Condo Living
So this city has gone condo crazy. They’re popping up eyesores all over the GTA like zits on a teenage kid. Average prices of these moronic places are ridiculous nearing close to half a million dollars. What’s more is maintenance fees rise on what seems to be a quarterly basis now. Most people living in these condo’s are barely making their mortgage payments and on top of that have maintenance to worry about which can some times be as high as their rent.
Lorraine’s previous post inspired me enough to write this up finally.
First Question: Why would you wish to live in a place that feels and resembles a hotel? They keep making these places larger and larger now and the walk from the elevator to your room gets longer and longer.
Second Question: I’m going to see a friend of mine, if I’ve already buzzed in to him, why the heck is security gonna ask where I’m going and make me wait while they check if I’m expected! What if I want to do a surprise goddamit!
Third Question: What possible value does my car’s license plate information give them? How does such knowledge help “secure” a building in ANY way whatsoever?
Fourth Question: Why do you wish to kill trees and make separate day and night parking permits. Why can’t a parking permit last more than one day? Why are parking spots so goddamn expensive in a condo building? I’m better off parking in the street. Also, while making the permit, instead of asking me my information twice and having to enter it twice into two separate pieces of paper (the permit itself, and security’s opy), why don’t you just save a step and use carbon paper.
Fifth Question: If I’ve already parked my car and made a permit with security and told them my car information, why do I have to walk all the way back to the car to display the permit on the dashboard. If security already has that information?
Sixth Question: As if I don’t have enough numbers in my life to remember, why the heck are buzzer numbers and “suite” numbers (notice how they don’t use the term apartments anymore), not the same. You get more than ten people you know living in these condo’s and you just get this mulch of numbers in your head.
Seventh Question: Why is the pizza guy allowed to park in front of the lobby for ten minutes when I end up having to park two blocks away on the street as it’s not worth it to go through all the above steps for a ten minute in and out?
Eighth Question: Why am I treated like I’m gonna break into Fort Knox?
Ninth Question: Why do companies like Tridel and other such companies feel that naked statues pissing water into a tub that just shows off fake ceramic, will make for better ambience?
Tenth Question: Why does someone else decide when my heating or air conditioning will go on or off?
Eleventh Question: What insane locksmith charges all these morons the $75 it costs to get a replacement/spare key? Not every family has two persons living in it either, sometimes we need more than two keys. As for the fobs getting replaced, you obviously have as many fobs as twice the number of “suites”, which on average is about 400 fobs. At the rate of development of condo’s in the city, these should by any means cost no more than 5$ by laws of demand and supply.
Twelfth Question: Will you please get rid of the “semi-annual” community BBQ’s? They suck. And not everyone can eat because nobody ever thinks to cater for vegetarians or people that eat halal food.
Fourteenth Question: How do condo residents ever host a party without ticking off the neighbours? I hate restricting guest lists and if I want to have more than 40 people over, I should have the right to do so.
Fifteenth Question: If my cold water is going to be shut off, it should be because of my own doing, not some jack ass up on the 21st floor.
Sixteenth Question: When will we get a lake front view again from downtown? All I see now is these damn condo’s.
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yup, that’s why we bought a house in the burbs (but even that has its own set of headaches). i’m sure i’ll be missing my condo when i have to shovel my driveway in subzero temps.
why the heck are buzzer numbers and “suite” numbers not the same
This I agree with, so that if some crazy stalker person sees you hammer in the buzzer number, they can’t follow you up to the apartment, cause it’s not the same number.
My apartment building has the buzzer number the same as the apt. number, and I think that it’s because my building management is not so on the ball.
Besides, don’t they have a cool directory to find the person’s buzzer number by their name?
Why do companies like Tridel and other such companies feel that naked statues pissing water into a tub that just shows off fake ceramic, will make for better ambience?
umm their attempt at italian art? :D
another insane reality of condo living, especially downtown… newly developped places, bought before construction date, delays the move-in date over and over… and over again.
i have friends who are approaching 2 years since the first move-in date due to delays on top of delays.
and they are just one of many!
everyone i talk to says, “yeah, it’s annoying. but it’s expected that if they say you’re moving in this year, plan to move in a year later.”
and i’m thinking, “why? what should i expect such a long delay?” it’s total b.s.
Fifth Question: This upsets me too. I do NOT live in a condo yet it operates that way. And there are only 10 parking spots outside my building entrance. Otherwise the lot is about 5 - 10 minutes away. Not bad at all. But if you get stuck at a 10 minute walk in winter it sure is. When I used to live on Wynford Drive you had a number to call. You gave the guard the license plate number and number of days for the stay if it was a weekend. The guard would mark it down and do a walk around with the parking cop around 2 or 3 am. Anyone parking who didn’t call got ticketed otherwise you were ok. All we had to do was pick up a phone.. this was especially helpful if you parked, went somewhere and realized you weren’t coming back till morning.
also another thing i don’t understand is if a condo building/complex has some odd 300 to 400 homes in it, HOW THE HECK DO 2 TO 10 SPOTS SUFFICE FOR VISITOR PARKING?!?!?
Why would anyone buy an apartment?
1) restrictions on pets
2) restrictions on satellite dishes (they make the building ‘look ugly’)
Reason enough not to bother.
should i be concerned that out of town,non-owner is the v/president of my board ??
16 yr old 20 unit building.