First Time Buyer- Condo vs. House

It is different city to city, but when it comes down to it, there are good and bad things about being a homeowner vs. a condo owner. If you have never considered condo living or don't really know the difference, I thought I would share my take on the topic.

Yard work! Do you like the great outdoors or does the sight of a spider send you running? Do you own a lawnmower? Did you know you have to do maintenance to lawn mowers? Owning a house means owning a yard (usually).  Yard work is tedious and during the warm months can take a lot of time and energy just to keep it from looking bad. Making it look good requires even more work, planting annuals, fertilizing the grass, trimming and raking after mowing.... This is something I see a lot of first time buyers overlooking. They see a nice yard, of course it is appealing visually, but then they don't realize it can take an entire weekend day to keep it looking this way. If you like to spend your summer weekends watching sports and kicking back at the pool- a house might not be the best option. (don't forget about shoveling snow and salting the ice in the winter months, too!)

Home maintenance. Also a thing that some first time buyers don't think about. Not only do you need to keep the inside of the house in working order, but the outside. It can take a beating throughout the year and can be a lot of extra work. Tree limbs can fall, shingles can blow off the roof, squirrels can move into your chimney. If the thought of this work is too much to bear, a condo might be the best option.

A lot of people don't like the idea of paying association fees that most condos have. They cover all of the things I mentioned above and maybe even more. You might get access to a workout room a playground or a pool. All things that you can walk to from your own front door.

If you haven't considered condo living, think it over. It can make your life a lot easier.