A condo somehow combines the worst aspects of buying and renting.

That would be an HOA moreso than the features of a condo, although a condo tends to imply an HOA in the US. The irony of my experiences with an HOA is that its actions tended to suppress my property value rather than preserve or grow it.

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tomjakubowski a day ago | parent [-]

I don't know how a condo building could operate without some kind of shared ownership structure for the common areas and shared infrastructure. What are the alternatives to an HOA in a condo building?

	▲	bombcar a day ago \| parent [-]
		actual laws about such things, I presume. hoas only make sense to me in condo situations - but even then you’re at the mercy of others

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simianwords a day ago | parent | prev [-]

As a non american I have no idea what a "condo" is. Is it like an apartment? Or a big house?

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jbarham a day ago | parent [-]

Condo means an apartment that you own (vs rent).

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simianwords a day ago | parent [-]

Interesting.. I would never think Condo described the financial relation you had with the house but not some intrinsic quality of the house itself.

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bombcar a day ago | parent [-]

Technically it doesn’t (as it means condominium which in theory could be single family homes) but practically it almost always means an “apartment you own” though sometimes “half a duplex” or similar proportions of a quad or six plex style.

But in the US it usually implies neighbors above and below and on the sides.

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simianwords a day ago | parent [-]

I'm more curious now: what sort of apartment does not have neighbours nearby?

	▲	bombcar 20 hours ago \| parent [-]
		It’s the above and below; most people in the USA will think “condominium tower” when you say condo, but some (rarer) are much more like duplexes or single family homes.