A few weeks ago all owners in Oceanside Inn, a premium condo-hotel in Daytona Beach Shores, have received a letter that the Association was very excited to announce that they have decided to replace the second level of the garage at a tune of $250,000.
This was not the best news for the owners, I guess they were less than excited, but Special Assessments are part of condo-hotel and condo living, and there is nothing really unusual in having them time to time.
Owners knew the garage was in need of repairs, and turned out maintaining it was so costly, that replacing was making a better sense in the long run. Well, Special Assessments always hurt in the short run, when you need to shell out cash, which is tight for many.
Considering that the most popular arrangement in the resort is double units of the south and north side, owners were looking at over $2K assessments (depending on the actual size of the unit).
I was working with several units, representing both buyers and sellers, and we were trying to navigate this sensitive issue the best we could. The Letter stated that the assessment was to be voted for on April 23rd.
On one of my deals the Seller wanted a specific minimum to him, so the Buyer figure that it is better for him to buy and then pay the special assessment. He closed a few days before the meeting.
And at the meeting came a huge surprise. The estimate of $250K was not realistic, and they ended up assessing it at $550K. This was a shock. And there was nobody to blame. The Board of Directors got the preliminary estiomate (not the bid) from the Engineering Firm that was preparing the report, and it came so much higher than they expected.
i was totally unprepared for this. We were closing on a unit with my Buyer, and the Seller has signed the offer based on the calculations off $250K, and in a heartbeat his payment got more than doubled. The Listing agent felt that they were in the corner. The Contract did not provide for any way out, and they knew that they had to close no matter what, but they were not happy.
And the Listing agent for a moment thought that I knew that $250K was not enough, and did not tell them. I finally clarified the issue but had a sour taste in my mouth, so when the agent agreed to chip in some cash towards the unfortunate Seller, I participated.
Things happen.
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