The Pros and Cons of Living in a Condo

Choosing a home is an important decision. Deciding if a condo is the right choice for you depends on several factors. Figuring out what your needs and preferences are key to determining what you are looking for in your future home. There are many Atlanta condos to choose from, so if you decide to move to Atlanta and live in a condo there are a few things to consider.

Condos have many perks that houses do not have. Condos can come with amenities like valet parking, a gym, and areas to host events such as birthday parties. Condos are typically located in urban areas and offer the advantage of coffee shops, doctor’s offices, restaurants, and other services within minutes of driving. Living in a condo offers you more variety because of the amount of business competition per square mile. This benefits you because you have more choices for everyday needs, and get to choose from a higher quality of products.

Living in a condo allows you to free up your time. Issues with repairs, such as leaky roofs, can be taken care of by the home owners association while you are at work. Security personnel in the building can let the repair company in and watch over their work, sometimes condo buildings have repair workers in-house. All of these extra amenities such as the pool, conference rooms, fitness center, and security are covered with a monthly fee. This is a tremendous benefit to people that do not like to hassle with moving the lawn, or hiring pool cleaners and being there to watch over.

Living in a condo can also have its down falls. Home owners associations have most of the power in a residential building. They oversee all of the inner workings of the building, and enforce rules that may not be of advantage to you. Rules such as not keeping noise levels down after a certain time, or not having more than one extra parking spot to your condo are not uncommon. Valet parking may take considerable time and effort on your part to coordinate because of the amount of people in your building needing their car at the same time.

Along with the amount of people that are around, you may feel a need to get more space. Condos tend to be higher in price per square foot than houses. Most condos are located where it is popular to live, therefore the competition is high to get a popular spot, like beach front property. Since condos tend to be located in highly populated areas, they are also centered near traffic. It is not uncommon for a five minute drive at 8 PM to take twenty-five minutes at 5 PM. Living in a condo takes more planning when it comes to commuting and time management is essential.

What some people consider attractive, like the amount of people, amenities, and shops that come with living in a condo, may be not worth it to someone that values easy commutes, quiet, and land. Determining the lifestyle you want is important to figuring out if living in a condo is the right choice for you.