Quote:
Originally Posted by lorenavedon
idk why Calgary seems to have all these condo issues with condo boards etc. The richest people in the world live in condos. Manhattan is nothing BUT condos. San Francisco, downtown LA, Hong Kong, Tokyo, London, Paris etc. They have been doing fine in condos for hundreds of years yet in Calgary people are just so freaked out by them and have no clue how to make them work and still see them like a poor man's form of living. I wonder why this is the case?
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Manhattan is currently about 75% co-op vs condo. This article does a good job explaining the difference between the two.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-j...b_3460551.html
Co-ops have a tremendous advantage over condos in that the Boards gets to select who gets to live in the building. Keep in mind these are often in older, more desirable and well located buildings. There are horror stories about the interview process to be selected - you don't just roll up and buy a unit like you do here in Calgary with a condo. typically the Board is screening for financially sound like minded people that will fit in the community.
A horror for buyers, but for current residents and the Board this (and the desire of residents not to get thrown out of the co-op) generally leads to a higher acceptance of living in close quarters under a common set of rules.
As mentioned above, and as displayed throughout this thread - some people just aren't ready to live in close quarters with other people, under a common set of rules. Freedom to do anything at any time is certainly fine, but be prepared to pay extra for that (or compromise on the house). As Calgary transitions into a large city we are slowly learning this tradeoff, as people in Vancouver and Toronto have for decades.