Customer Reviews

Condo Living: A Survival Guide to Buying, Owning and Selling a Condominium

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Does this book give the prospective condo-buyer a lot of useful information? Yes. Does that matter if it's an incredible chore to slog through? Not really.

The author's credentials as a condo attorney are impeccible, but as a writer they're non-existent. He writes like a lawyer, with lots of useless hemming and hawing in lieu of clear, direct advice. Ever heard of a bullet point? Apparently not, as key topics are buried in long, detail-laden paragraphs and attempts at humor. Way too much space is devoted, for instance, to such common-sense advice as "don't raise a family in a condo development full of singles or seniors." Did I really need this guy to tell me that kids need playgrounds and back yards?

The organization into chapters proves almost totally arbitrary; information about time shares, vacation homes and other corner cases is mixed in with the key information applicable to the vast majority of the audience: namely, people who are buying or selling a condo as a primary residence.

The author has also didn't do much research beyond his own practice. He bases most of his anecdotes and specific examples on Michigan law, without only cursory asides about finding out about the laws in your own state and municipality.

I came to this book looking for easily digestible, intelligently organized information. I didn't want to have to wade through a broad overview of condo law to pluck out the bits that applied to me (a first-time home-buyer looking at purchasing a condo). By the end, I learned what I wanted to. But I felt like I was listening to a gasbag regaling me with the minutiae of his day-to-day activities when all I really wanted was the highlights.

Unfortunately - this book wasn't in print when I bought my site condo (2004) ... Seven years later and thousands and thousands of lost dollars, it all could have been prevented had I read this book. Fortunately - it wasn't too late. I was able to hire an attorney - stop the damage and force the association to run proper. When I plan to sell, I will use Mr. Meisner's advice from this book and do it right. My only regret is that I fear most people are like me - they read this book too late! Please don't let that happen to you!

I read this book cover to cover. I feel informed. It was NOT a boring read at all. The topic is so specialized that it may not pertain to a large audience. Trust me though - just like the book states - if you are considering buying, living in, or selling a condo - you really owe it to yourself to educate yourself in how the system works properly. The book has several references to Michigan (Where I'm from) - but overall I have enough education to know what to do if I were to buy a condo anywhere else. I feel very confident of that. In my case - my developer signed all the papers, etc. and never knew how to run a condo right. 20 years of it! Even more crazy is the co-owners followed like blind pigs for those 20 years - me 7! I had other co-owners tell me "You can't do that!" - when actually I could. Condo - life comes in many shapes and sizes. This book prepares you for that. Mr. Meisner's prose was fine - it was an easy read, but a lot of it pertained to what I needed to know - pertaining to condo life and rules. All I can do is thank the man for writing such a thorough book. It helped me so much and is an excellent education tool.

Again - if you are even thinking about a condo or interested at all in how they work/run - this is an absolute must read - an easy book to give 5 stars to. I would particularly recommend this book to real estate agents as well!

Whether you're thinking of buying a condo or selling one, you need CONDO LIVING: A SURVIVAL GUIDE TO BUYING, OWNER AND SELLING A CONDOMINIUM: it's a primer by an attorney with over thirty years experience of practicing community association law, and covers just about everything to know about condo ownership. From common developer and association practices to differences between simple conflicts and real problems, CONDO LIVING covers everything you need to know in advance about condo rules and regulations.