One of the first decisions that you need to make when buying real estate is deciding what style of home is right for you. For those making the transition from renting an apartment to owning their own home, one of the best options out there has to be the modern condo. Even within this section of real estate there are a number of different designs that can suit different tastes, from those that look like the Bay Street condos in downtown Toronto to ones that are more like townhouses. This guide to condos should help to open your eyes to all of their benefits and possibilities.
Condos came into the world of real estate when space was becoming a problem for new inner-city developments. Contractors designed to build up instead of out and soon an entirely new genre of homes started emerging. Condo real estate in Toronto to that in California became the new picture of downtown smaller communities. While twenty years ago your neighborhood may have been a street of row houses, now it is all contained in one building.
If you are looking for that community feel but want to live in a big city setting, this is one of the major benefits of a condo building. The condo board usually runs events for those who live in the complex to mix and mingle and there are common areas where you can hold gatherings. On top of this, if you're living in a Windsor or Etobicoke condominium you get the security of a smaller gated community, as there is usually key or code entry into the building.
The second major benefit of a condo is that it comes with less responsibility in terms of maintenance than a standalone home. All of the common spaces, including the front walkways, exercise rooms and parking garages, are the responsibility of the firm that owns the building. This means that there is no driveway to shovel when there's snow and you can just call someone when your faucet is leaking. This is a huge perk for those with busy lives outside of the home.
While there are now condos springing up in communities outside of the city's main center, most are still in convenient locations. Opposed to spending money on gas and hours in the car commuting to work or school every day, people are opting to live within walking distance of the places they go to most often. Condos are generally one of the most affordable options for the quality you get in return. Within a building like 20 Gothic you have the option of one-bedroom homes that are affordable for those just entering the job market to multi-bedroom suites for those with more money to spend.
With all of the condo models that are out there, from those in the Annex Toronto to ones in Windsor, it should be the lifestyle rather than the design that makes you for or against this style of ownership. Condos come with a different level of responsibility that works well for some and others don't fair too well with. Explore this home style and find out if it is right for you.
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