4 ms·

Then the deal killer: the desire for maximum possible control via ownership, without being subject to the whims of a landlord. Even a condo fails at this. The

Then the deal killer: the desire for maximum possible control via ownership, without being subject to the whims of a landlord. Even a condo fails at this. The ownership is fake. You don't have permission to bore a hole in the roof, foundation, or exterior wall. You can't paint the building with Vantablack. You have to pay a condo association fee which could change in unpredictable ways. Regular houses get much closer to the ideal, especially if rural or at least without a homeowner association. Some states even let older people defer property taxes until the property is sold.

ClumsyPilot 7y ago
> You don't have permission to bore a hole in the roof Is this really a relevant issue, when you just need a decent place to live?
- oceanplexian 7y ago
  The example is pretty ridiculous but yeah, ownership unencumbered by a landlord or HOA is immensely freeing. Want to run a machine shop in the garage? Go ahead! Want to change your own oil in your car? Nobody is stopping you. Don’t like the fact that anyone can simply walk in your front door on a whim and “inspect” things in your own home? Ownership provides all of those things and a lot more.
  - ClumsyPilot 7y ago
    I don't know laws in the US, but we definitely own the apartments and people can't randomly walk in for 'inspections'.
    - mreome 7y ago
      In most US states all that is required is 24 Hours notice of entry for any maintenance, and emergency repairs/maintenance do not require any notice. Landlords and maintenance personal will always be assessing the state/condition of the apartment whenever they are there. Since they do not need a response to the notice, if you didn't see the e-mail, or missed the piece paper tucked in your door jam, it can feel a lot like a "random inspection."
      - ClumsyPilot 7y ago
        I thought we are talking about property you own, is the Landlord the company that manages the building? This sounds like they have way too much leeway! My family owns apartments in the Czech republic and nobody has rights to enter them, or physical means to do so. There is no 'landlord', the building and land is owned by the resident's association, where the "leader" is elected by resident's voting and paid a small salary. They manage repairs and bills. If I suddenly found them in my house doing some random inspection and talking about 24h notice, police would be on the scene.
        mreome 7y ago
        The parent comments were talking about landlords; in the US a landlord is the owner of a rented property. In the US "apartment" usually implies rented, while owned apartments are usually refered to as "condos/condominiums."
gnopgnip 7y ago
With a condo you own the walls in, and everyone collectively owns the exterior and other common areas. It is up to the owners as a group to decide what is allowed in the common area. You can generally bore a hole in the roof or walls for a good reason, like to put up and connect to solar panels or vent your stove. The association budget is similarly decided, and in practice much more predictable and stable than the costs incurred by a single family home owner. City and county laws, zoning restrictions, and the building permitting dept all restrict what you can do in a single family home often in ways an HOA would not. For instance in many areas parking on the grass, extending your driveway(so you are no longer on the grass), turning a garage into living space, putting in a permanent pool, building a deck, parking a boat or rv, are all often restricted or banned.

ClumsyPilot 7y ago

> You don't have permission to bore a hole in the roof Is this really a relevant issue, when you just need a decent place to live?

oceanplexian 7y ago
The example is pretty ridiculous but yeah, ownership unencumbered by a landlord or HOA is immensely freeing. Want to run a machine shop in the garage? Go ahead! Want to change your own oil in your car? Nobody is stopping you. Don’t like the fact that anyone can simply walk in your front door on a whim and “inspect” things in your own home? Ownership provides all of those things and a lot more.
- ClumsyPilot 7y ago
  I don't know laws in the US, but we definitely own the apartments and people can't randomly walk in for 'inspections'.
  - mreome 7y ago
    In most US states all that is required is 24 Hours notice of entry for any maintenance, and emergency repairs/maintenance do not require any notice. Landlords and maintenance personal will always be assessing the state/condition of the apartment whenever they are there. Since they do not need a response to the notice, if you didn't see the e-mail, or missed the piece paper tucked in your door jam, it can feel a lot like a "random inspection."
    - ClumsyPilot 7y ago
      I thought we are talking about property you own, is the Landlord the company that manages the building? This sounds like they have way too much leeway! My family owns apartments in the Czech republic and nobody has rights to enter them, or physical means to do so. There is no 'landlord', the building and land is owned by the resident's association, where the "leader" is elected by resident's voting and paid a small salary. They manage repairs and bills. If I suddenly found them in my house doing some random inspection and talking about 24h notice, police would be on the scene.
      - mreome 7y ago
        The parent comments were talking about landlords; in the US a landlord is the owner of a rented property. In the US "apartment" usually implies rented, while owned apartments are usually refered to as "condos/condominiums."

gnopgnip 7y ago

With a condo you own the walls in, and everyone collectively owns the exterior and other common areas. It is up to the owners as a group to decide what is allowed in the common area. You can generally bore a hole in the roof or walls for a good reason, like to put up and connect to solar panels or vent your stove. The association budget is similarly decided, and in practice much more predictable and stable than the costs incurred by a single family home owner. City and county laws, zoning restrictions, and the building permitting dept all restrict what you can do in a single family home often in ways an HOA would not. For instance in many areas parking on the grass, extending your driveway(so you are no longer on the grass), turning a garage into living space, putting in a permanent pool, building a deck, parking a boat or rv, are all often restricted or banned.