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
The escrow fee is basically how the escrow agent or manager get his/her compensation for assisting and handling both the parties and the funds involved in escrow. In real estate, the ...
If you live anywhere else besides Houston, TX, in the US, you probably heard of zoning ordinances. The reason for that is the city of Houston Texas is the only city that doesn’t use ...
(1) Bracket used to support an extended eave or cornice on the outside of a house. (2) Truss or beam projection beyond its base and supported by its strength and rigidity, such as a ...
Statement made verbally. It is better legally to have a written statement because verbal ones without witnesses may be denied. ...
Written proposals and acceptances applicable to the aspects of the transaction. The escrow agent must follow the purchase and sale agreement. ...
Refurbishing or rebuilding a property, such as a house, back to its original or earlier condition. ...
Restraining a person or business from denying an appropriate conveyance of property evidenced by a deed has given. ...
The term after-tax rate of return calculates an investor’s net return after income taxes. The calculation is used by many businesses and investors to determine their real earnings. ...
Creates a lien against the mortgagor's property, but does not permit a lien against his or her personal assets. See also non recourse. ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.