Condo verses house

[UZI]

While I was still W**king (sorry 4 letter word I don't use any more :541: ) my company always put us in very good Condo's. The views were great, facilities like Gym, pool, shop, laundry etc were definitely a plus BUT and it is a BIG but....... you are so in the hands of neighbors. Get noisy ones living ABOVE you, can be a nightmare with bumps & bangs on the ceiling at night. Twice we had to move to a different condo to get away from that. Ok for us as it was rented & the company footed the bill.Condo vs house is also like City vs province. Different strokes....Uzi.

[Mr Lee]

While I was still W**king (sorry 4 letter word I don't use any more :541: ) my company always put us in very good Condo's. The views were great, facilities like Gym, pool, shop, laundry etc were definitely a plus BUT and it is a BIG but....... you are so in the hands of neighbors. Get noisy ones living ABOVE you, can be a nightmare with bumps & bangs on the ceiling at night. Twice we had to move to a different condo to get away from that. Ok for us as it was rented & the company footed the bill.Condo vs house is also like City vs province. Different strokes....Uzi.

Absolutely Uzi, different strokes for different folks and as far as I have been able to experience, it is noisy in the Philippines and no matter where we live, so we just trade one noise for another. Example, the guy in the unit above us has a squeaky bed     so a number of times my wife and I would wake up in the middle of the night and think one of our fans had developed a bad squeak,   :wt-hell:  that is until the guy did it in the daytime when we were awake and both said aha, then we just let our friend who rents that unit out to him know about the bed squeak and problem solved. The strange thing is that they guy is single and no one has ever seen him with anyone else in his apartment, so I wonder what the heck he was doing bouncing around on the bed.   :yes:  Maybe bad or wet dreams.      :as-if: whoops, I hope he does not read this forum  :lol:I personally cannot stand dogs barking all night, roosters crowing in the middle of the night and then the rest of the morning, why do they always seem to wake up at around 3 am? and then there are the loud boom boxes late at night, none of which we hear in our condo when the aircon is on and the balcony doors are closed, so everyone has a different thing that bothers them and possibly a nice gated community might solve a lot of those, as long as it does not border on another area where they are prevalent.    :no:

[UZI]

While I was still W**king (sorry 4 letter word I don't use any more :541: ) my company always put us in very good Condo's. The views were great, facilities like Gym, pool, shop, laundry etc were definitely a plus BUT and it is a BIG but....... you are so in the hands of neighbors. Get noisy ones living ABOVE you, can be a nightmare with bumps & bangs on the ceiling at night. Twice we had to move to a different condo to get away from that. Ok for us as it was rented & the company footed the bill.Condo vs house is also like City vs province. Different strokes....Uzi.

Absolutely Uzi, different strokes for different folks and as far as I have been able to experience, it is noisy in the Philippines and no matter where we live, so we just trade one noise for another. Example, the guy in the unit above us has a squeaky bed so a number of times my wife and I would wake up in the middle of the night and think one of our fans had developed a bad squeak, :( that is until the guy did it in the daytime when we were awake and both said aha, then we just let our friend who rents that unit out to him know about the bed squeak and problem solved. The strange thing is that they guy is single and no one has ever seen him with anyone else in his apartment, so I wonder what the heck he was doing bouncing around on the bed. :no: Maybe bad or wet dreams. :as-if: whoops, I hope he does not read this forum :lol:I personally cannot stand dogs barking all night, roosters crowing in the middle of the night and then the rest of the morning, why do they always seem to wake up at around 3 am? and then there are the loud boom boxes late at night, none of which we hear in our condo when the aircon is on and the balcony doors are closed, so everyone has a different thing that bothers them and possibly a nice gated community might solve a lot of those, as long as it does not border on another area where they are prevalent. :wt-hell:

:yes: ouch, my sides ache.seriously though, I have lived in many Condo's, never again and can't say I like the fake Philippines that exists in sub divisions (well the one I am on) that is more like the Expat compounds in Saudi, so now off to experience the real Philippines in the community. I am sure there will be a downside there too but we have chosen the location well so NO passing traffic (trikes etc), cul de sac (only 4 houses) and we will make sure that the bedroom is as sound proof as can be done (good windows etc not the typical louvre type). Oh & just around the corner....the beach Again, different strokes, isolate yourself, insulate yourself or become a part of the real Philippines, warts & all.Time will tell whether I made a good or bad decision I guess but as I like to quote "when was the last time, you did something the 1st time?"If you're not living on the edge, then you are taking up too much space - 'No Fear'.Uzi.

[Mr Tropic]

My wife and I and our 15 month old boy live in our beach house on Siargao Island in a place called Malinao just west of General Luna. (check out Siargao Island on google earth) Siargao Islands is located in a very special place in the chain of Island on the pacific side. It is part of Mindinao but the northern most Island. It is safe here, out of the typhoon belt, lots of beaches, expats and clean and for the most part quiet. We also have our condos in Cebu. So we stay here part time and in the condos part time so we experience both worlds. Life here is certainly more peaceful and quiet and we have no close neighbors and the ones we have are great. So I prefer living here, BUT we also have no good dinning, shopping, movies or all the other conveniences of the city life. Sooooooooo my take on this topic is in life there is ying and yan in everything, the good and the bad. I like them both but just not to much of either. I have to say that if living in the city I have to be up and above all the people and noise and pollution etc. So in the city condo living is the only way to live for me. Maybe that is why condo's cost more per square meter that some houses? It is usually cooler, quieter, no yard to maintain, super secure, the neighbors are less of a problem with the help of management, (although squeaky beds can be a turn on) also no rosters close by or dogs. You get the great views and taxi is always close by to be your personal chauffer. So condo verses house, I like a little of both but if I had to chose it would be the Condo and city life with a vacation to the Islands.Living and a Loving................Mr. Tropic

[Jake]

Repeat post made several months ago, but if I may, worth repeating........Some things to consider: (list is not all inclusive, appreciate other members inputs)At your future residence, any chronic insect or rodent infestation; any evidence of past flooding or sewage backup due to drainage problems in home or street (stay away from low lying area)Neighbors drinking session and playing loud karaoke late at night or roosters crooning "My Way" early in the morningIf willing to purchase house/lot/condo, are the titles clean???Noise and environmental pollution to consider just outside your sub-division, such as a pack of barking dogs and running a gauntlet around their fresh droppings; improper disposal of trash; nearby bars and nightclubs activities so your children will not be traumatizedAccess to public transportation to international schools, hospitals, markets, shopping malls, immigration offices; airports.Peace and order situation in your immediate and regional areaNearest consulate or embassy of your nationality in order to seek out a safe haven CONTROL OF UNINVITED VISITORS -- BIG ONE!Granted not all items can be satisfied according to your preference -- probably need to compromise depending on your tolerance level Respectfully -- Jake

[Art2ro]

At your residence, any chronic insect or rodent infestation; any evidence of past flooding or sewage backup due to drainage problems in home or street (stay away from low lying area)Neighbors drinking session and playing loud karaoke late at night or roosters crooning "My Way" early in the morningIf willing to purchase house/lot/condo, are the titles clean???Noise and environmental pollution to consider just outside your sub-division, such as a pack of barking dogs and running a gauntlet around their fresh droppings; improper disposal of trash; nearby bars and nightclubs activities so your children will not be traumatizedAccess to public transportation to international schools, hospitals, markets, shopping malls, immigration offices; airports.Peace and order situation in your immediate and regional areaNearest consulate or embassy of your nationality in order to seek out a safe haven CONTROL OF UNINVITED VISITORS -- BIG ONE!Granted not all items can be satisfied according to your preference -- probably need to compromise depending on your tolerance level Respectfully -- Jake

Jake, We don't want to live as before, in your average typical Filipino lifestyle as you have mentioned, been there and done that for years! Where we live now, we have none of the negatives you've mentioned and the all the positives you have listed are all centrally located within a 1 or 25 mile radius! The local satellite BI office is only less then 1/2 mile from our house, the Manila airport and U.S. Embassy is a 45 minute drive without traffic or with traffic, an hour an a half, one way. Anyway, I only drive my old 1979 Toyota Corolla on an average of twice a week just within a 15 radius around town, I don't do any night driving unless I have to. Plan to buy another vehicle soon that has a higher ground clearance for during the rainy season and just use my old Toyota as a backup.We're "Happy Campers" where we live! We've lived here in our little humble home for 10 years now and I'll probably live here until the last days of my life!Happy Campers living in the Philippines!!!!!!!!!"DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS!""NOTHING NEEDS FIXING, IF IT AIN'T BROKE"!"A GOOD LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT TO BE!" Edited June 29, 2010 by MrBBtheFilAm

[love2winalot]

Hiya: No disrespect or anything, But to me, "with 20 + Years managing apartments/condo's/small hotels/townhouses, The only difference between living in an apartment building, or condo, is the piece of paper that says you own the unit. Unlike a House, where you also own the land. In both cases you got to choose everything, but one important thing? "Your Neighbors". When you are in the process of buying a house, you can drive around, look inside the house, and go back on the weekend, or see the neighbors next door to see what they are like. Are they blasting music at 11 pm on a friday night? Are their baby diapers hanging on the fence between your prospective house, and theirs? And all kinds of things that help give you a clue as to, "Do i want this person as my next door neighbor or not"?This is ahell of a lot harder to figure out, if you are buying a Condo. Plus, in the common areas, there could be real jerks, that are not your neighbor but live in the building, that you wish would move out. To me, there is just to much that you have NO control over in a condo vs a House. ps: I am not talking about cookie cutter houses right next to each other.

[Travis]

Hiya: No disrespect or anything, But to me, "with 20 + Years managing apartments/condo's/small hotels/townhouses, The only difference between living in an apartment building, or condo, is the piece of paper that says you own the unit. Unlike a House, where you also own the land. In both cases you got to choose everything, but one important thing? "Your Neighbors". When you are in the process of buying a house, you can drive around, look inside the house, and go back on the weekend, or see the neighbors next door to see what they are like. Are they blasting music at 11 pm on a friday night? Are their baby diapers hanging on the fence between your prospective house, and theirs? And all kinds of things that help give you a clue as to, "Do i want this person as my next door neighbor or not"?This is ahell of a lot harder to figure out, if you are buying a Condo. Plus, in the common areas, there could be real jerks, that are not your neighbor but live in the building, that you wish would move out. To me, there is just to much that you have NO control over in a condo vs a House. ps: I am not talking about cookie cutter houses right next to each other.

I have found the no dog rule where I live is a blessing & I don't think you could find any house areas without dogs. I love dogs but uncontrolled outdoor dogs here are too damned noisy for me. now for neighbors it has been my displeasure to find bad discourteous neighbors more in homes than in apartments so yes different strokes. as far to the end of the hall apartments are the best away from where most have to pass

[Art2ro]

For me, it would be nice to be in the know like what California is to selling used cars and what they call the "lemon law" for full disclosure on the condition of a used vehicle! But here in the Philippines there's no such thing as full disclosure of any items for sale unless one takes it upon one's else to dig for the hidden defects or facts before purchasing anything of high value! It's always the saying "buyers beware"! So, I make it my business to ask the personal questions weather or not the answers are honest or truthful! One just have to make an intelligent observation before making a commitment to purchase anything of high value such as land, a condo, home or used vehicle! One always read stories of people getting ripped off here in the Philippines! I know of one Korean lady who bought some land for investment and when she wanted to sell her land, she only got 1/3 of the value because the Filipino person she entrusted her land title to ripped her off! And my wife's uncle, bought a used vehicle at SBMA in Olongapo City at an auction and after paying in full, he later discovered he couldn't register the vehicle because the registration wasn't complete and the import taxes weren't paid at customs! So yes, buyers beware!

Edited February 13, 2011 by Fil/AmArt

[Art2ro]

Yeah Lee,I like condominium living because of the no exterior yard work, but I just can't convince my wife of it anymore! We once had a Hawaii condo timeshare with a balcony just off Waikiki beach which had a beautiful ocean view and we also lived in a 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo with a carport in California when I was still working! Oh well, just isn't in the cards while in the Philippines!