Living in a condo

[ghosthunter]

thanks sir. at first we were looking for a townhouse but its more expensive and besides we are just praparing the condo for the kids when they go to college in manila. ill get the 16th floor of the 38 floor condo. my other choices are the 10th and the 38th floors. any suggestion? i am just worried if its a good investment but its a better choice for us at this time. shall i close the deal?

I would suggest the higher floor options. As mentioned, this would help with the noise issue coming from street level. Advantage of the higher floors would be a better view from your unit and less dust as well. But if you have pets (or plan to own a dog) you will have to check the rules & regulations for them in the condo. Many condo might allow pets but pets would not be allowed in the elevator. So if you want to take the dog for a walk, you will have to use the stairs which will be a long climb if you are not in shape.

BTW, I would also suggest a unit with bedrooms facing the morning sun. This would help keep the room cool later in the day (afternoon and night). If the bedrooms were facing the afternoon sun, the rooms would still be very warm in the evening, resulting is higher aircon use.

Another advantage of a condo is better security since there is just one point of entry/exit.

In the long run, the condo might be the better choice. Lower long term maintenance issues of the structure (roof, etc) and better overall security might be the ideal choice for you. Of course some people also want to have an actual garden, etc which you will not have with a condo.

[Ry_Tower]

Actually I am also contemplating between a small house or a condo for my son when he goes to college. This has been helpful.

[ghosthunter]

Actually I am also contemplating between a small house or a condo for my son when he goes to college. This has been helpful.

Well, you can ask what is on your mind.

Condos for small kids can be fun. Many have pools and a secured play area.

For older children (college age) it may offer a more convenient travel distance to school, as many condos are being situated near colleges and universities. Downside, many condos (of more recent construction) tend to have smaller floor areas and/or lower ceiling as compared to older condo developments.

[vinj]

Thanks for the tips, GH. We were also fixing on the purchase of a condo to serve as a halfway house during the workweek and for rental later on.

We considered the following:
- proximity to public transpo and the CBDs. This I feel is better than choosing one near a school as it will have better value later on as your kids start working or you want to rent it out. If its centrally located, most good universities should be within striking distance (30 mins to an hour drive/commute)
- proximity to fault line and flood prone areas (of course we would want to avoid these areas)
- developer record
- orientation to the sun (as GH mentioned); i'm choosing a unit facing the northeast and also considered that no other building will be built next to our window and block the view.
- number of elevators in the development
- assurance to be able to purchase a parking slot

Since the development were considering is along EDSA, were finalizing to get one of the upper floor units as well. I also checked out skyscrapercity for developer/development feedback.

[mataraki]

thanks GH. You really give good insights. You also guided me when i bought my daily car Lancer EX MX and I am very happy with it. I will close the deal with my realtor this week. I hope everything will be just right!

[CVT]

Condo?- If you have visitors from abroad or probably from the province,- puwede doon sila for privacy et al.... Ganoon gawa namin....

14.0K:bike3:

[_Qwerty_]

be ready for additional monthly and yearly expenses..

ask magkano association dues.. some condos goes from 50 to 120 per sqm per month.. minsan kasama din yung parking space (12 to 15sqm din to) sa computation nang dues..

some condos also adds 10% sa utilities.. water and electricity.. also some condos not purely residential.. iba ang rate nang water.. mataas compared to residential households..

then you have the yearly building insurance.. ask if this is paid in full or in installment.. mabigat din kasi pag nagkasabay sabay.. tapos may insurance on common areas and mechanical etc..

then yung yearly RPT tax.. iba iba ang rate kada city.. tapos depende din sa zonal value..

also magkano rentals sa parking space.. is it worth to buy one? or just rent? gano kalalim yung basement parking.. pwede ba mag park sa harap or kailangan sa parking mo lang.. minsan kasi hassle aalis ka pa tapos ang parking mo basement 4.. pag walang parking sa taas.. park ka pa sa basement 4.. eh paapaano kung 5x ka umalis that day.. 5x ka babalik balik sa basement 4.. also check kung may available bang visitor parking.. sa ibang condo wala.. or yung iba charges too high.. like 40.00 per hour.. hassle sa mga visitors..

check mo din kung may mga convenience store na malapit.. mas maganda kung 24 hours.. para pag may kailangan ka mabilis makakuha nang supplies.. may malapit bang water refilling station? malapit na laundry? ok ba ang palibot nang condo? yung iba kasing condo.. delikado maglakad sa labas kasi maraming squatters sa palibot..

check mo din kung pwede magpasok nang LPG tank.. may ibang condos bawal ang LPG tanks.. so electric ang gamit pagluto.. medyo mahal yan..

check mo din kung pwede maglagay nang window type aircon.. yung iba walang provision sa ganyan.. puro split type.. so medyo additional expense na naman yan..

ilan ang elevators.. may service lift ba?? malaking issue yang elevators.. expect na malimit masira yan sa dami nang gumagamit.. ilan ang units per floor.. mas madaming units.. mas madaming tao.. tapos kung 2 lang ang elevator... patay ka pag rush hour sa umaga and sa gabi.. tapos sira pa yung isa.. or walang service lift so ginagamit na service lift yung isa..

kailangan consider lahat to..

[lucyreed]

Condominiums, or condos as individuals call them, offer all the benefits of living in apartments with all the advantages of home ownership. No yard work is needed. However, there are some significant condominium disadvantages an individual should have in mind before buying. Here's some, you may take a look.

[ice15]

for DMCI residents...

Anyone whose unit looks like this?

How did you install an A/C on bedroom 2?

[uls]

market maker