-rise. As an example, if you wanted to replace your kitchen cabinets, you would not need permission. Usually, you must always get approval for anything on the exterior. That is the case throughout The Villages.