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condo living: Mission Valley condos, San Diego CA: Condo living.... - Dues, fees, and special assessments - 08/26/09 07:29 PM
This is the seventh in my Mission Valley condominium "Condo living" series. To find previous posts in the series, simply click here.
All Mission Valley condo complexes have owner's associations which charge the owners dues, fees, and special assessments.
Condominium Association dues are typically paid monthly and can range from about $175 to almost $1,000 for condominium high-rise towers. Mission Valley condominium assocation dues rarely exceed $500 per month, and the average for the 39 condominium complexes is probably about $250 per month.
Your dues typically pay for common area maintenance, such things as:
pool and spa maintenance landscaping lighting and night … (5 comments)

condo living: Mission Valley condos, San Diego CA: Condo living.... - Parking, or lack thereof - 08/23/09 09:08 PM
This is the sixth in my "Condo living" series. To find previous posts in the series, simply click here.
Parking in Mission Valley condo complexes, Mission Valley, San Diego, and California is a source of contention, and probably will remain so for the foreseeable future.
Some condominium complexes offer underground secured parking, individual garage parking, community garage parking, tandem garage parking, carport parking, and sometimes street parking, although I'm not aware of any Mission Valley condo complexes that rely solely on street parking.
Generally, you'll get at least one reserved parking space when you buy a condominium. Some will also provide you with a Visitor … (3 comments)

condo living: Mission Valley condos, San Diego CA: Condo living - Sharing space - 08/20/09 04:45 PM
This is the fifth in my "Condo living" series. To find previous posts in the series, simply click here.
While living in your Mission Valley condo has many benefits, such as little or no maintenance, it has its own set of problems that one has to be aware of. One of those problems that seems to come up regularly is that of sharing space.
By sharing space, I mean one of three things:
subleasing all of part of your Mission Valley condo to someone else inviting friends and relatives to stay with you for prolonged periods of time having a loud, … (3 comments)

condo living: Mission Valley condos, San Diego CA: Condo living - Sharing water - 08/18/09 08:19 PM
This is the fourth in my "Condo living" series. To find previous posts in the series, simply click here.
If you buy a Mission Valley condo that was converted from an apartment, it's highly likely that you will share a water heater with a few other condominiums. If you do share a water heater, usually the condominium association pays the water and water heating bills.
It's virtually assured that if you buy a condo in a high rise, such as some of the condo towers in downtown San Diego, water, including heated water, is provided by the condo association, often from … (7 comments)

condo living: Mission Valley condos, San Diego CA: Condo living - Storage space - 08/16/09 03:33 PM

Although there are some Mission Valley condos that have a lot of storage space and huge kitchens and pantries, generally storage space in condos is less than that in an equivalent house with the same amount of square feet. Consequently, shopping for groceries to stock your kitchen and pantry might require a little more care. You might find that even though you like to shop at Costco because the prices per unit are low, you need to have a place to store all those units when you get home. Eventually you might find that Costco often isn't the right place … (5 comments)

condo living: Mission Valley condos, San Diego CA: Condo living - Covenants, conditions, and restrictions - 08/16/09 02:20 PM
One of the things that you have to be aware of when moving into your Mission Valley condo are the covenants, conditions, and restrictions, typically called the CC&R's.
A covenant in its most general sense is a solemn promise to engage in, or to refrain from engaging in, a specific action.
Covenants for your Mission Valley condo, for example, could preclude using certain building materials in renovating your condo, or prohibit certain tree species, The purpose of covenants is to maintain the character or the neighborhood and to prevent the improper use of the land. The purpose of these types of … (3 comments)

condo living: Mission Valley condos, San Diego CA: Condo living - The basics - 08/13/09 08:47 PM
As with everything in life, there are advantages and disadvanges to condo living. Some people compare it to living in an apartment, some to living in a dorm at college, some to living in a hotel, others to maintenance-free living.
Regardless of how condo living is described, there are some general things you should know about living in your Mission Valley condo. The following are very general and should be taken as legal advice nor do they apply to every condominium, so make sure that if you are buying a condo, you get a copy of the Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions … (10 comments)