Anyone here ever take on a condo association?

[llmart]

15. Thanks for the info and I'll read the link a bit later.

I found it very misleading when I was looking at houses to buy. What I saw when I looked at the property was what one would think of as just another subdivision of homes. We have two story houses and one story houses. They are all fairly close together but some have double lots which makes it look like they have a large yard. I bought a one-story and it was exactly what I was looking for at the time. I was heading into my senior years and it was just me and my dog, so I wanted a little yard but not one that would be too difficult for me to take care of. I really just wanted a small house on some property, but those were hard to find, since it seems no one builds small houses any longer, at least not in my area.

When my agent told me it was a condo I couldn't really wrap my mind around it. What I've learned is that condo associations are much more stringent in their by-laws compared to HOA's. We do have a very low monthly fee. We get lawn mowing, leaf pickup (they only do that once around December, but that's because we have an awful lawn care company). We got snow removal from all the streets and our driveways and any sidewalk up to the house. Though the by-laws state they are supposed to do "sidewalks" they never have. It sounds really good at the start but then I never expected the lawn care company to do more harm than good. They mow way too short, run over roots and kill your trees, weed whack everything in sight, including your coach lamp post. They use those godawful blowers and they go between the houses and blow everything up into your windows so that the sills are filthy. I usually put Keep Out signs between the neighbors because I got tired of them killing the grass and spraying the dirt. My lawn is the size of a postage stamp in front and back because I have (had) big trees. Don't get me started on why they ever allowed people to plant trees that were completely unsuitable for small lots. Now after 30 years people are having to pay to have them taken down.

I keep telling myself that all-in-all this is a very nice neighborhood and my house is perfect for me. But it's a bit like living in The Villages in Florida where there are a lot of really old people who are conservative. I guess if I'm still here when I'm 85 I'll appreciate having them do the yardwork. There are a few families that have kids but not many and none of them live near me. The old people like to stand around in the good weather and talk about their aches and pains. I usually bow out of those conversations