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 meaning of a guarantee covers a legal and financially-binding agreement signed between three parties involved in real estate or financial transactions. In this document, typically ...
Tax-free exchange that allows a seller two years after escrow closes on his former principal personal residence to buy like-kind property and defer taxes. Profits from the sale of a ...
(1) Cash revenue from product sales or services rendered less cash expenses. It is different from accrual earnings. (2) The money available after deducting operating expenses and mortgage ...
House designed and zoned for one-family use. Other dwellings may be attached to a single family dwelling, but do not share the same plumbing, heating, or electrical system. Single family ...
Word, or group of words, that identifies a business or one of its products. The name is registered with U.S. Patent Office and provides legal protection for an indefinite number of renewals ...
In short, an overage means a surplus or an excess of money. An overage can present itself at a property at an auction where the asset has gone over the asking price. Suppose there’s a ...
Privilege of a real estate investor or lender to participate in the profitability generated from property. This is in addition to any principal, interest, or dividends. ...
Market Analysis in the Real Estate Market is basically research done concerning specific properties in relation to the overall current climate of the real estate industry. A good ...
Giving of a promise or guarantee to the receiver to instill confidence. ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.