Quote:
Originally Posted by calgarywinning
To be honest, owning a Condo and being subjected to the board and the whims are the same thing as paying city tax, provincial tax and federal tax.
They may own and have owner interest at or in some portion of their mind, but the power for these people and the level of revenue they are controlling is probably more than they have in any part of their life. A common group of people tend to be on the board and tend to control the common areas and legislate them for their own purpose or feelings.
While I agree your participation is required for a better outcome, it's just not in the cards for the average owner due to schedules. They have a taxation base, you as the owner and they do make unpopular decisions.
The fact is that if there is a major problem that requires this structure to be worked on to this degree, it could be that you could lose your WHOLE investment.
In my case, they are painting the exterior side of the door and not the whole door this week. I said I would pay to have the whole door painted and they said they would consider that in the future but not at this time.
Anyways, good luck and be sure to look at it objectively and protect your whole investment. Just like the example of the Bella Vista it's better to take competent, engineered approach to remediating the problem fully and to take the hit up front that lose massive market valuation.
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To the bolded parts I'd suggest you're being an assumptive prick! I've got much better things to do on a Friday night or Saturday night when the majority of people my age are out with friends or doing other social activities. Not me, I'm sitting on my computer budgeting out our expenditures for the next 12 months. Or looking at the reserve fund study we just had completed that outlays our costs for the next 25 years and how it impacts everyone's finances (mine, yours, our neighbors, the family with 2 kids, the guy who's 36 months behind on his fees). Or writing a letter to the single mom that's complaining about her condo fees as to why she can't go a few months without paying. Or to the individual who wants different contractors to repair his part of the building, or to the owner who thinks the ice that's melted off the snowbank our removal company created, should be removed at all costs even though the unit they bought has a slope towards it, so unless the unit gets put up on stilts there's always going to be a bit of run off by that unit. Oh wait, there's also the lady who moved to the condo and her dog is now confused so it has to crap all over the lawn and kill the grass because walking it to the park must be so confusing, and now because of "The board" they have to surrender the pet because we're being mean about it killing the grass when they have no other option (except walk the dog). Oh wait, there's also the adjacent building that's cutting down our trees that needs to be dealt with, wait, it's probably more important to fix the roofs that are leaking at the complex as a result of the onslaught of rain. But wait, there's just been a massive FLOOD in the city of Calgary and contractors (and everyone else in the city) is fully booked rebuilding entire city blocks, but wait, we finally have a roofer that will come to the complex, but the person complaining about the leaking roof doesn't answer the door because they forgot they had an important BBQ to attend to this Saturday. Wasn't it nice the contractor managed to make it out on a weekend? Nope, complaining owner don't care, but when the contractor now wants to come 9-5 on a weekday, when complaining owner has to be at work, 5 days a week, and it's the boards fault that his roof isn't going to get fixed, because he's only free on evenings and weekends... Unless he's got a BBQ to attend.
No, when my wife is complaining that I'm going to another 3 hour meeting this month that I always hope will only be two hours when we've got stuff to do around the house and god knows what else to do. I'm doing it because I'm not busy or don't have the average owner schedule like work and family and friends. No, my one full time job, second job (for extra income and career improvement), school, family and what other responsibilities (Calgary puck) I have aren't at all comparable to, for example you and your painted door issue or the issues which must be stopping the 60% of owners that cant be bothered to show up at an AGM.
I'm not complaining about the workload, because I signed up and chose to participate and will do so until I've done what I can and have the ability to quit at any point. But I do have the right to complain about people that make assumptions that we do it because we're not busy or that we are managing something above and beyond our means. Which, regardless whether or not either are true, it's still better than 95% of the other owners who chose not to participate.