Condominium
Definition of "Condominium"
So, you’re out and about your homebuying dream and then you stumble upon this question: what is a condominium? Like, you think you know what is a condo home, but it's so hard to explain...
It's ok; it happens to the best of us.
It's not easy defining what is a condominium; condos are one weird body. Keeping up with its weirdness, we could say that condominium is a form of home ownership in which the owner exclusively owns the airspace within the walls but doesn’t own the actual walls, ceilings or floors of the home and anything beyond those.
But enough with the weird. Let’s make this easy and fun. What is a condo home? Let’s put it in a way that anyone can understand. The best way to describe what is a condominium is by defining it as a place within a place. And, while the interest is different from one to the other, you have ownership over both.
Example: an apartment within a condominium building, or a single-family house within a gated community. You accrue ownership of both, but the smaller unit – the apartment or the house - is 100% yours, while the rest – the common areas like gym, pool, lobby, laundry room, elevators…- are collectively owned by all other residents within the condominium and managed by associations such as a Homeowners Association.
Because the ownership is influenced by the neighbors – as you and they share common areas and, sometimes, services – it will vary from condo home to condo home if you can rent your condo to someone else, or if it’s a “owner’s only” type of property.
So, as you can see, it's hard to define what is a condo home. In the end, a condominium is not so much a place, but a form of ownership.
Popular Real Estate Terms
Lender's written statement and accounting for the remaining balance, date of maturity, and interest rate on a mortgage. The lender is certifying this information to the borrower or any ...
Allocating the price paid to purchase to or more properties based on their appraised values. ...
State court where civil disagreements are decided by the judge or jury. A written record is kept of the deliberations. In some stats, civil and criminal courts are combined. ...
Legal agreement not to perform an activity similar to that performed by another individual or business. This contractual provision may be necessary to keep trade secrets, prevent taking ...
Yearly tax return filed by an individual or couple. It is due to the federal taxing authority on April 15 for the preceding calendar year. The taxpayer reports gross income, adjustments to ...
Costs incurred in connection with real property that increase its cost basis or worth, such as a new roof, an additional room, or paneling a room. ...
(1) Anything of value given to induce a person or entity into entering a contract. It may be money, personal services, or the trading of property. A valid contract requires adequate ...
In real estate, asking price is referred to as the amount set by the seller, the amount he/she wants to receive for the purchase of their home by the buyer. The asking price isn’t ...
Wondering what For Rent By Owner (FRBO) means?It’s the more popular cousin of For Sale By Owner (FSBO). For Rent By Owner (FRBO) are really common; it’s the name we give to ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.