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Condominium Homes - search listings
Twenty years ago condominiums were common in Broward County, found primarily in concentrated beach areas mostly for retirees. Today, condominiums represent more than 55% of all home sales and are one of the fastest growing segments in the home market, from high-rise towers on Las Olas or near or on the beach to garden condominiums in Weston and other west Broward communities. Condominiums are not a new form of housing, but one that is over 300 years old. Recently, condominiums have again become a very popular alternative to single family homes.
The reasons are very simple:
- Features
- Security
- Affordability
- Maintenance
Features: The condominium lifestyle offers such amenities as a swimming pool, balcony, deck, in-unit washer/dryers, individually controlled air conditioning and heating systems, and the latest state of the art kitchens.
Most condo’s have pools, fitness centers, and are usually just a few minutes' walk or drive from grocery and drug stores, parks, theaters, restaurants, museums and department stores.
Security: Security in a condominium allows for peace-of-mind. Usually, security in a high-rise building is controlled by a 24-hour doorman and garage attendant. Most condominiums offer a well-lit underground parking garage or parking lot.
Affordability: When interest rates increase or when the real estate market weakens, condominiums become more popular because of their affordability. Typically, the price per square feet of a condominium is lower than a single family home because the condominium does not have the land that a single family home offers. The cost efficiencies of condominium can save owners thousands of dollars over the long term. Repairs to the facility, upkeep of the grounds and other maintenance expenses are shared by all owners and the cost is spread throughout the building. Condominium Pricing
Maintenance: The maintenance features of condominiums are really one of their best aspects. Most of the larger ones have a 24-hour maintenance staff, which can routinely attend to any emergency that occurs. When you are living in a single family home and a pipe breaks, you must call a repairman, and hopefully, within 24 hours, the problem can be corrected. When you are living in a condominium, within minutes a member of the management or maintenance staff can appear on the scene and quickly and efficiently solve the problem. When you are away for an extended period of time and there is a problem within your unit, the condominium management office can resolve the problem.
Owning a Condominium is very similar to owning other real estate.
A Condominium comes with a deed and is very much like owning other types of real estate in terms of financing, taxes, etc, with the added benefit of carefree apartment living.
When you buy a Co-op, what you actually buy is a proportionate number of shares in the corporation that owns the building. The corporation in which you are a shareholder then issues you a proprietary lease entitling you to live in the unit you have purchased. Financing, the manner in which sales are recorded, rules and other details are sometimes different for Condos than for Co-ops. In almost all cases, Co-ops require all cash purchases.. Most do not allow financing of any sort.
Lets talk about which form of ownership is right for you. Pets: This is important: Most buildings have rigid pet restrictions. Dog-friendly condos are the exception rather than the rule.
Some condos allow only cats or birds. Others limit dogs to a certain size. (Seriously, often they count and weigh the dogs) If you plan to live with a companion animal, you will save yourself and our team a lot of time and wasted effort later if disclose to us now what your pet plans are.
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