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Beacon Hill residents talk trash (a different kind)
By JohnAKeith on Sun, 01/23/2011 - 9:28pm
There's an article in today's Boston Globe Magazine with the title Home sweet hell: Falling into the condo trap.
A 27-year old novelist moved into a four-unit condominium building back in 1999. Almost immediately, she began having confrontations with her upstairs neighbors who, according to the article, had majority ownership of the condo association, meaning they pretty much controlled what did or did not happen in regard to the building.
She’d left her laundry in the building’s coin-op washer for too long, she’d left her boots in the hallway and created an eyesore, she’d arranged her things in the common storage unit in a way that somehow annoyed them.
But, the real story isn't the article (although it's written very well and is both entertaining and educational).
The Boston.com message board reached a nasty level of discourse I'm only used to seeing on the other major Boston daily newspaper's site.
Criticism of the novelist:
- she is a "self-centered brat"
- she is a spoiled little spoon-fed whiner"
The worst:
[She] sounds as if she has a rich Mommy and Daddy who helped her make it possible to buy her condo(s) ... She sounds like a witch, a really rotten, selfish witch, and she clearly has no insight into her witchieness [sic].
Criticism of her upstairs' neighbors:
- they "still boil in their own poison"
- negative comparison to a bottom feeding scum sucker (being that they are both lawyers)
- they are "evil wicked mean and nasty"
Of course, condo unit deeds being public record, some readers found it necessary to do more research, pulling up the neighbors' names on the Suffolk Deeds site. Then, they did Google searches on the upstairs neighbors, finding their employers' information and then posting that, as well.
Just a bunch of nasty stuff.
Pretty much, the Internet is being ruined for everyone.
The takeaways:
1) don't buy in a small condo association unless you've done in-depth research;
2) don't use your real name on the Internet.
Neighborhoods:
Free tagging:
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Comments
That's the problem with small
That's the problem with small condo associations. Juries and judicial panels are made up of a minimum number of people in order to avoid problems. If a condo association is small than those, and one DOESN'T EXTENSIVELY RESEARCH THE NEIGHBORS BEFORE BUYING, heaven help you.
Agreed 100%
As an owner in a 16-unit association, I think you really have to be crazy to buy into a small association. With 16 units, you're almost certainly guaranteed to have a majority of "normal" owners. We have one owner who is certifiable and two are lazy/cheap absentee landlords. The other 13 units are owned by basically normal human beings.
With a 2-4 unit association, you could easily get stuck with one or two crazies, and you'd be totally, completely screwed.
Even researching the neighbors isn't a guarantee. What if you nice upstairs neighbors decide to sell to a raving lunatic?
Professional Management
The other issue the article brings up is the need for a professional management company. They are well worth the cost, even in smaller buildings, because you don't have to spend your entire life discussing every stupid logistical issue with your neighbors.
If someone isn't paying their fees, the management company has the resources (and lawyers) to go after the delinquent owners; you won't have to waste your time fighting (and suing or threatening to sue) them yourself. They also deal with issues like arranging paying for various vendor services (landscaping, snow removal, building repairs), as well getting bids on bigger projects, etc.
Also, all the unpleasant interactions between owners described in the article are handled instead by the management company. I don't deal with collecting the bills from nonpaying owners, the management company does.
Finally, you also have someone responsible if there is an emergency, with a number to call.
You also want an association that has a board (i.e., certain owners who act in a representative capacity) so you don't have to deal with every owner on every decision.
So three pieces of advice:
(1) Nothing smaller than about six units
(2) Professional management
(3) Board
If you do that, you'll avoid 98% of the problems described in the article.
The management company might
The management company might have the lawyers, but the condo association is certainly going to pay for them.
A potential problem nobody mentioned yet is buying into an association where the majority is controlled by one person who owns multiple units. Some banks won't give mortgages in this situation.
When you're going after
When you're going after non-paying of condo fees, I believe the Mass "super-lien" statute allows you to add the collection fees to the amount owed by the delinquent owner. Thus the non-paying owner, not the association, is responsible for those charges. At least that's what our management company was able to do.
Regardless, it's better to have a third party doing all of this. Do you have time, energy, and desire to chase down non-paying unit owners?
"1) don't buy in a small
"1) don't buy in a small condo association unless you've done in-depth research"
Except the article explains that unless you plan on buying the entire building, you're screwed and MUST join a condo.
It's a screwed up situation.
Seems like more regulation is needed, as per usual when the private market fails.
Globe Mag should offer space to the other sides of these stories
I'd like to hear the upstairs neighbors' take on this story, as well as stories from neighbors of other condo owners whose disputes are discussed in today's article.
agreed, both sides should be heard
Within three minutes, I was able to get the names, places of employment, civic activities, political inclinations and even pictures of the other parties.
They deserve to have their side told - I bet the Globe will have to give it to them.
congrats, we're all so impressed!
Yes, of course it's quite simple to gather that information online, much of which is public record. However, WHY ON EARTH would you want to? You might want to take up a hobby like knitting or something instead of being nosy.
Takeaway 3) Boston has way
Takeaway 3) Boston has way too many idiots, as evidenced by the quality of discourse on even the best news outlet's web site. And they're out-breeding everyone else. Why would you want to get a mortgage in such a doomed place.
Boston.com is trolled by
Boston.com is trolled by winguts and teabaggers from East Coast to West. I'd say 80% of the comments are usually transparently from people that probably couldn't point Boston out on a map, let alone Massachusetts.
Gotta take those comments in stride of that info.
27 year-old who can afford
27 year-old who can afford two Beacon Hill while writing a novel. And she admits cranking up music full blast and leaving, just to torture her neighbors. Sounds like spoiled brat is likely. Good to hear that some people get the condo neighbors they deserve.
But the nosey, stalking, Internet harassment is just low-class idiotic bullying. Those people are no better than our 27 year-old protagonist and her lawyer neighbors.
Buying into a condo is much
Buying into a condo is much like signing onto a HOA. Why anyone would do so is beyond me.
As for the net, Boston.com and other new sites should not allow anonymous logins and postings. They also need to better police their comments. Trolls love the site, along with the basement dwellers who take out their own pent up rage on whatever crosses their ire that day.
Last, the Neighbors sound like douches and karma's a bitch. We live in a very connected world; and everyone would do well to remember that and conduct themselves with dignity and respect. Because if they don't, 4Chan is lurking right around the corner to teach you a lesson.
A few reasons
"Buying into a condo is much like signing onto a HOA. Why anyone would do so is beyond me."
A few reasons from personal experience:
1) I could never afford to own a single family house in my neighborhood (the maintenance alone on a brownstone will bankrupt most people making less than several hundred thousand dollars a year)
2) I've come to appreciate how small my carbon footprint is living here - fully insulated on 4 of 6 sides my heat and AC bills are probably half what a comparable sized house would cost
3) Every time I drive opposite traffic in rush hour I count my blessings that I don't live in the suburbs - no hellish car commutes or MBTA delayorama for me.
As for nightmares - it happens - fortunately I live in a 7 unit building where we make special efforts to compromise with each other so both small owners and large owners are satisfied. We don't always agree - but we remain civil and get things done - and I'm friendly enough will all of my current and ex-neighbors over the past 18 years that to this day we still meet at least once a year to have dinner (just got back from visiting my now retired neighbors in FL).
As for the article - I think it may be a good idea for some of these smaller buildings to collaborate and join into a larger association or collaborative group especially if they are contiguous buildings - lots of details that would have to be worked out especially in the beginning - but there is definitely safety in numbers and it may be a solution that could work out in the long run.
Can you blame these people?
They are upset and whiny because they over-payed for their condos, and it takes awhile for them to figure that out. Once they do realize their situation, they take it out on each other, when they should be upset with their realtors.
Become a landlord
They don't really mention it in the story, but you can become a landlord for the same net monthly outlay as a condo in some situations. If you are worried about affordability, keep in mind your loan qualifications are higher. Also you can write off all kinds of things on your taxes.
It's not for everyone, and it has it's own headaches, but at least you can control your neighbors a little more. And you get to landscape how you like, decide whent to take on major projects etc.