House or Apartment

The buildings can be very similar. However, condos are usually individually owned, kinda like owning a house. But with some differences.

Usually when someone has an apartment, they're renting from someone who owns the entire building or complex. Although, you can rent a condo as well

---------- Post added 10th Oct 2014 at 02:52 PM ----------

i think that's a very american setup. In a lot of other places I don't think they make that distinction and people will just say they own or rent an apartment.

 

When I first heard the word 'condominium' I thought it was a big residential building that looked like a latex penis

 

Oh, so you've seen some modern American architecture I see... :lol:

 

For "condo," I think of the residential building. For "condominium," I actually think of lands where different countries share jurisdiction/sovereignty. :lol:

 

Exactly.

An apartment, in the U.S., is almost always indicative of being a rental.

A condo is owned. The difference with a house is that a condo has a monthly, communal fee to take care of grounds, amenities, management, and insurance (part of it). An even bigger difference is a pesky thing called a special assessment. If you own a house and you need a new roof, YOU decide when to get the new roof. If you own a unit in a condo complex and the association decides a new roof is necessary, THEY decide when to install the new roof and, for bigger projects, they levy a special assessment fee above the standard communal fee to each of the condo unit owners. These can sting, so condo owners need to be ready with some reserves when these assessments come around.


Some people who own condos rent them out. However, the condo association might have rules about what percentage they want to be "owner-occupied." This is because they want to keep the living situation stable as opposed to transient to preserve the real estate value of the complex and not make it feel more like one is living in an apartment complex.

Also, condos are about as densely placed as apartments, but sometimes less. Townhouses are less dense because they are side by side. Houses are detached.

I know that in Europe people will refer to the flat they own in a building as their house but will refer to the fees as the condominium fees, so what is a house to them is a flat-styled condo to us.

 

Unless it's an empty apartment, in the middle of nowhere, with no loud neighbours next door...


house.

 

Probably house, but only because it's cruel to leave a large, active dog in a small 2 bedroom flat when working full time.

 

It depends for me.. Right now I live in a house that has a self contained granny flat which is the part I live in.. When you are living with more then two or three people, a house would be more ideal, but if it was just you or just one or two people.. Then an apartment would be fine.

 

I'd always thought this was a condo:



This was a townhouse:



And this was an apartment:

 

I'm thinking apartment so far! I can't see myself living in a big old house.
I could never see myself cleaning it.
Just saying, but that has to be a fair point doesn't it?
Anyway, I do like small spaces, so it should be cool. The world is my home. ^_^

 

Ah, I see. Thanks for explaining

In Dutch they're all called apartments, both the rental and the owned ones. And indeed, the owned ones have a monthly fee (called "owners' association") to take care of communal stuff, while the rental ones have this fee included in the monthly price.

But to clarify myself in American terms - I would like to own a condo some day

 

I like our condo--I'm not really one for yard work and the like and I like the communal elements: doormen, handymen, valets, the pool, etc. Plus we're pretty much city folk and I can't figure out how we would have the 18th floor view overlooking the beach in a house--although if we could, that would be awesome.:lol:

Our current home is my first purchase and I remember my mother having the whole home-owner conversation with me when we bought so I was all ready to have to take care of stuff when repairs were necessary and the like. After a few months we had an issue with our kitchen sink. We were new to the area so we called the doorman to see if someone could recommend a good plumber in the area. Why do you want a plumber, they asked--and I explained about the kitchen sink. After a long pause the reply came back--Mr. _____ ... is there a reason you don't want us to just come fix it? Yeah, I like condos.

 

The first two are both townhouses, especially if that first one has two stories. It's just that the first one does not have a garage (that we can see) and the second one does.

 

I'm sorry, you forgot my mansion.

 

I like apartments. Personally I enjoy them because they feel cozier to me- as long as I have an extra room or two for music/books . So I guess a large-ish apartment?

 

I never lived in a house, it would be nice if I could afford it. A small one that is. I don't mind living in an apartment, but the neighbors can be annoying sometimes.

 

Apartment or a studio