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

[julsaanti]

I have 3 kids and hindi naman mahirap ang raising them in a condo actually janiship ako nakatira din kami sa DMCI property. child friendly naman

[fionaapple]

^tapos na ang construction ng townhouse namin. old school kami preferred talaga namin ang house. feeling ko kasi pag condo, para akong nagbabakasyon. i will not feel that the space I am living in, is MINE. parang kulang ang privacy ko.

my husband and I are about to have a child, kaya gusto rin namin lumaki siya sa loob ng isang house. at gusto namin maipamana yun sa kanya eventually.

nagagastusan din ako sa condo lifestyle. hindi ko naman kelangan ng swimming pool at gym. kung gusto ko pumunta sa resort, pupunta na lang ako. at kung gusto ko mag gym, pupunta na lang ako. pwede rin ako mag jogging sa loob ng subdivision kung gusto ko. safe din dahil may security guards din. di rin sila basta nagpapapasok kung walang sticker/gate pass.

malaki ang association dues sa condo at sakit ng ulo later on, kapag dilapidated na ang building. pwersado kang magcontribute para maipa renovate. hindi gaya pag bahay, kahit minor renovations lang pag di pa afford. at may control ka kung anong scale ng renovation ang gusto mo.

gusto ko yung house dahil akin lahat buong space. 

yung nabili naming townhouse, accessible din naman sa mga restaurants, schools, mall at groceries (Lilac Street). pwedeng lakarin kung may bibilhin lang sa grocery. may kapitbahay nga na may tindahan.

excited na kami lumipat, ang bagal lang ng processing ng bank.

[delleamor]

I'm currently living with my mom in her own house. I'm already earning enough money to be independent. I'm really considering having my own condo mga sis kasi the security and other amenities. Pag house kasi, papa-gawa pa, bibili pa ng gamit and stuff. Siguro it is a matter of preference and perspective. Maintenance wise, I think condo would be a great choice. I'm hunting a condo na inside or around mandaluyong eh.

Anyway, sa tingin ko mas advisable ang condo. Opinion lang

[amethyst028]

I bought a townhouse in 2012 in QC, fully paid already. I opted for a house kasi mura lang ang assoc dues, p400 lang. It has 3br and 2t&b, own garage wih gate. 24hrs security guard. Quiet neighborhood. Real estate tax is only p800 a year. But i'm scouting for a condo now kasi 2 lang kame ng anak ko sa house and it's such a pain to clean and maintain. Malaki siya for 2 people.

Very true na matipid ang house even our electric bill is only p600 with aircon magdamag na siya. Water bill is p116 a month. It's 5mins. Away from my son's school, near hospitals, church, malls, markets, with 24 hour public transporation.

I'm thinking of selling it or having it rented out, even rent to own.

[chikit]

Preference and lifestyle plays a major role in making a decision if condo ka or house.  Hubby and I rented din mga 5 years condo living kase nga malapit sa workplace as in nilalakad lang.  We stopped kase we made a decision to get a house kase mas gusto namen na pag nagka baby na kame sa bahay sya.  So far ok naman 4 bedrooms yung isa converted to home office kase work from home na si hubby.  Okay naman sa amin tumira sa condo kaso there's no way we can afford a 3 bedroom condo, masyado mahal.  May afford man kame sobrang sikip.  Saka ayun nga taga south kase kame preferred namen yung laid back buhay probinsya.  If condo what if condemned na di ba after sometime considered na sya as condemned (ewan ko kung totoo yan basta yan eh nabasa ko lang) at least sa house masira akin pa rin ang lote pwede ko ipagawa.

Okay naman dito sa village namen kahit OA sa laki yung village yung bahay na nakuha namen walking distance sa church, clubhouse, grocery etc.

[delleamor]

^ Exactly sis! Di ba? If I may ask, saang condo kayo tumira dati?

[juwie]

Upside: we are so near everything, as in everything! I love how I can just walk my way to the supermarket, mall, Church, waxing salons, nail salons, parlor, etc. You have a swimming pool and a gym. The lobby looks and smells like a hotel. The condo staff are courteous.

Downside: the elevators sometimes take so looong to come and get you. And of course mas maliit ang space, plus you don't have your own green area, or garden space.

Husband and I plan to live temporarily here in the condo. We were lucky enough that it was lent to us but the long-term goal is still to buy a house of our own.

[bagaholic_chewy]

Me napanood na naman ako sa tv patrol, pinasok ng akyat-bahay yung bahay tapos pinatay pa yung isang resident. At everytime me mga ganun, i am thankful na nakatira ako sa condo. I just feel safer.

Of course, need to choose lang din talaga the condo na me maayos na security, admin, etc.

[andee_gurl]

^Napanood ko nga yun sis and nakakatakot. Given the budget I would go for a condominium. But I prefer the medium rise

[amethyst028]

yes kung for security purposes mas ok talaga ang condo. kasama rin kasi sa mahal na association dues ang mahigpit na security.

tip na lang siguro sa mga bibili ng house and lot. if ever choose a village or subd na may 24hr security guard. yun din kasi number one sakin dapat safe. sa townhouse namin hindi basta basta pwede makapasok pati mga naglalakad bawal kung hindi ka taga doon. nag out of the country ako for 2weeks na walang tao sa bahay. i wasn't worried kasi alam ko na walang mangyayari sa bahay ko.

[mei-mei]

Yan yun nakakatakot sa Akyat Bahay. Why can't they just do it while there's none at home? And why do they need to kill pa? I also read one story where the Akyat Bahay gang raped the owner's teenage daughter. Their intention was only to steal but when they saw her na she's pretty, tall and tisay, nakaisip pa ng worse ang mga yun. Nakakainis and nakakatakot!

[sparklingjewel]

We moved in to a new condo after the wedding and although i find the cost of water is a bit high, i still feel we made the right decision. Although space is limited, we can't afford to build a full home at this point, right after spending for the wedding. Our condo is super secure, with a 24-hour receptionist, and door guards. We have resident cards which is the only way you can go up to the parking floors or the floor of your unit. CCTVs everywhere. Maintenance people 24/7. Facilities include a chic lounge, huge pool, gym, theater, function rooms, meeting rooms, basketball court, indoor kiddie play area, game room, etc. We have a secret access door to the mall below, and it's super convenient that i tend to go malling in my pambahay slippers now, lol. And the lobby feels like a hotel. Actually everything feels like a hotel, even the corridors and elevator. So i could definitely get used to this. Siguro we'll move out into our own independent home when our kids are of age narin and can appreciate it by having their friends over. But as newlyweds who dont need much space, i think we're enjoying the luxuries of living in a condo.

[delleamor]

What made you say that sis?

[Jeannybaby]

Condo living pros:
1) 24 hr security
2) more affordable to buy (SUV cars are more expensive than some condos)
3) location can be closer to your work/malls
4) built in amenities like pools, gym, etc

Condo living cons
1) high association dues and taxes
2) very limited space
3) pets not allowed most of the time
4) utility bills are more expensive in city living!
5) depreciates after some time, unlike land

Those are the main things off the top of my head. personally, i prefer living in a house na 30-45mins away from the city compared to living in a condo in the city na 10mins away from work pero with traffic becomes 20mins or forever stuck (Hello, Makati!) Tried the condo lifestyle and mamumulubi lang ako sa mahal ng expenses like dues/utility bills/real property taxes. Pataas ng pataas ang dues ngayon lalo na't they implemented VAT on the dues. Also, iba talaga ang lifestyle sa house, I'd rather have a garden or backyard instead of a teeny condo balcony. Tama rin though ang sabi from one of the posts here that, do make sure maganda ang security sa village mo if you'll pick a house:)

[dec212012]

Napakahelpful ng mga posts nyo mga sis. Nakabili kasi kami ng house and lot sa Camella San Jose Del Monte Bulacan. Medyo may pagsisisi part kami ng hubby ko kasi medyo malayo cya. Lumaki kasi kami sa QC. Plan talaga namin QC area kaso sobrang mahal ng mga house pinakamababa na ata ang 2.5M. So last choice is San Jose area. Now parang narerealize namin na sana condo nalang kinuha namin. Although hindi pa namin naexperience tumira sa condo, mas safe ang dating sakin. Ewan ko ba, hindi namin narealize yun before kami nagfinalize sa nakuha namin. Narealize ko din na mas maganda lalu na may anak kami na babae, pag nagcollege cya medyo malapit sa school. Napakalayo kasi kung mag commute everyday from Bulacan to University belt. Plan namin na gawin nalang investment yung house, iparent nalang tapos kuha kami ng condo.

[chicafabulosa]

One of the major problem for condo living is when you only have one slot parking since every slot were sold already and you have more than one car. It's one thing we are experiencing now. So most of the time, the spare car if I use it, I have to make sure to be back before rush hour to ensure I have parking slot at the guest parking of our condo. If I go back late like 630ish up, good luck if I can even get a slot.

[hunny_ally]

^have you tried asking with your admin (or the condo guards) if there's anyone renting out their slots? That's what we did for our extra car

[chicafabulosa]

Yes we did unfortunately a lot of us here are having same issues. Fully occupied na lahat ng slots here.

[ayi21]

^if you dont mind sis. What condo to?

[j.adore]

In our case naman, not all owners are using the slots yet they don't want to rent out.

How about looking at adjacent buildings? They might have slots available.