Pros and Cons of Living in a Condominium against living in a house

[miksha]

let's say your family have the option to live in a nice condo - 3bedroom, 2bath, nice kitchen, gym, pool, good security, nice amenities, etc....   would you go for it or would you rather live in a house - 2bedroom,1bath,carpark?

We have been living in a 2br condo for 5years now and so far nagustuhan naman namin and we were thinking now that we can raise the money to have our own (we are renting) we are deciding between living in a condo or having a house? naikumpara kase namin when we were living in a house compared to a condo para bang mas madali ang maintenance nang condo kaysa sa bahay and it's a lot more secure. kayo mga sis, what do you think?

[17arci]

I think sa condo na lang because of the security

[tyche8]

I prefer living in a house rather than condo. I prefer bedrooms that are at least 16 sqm in size. Most condos have very small bedrooms. Yung mga may malalaking size na bedroooms sobrang mahal naman nasa 20mil-30mil for a 3 bedroom condo unit. Also, I feel claustrophobic inside a condo and I'm afraid of heights. Condo living is best when you live alone; or you're a couple without kids or at least have 2 small kids; or empty nesters.  However, for me, there's nothing like owning your own house and lot with a nice garden and several pets. Our house is walking distance to the the hospital, drug store, grocery store, fast food restaurants,  church, public transpo.  Security is good in our area and we've been living here for over 20 years already.

[PinKisH_23]

Kung asa corporate world pa ako I'd prefer condo pero ngayon na asa 30's na ako, work from home and have 2 pets, I definitely enjoy a regular home than condo. Secured din naman ang village namin, and maintenance naman is fast kasi marami kang makakausap na pwedeng mag refer ng repair man. Wala narin akong babayarang parking fee kasi automatic naman may garahe na. For me, mas tipid and mas tahimik ang life pag house compared to home.

[wengerts]

house pa din. nothing beats land ownership.

you also have to consider ilan ba kayo sa family? if you live in a 2br now, what will happen pag 2-3 na kids nyo? how about (house) help? saan sila?

i live in a 1BR now, me, hubby, toddler, and yaya. super convenient kasi malapit sa work namin, but i feel like i don't have enough personal space.

[younis]

for me, living in a condo or a house is a matter of lifestyle.

i prefer a house, bumagsak man ng paulit ulit ang bahay ko, pwede akong magtayo ng kahit tent lang para tirhan sa sarili kong lupa, walang magpapaalis sa akin kahit sino. pag ang building ng condo ang bumagsak, saang part ng ere ka titira.


i remember, i raised this question from a condo agent, one time na nagti-tripping kami sa isang prestigious condo:

me: what if bumagsak ang building due to earthquake kunwari?
agent: mam, ipapatayo naman po ulit yung building since may binabayaran po kayong part doon for the insurance
me: ah ok. so habang tinatayo ang building, san ako titira? will you provide a place for us to stay?
agent: mam, 50 years naman po ang lifespan ng mga buildings namin.

bigla akong napatingin sa isang part ng building na may crack ng konti. sabi ko sa husband ko "tara na, pinagloloko-loko tayo netong kausap natin."

I think sa condo na lang because of the security

kahit san ka tumira, kung talagang pursigido, nanakawan at nanakawan ka talaga. i've known people who are living in a condo, nanakawan din sila. so i don't believe on this.

[sosychill]

its because of modernization that's why most of us would prefer to live in condo.

but for me, id rather have my own house, i love having space and besides iba pa rin if you own the land, you have your own gate, garden and garage. i dont like living in one building full of big rooms na ginawang bahay heheh (parang hotel) yeah yeah its okay to live here if im alone, but in the future with my family, i prefer not to..

[AnneMP]

I'd rather spend for a house and a lot of our own.  Mas okay if you have a land of your own.  Also, I grew up on lower grounds.  I don't think I'd be very comfortable with living in great heights.  And of course, I want my child to grow friendly ang neighborhood.  Unlike sa condos, occupants seem to keep for themselves.  Parang pang bachelors and bachelorettes lang ang condo living. 

[clueless]

miksha, you're thinking of buying diba?

house and lot with 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, carpark - i ask the same questions wengerts did - what if you have more kids, where will the house help stay? plus how big is the area? what other features - laundry area, dirty kitchen, lanai, garden? location? gated community?

condo na 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - what is the floor area? amenities like gym, pool, clubhouse - will you use?

we live in a 3-bedroom 2-bathroom 84sqm condo in a gated community. pero lumalabas 2-br na lang kasi i had to convert the smallest bedroom into a maids' room.

our community is family-friendly. dito sa amin madaming starter families so madaming kids (super ingay nga lang).

and not all condos now are high-rise so this should not be a problem for those who are afraid of heights. ours is a mid-rise development, 4 floors lang.

claustrophobia - understandable for some na typical condo building. but ours kasi, yung condos are facing outside. yung perimeter ng building ang hallway so when you open your front door, para kang nasa veranda.

ok ang maintenance, the area is very secure, the guards do their job well.

but despite the nice community we have now, we still want to buy a house ang lot. we have 1 child, baby pa. we want her to have a big space where she can play, gusto ko may garden kahit maliit lang, gusto ko may lanai, gusto ko kasya ang family ko when they come over for dinner. so we are saving up to get a house but we won't settle. we want to get something that we really want, hindi yung pwede na. kasi yugn condo namin ngayon is our pwede-na house because this was all we could afford when we had just gotten married. good enough for now. i don't want to get a house now just for the sake of having my own house and lot so we will wait until it's the right time and we find the right one.

[harlet]

mas type ko ang house kesa condo living....

[stormy]

Depende sa location. Kahit napakaganda na condo or napakalaki na bahay kung nasa lugar na d maayos ayaw ko pa rin. Kaya mas mahal ibang condo unit kaysa h/l dahil primarily sa location. Kung d prime location ang lugar wag ng magcondo magbahay na lang. Kasi kinukwenta rin expenses sa pamasahe or gas, travel time:rest time/time with family, atbp sa pagpasok sa opisina or eskwela.

Ipa-insure mo lang either condo or h/l pa mapili mo para kahit paano pag may mangyari pwedeng magsimula kahit paano.

[cindylulu]

i bought a condo coz of the location and convenience primarily of hospitals. 5 min walk lang kami from 3 big hospitals which is good especially for family emergencies. 5-10 min walk to my office, hubby's office, mall, churches and govt agencies. sa ground floor there are banks, pharmacies and clinics. we have a german shepherd pa at that and we don't have a helper ha. we can go out anytime without worrying about security. the condo's security is tight and there are cctvs all around: elevators, hallways, parking.

at least makakauwi kami kaagad after work and mkapag unwind na at the end of the day. e yung iba, like my officemates na taga sta rosa and bulacan, on the road pa rin kahit mga 9-10 pm na para lang makauwi sa mga subdivisions and gigising naman ng 4-5 am kinabukasan para sa the same routine. hay pag ako yan, burnout na ko.

and anyway we have a house in the province where we could hie off anytime we want to stop and smell the roses ika nga. 
   

[itsme_ako]

well based on my clients. usually pag single people, they rather live in a condo. but if its for family, mas
applicable sa kanila yung house and lot.  good thing [textspeak!] about condo is sosyal pakinggan, unlike sa house, unless you are in a nice village.

[tyche8]

Naku mahirap talaga yan. Na-experience ko na yan many years ago. That's life.  I have some friends who are lucky (and rich enough) to purchase condos in makati or in BGC just for their mon-thu office jobs and they go home to their respective homes located a long way from makati over the weekend. Yan ang magandang set-up. Anyway, we have a small business now and our office is just 3-5  minutes away by car from our home.

at least makakauwi kami kaagad after work and mkapag unwind na at the end of the day. e yung iba, like my officemates na taga sta rosa and bulacan, on the road pa rin kahit mga 9-10 pm na para lang makauwi sa mga subdivisions and gigising naman ng 4-5 am kinabukasan para sa the same routine. hay pag ako yan, burnout na ko.

and anyway we have a house in the province where we could hie off anytime we want to stop and smell the roses ika nga. 
 

[aquacharly]

Assuming it is a choice wherein both alternatives are conveniently situated -- I will choose the house.

Primarily for the privacy, and potential for future expansion.

[murasaki]

I will choose sing detach house

[sexy_maldita0089]

I prefer living in a house kasi if I remember it right sabi ng boss ko because he has a condo in Makati, may expiration yun. I think 25 or 30 years, i forgot lang. Nagbabayad ka pero in the end di naman pala mapupunta sayo kaya sayang lang. 

[super bratinella]

Ever since, I prefer own house and lot, regardless of the floor are size basta malaki ang lot area(wink!) at least for house and lot pwede ipamana sa mga anak. Condo, I am not even sure if it still exist pag nawala na ako with all the earthquakes that has been happening all over the world.

[stormy]

^^baka misinformed lang sis si boss mo iba kasi patapos pa lang bayaran loan nila nyan pero tama ka baka d na pwede yung bldg after some time. Kaya impt na ok magmaintain ng bldg yung kukunan na developer. Well kahit bahay pala, check din ang developer mabuti. Daming nagsusulputan kasi lalo na pag low cost housing.

@tyche, yes yaan ang ideal better if may bahay muna bago magkaroon ng condo. Mahirap lang gawin yan pero pwedeng kayanin or baligtarin condo muna na malapit sa work para mas makatanggap ng trabaho kahit late na umuwi pwede para mas maraming ipon tapos patayo ng house sa future

Kung karaniwang pinoy tatanungin, sasagot siguro ng "kahit ano basta amin". OT: naisip ko lang mga nasunugan sa may makati

[cindylulu]

^you're right sis. house muna bago condo. that's what we did. investment ang condo, you can live in it, or you can lease it out. for the meantime, we live in it coz of its proximity to everything we need (office, hospitals, pharmacies, govt agencies, malls, schools, banks, churches). when the kids come, there are good and exclusive schools pa within the vicinity lang din. i don't want to be like my colleague who lives in a first class subd in sta rosa. she wakes up at 330am, prepares the kids for school, and be on the road by 5am, just to be able to catch the 7am start of office hours and for the kids to be at UST by then. she drives her own vehicle pa at that. one of my colleagues naman who also has a house in sta rosa, she also invested in a condo near la salle for the convenience of her kids who study at la salle and st scho. a colleague naman bought a condo near the hospital coz of her aging parents. 

our house naman has become sort of a rest house na lang during weekends. we only get to enjoy it to the hilt siguro pag retire na namin.