The first comprehensive architectural and cultural history of condominium and cooperative housing in twentieth-century America. Today, one in five homeowners in American cities and suburbs lives in a multifamily home rather than a single-family house. As the American dream evolves, precipitated by rising real estate prices and a renewed interest in urban living, many predict that condos will become the predominant form of housing in the twenty-first century. In this unprecedented study, Matthew Gordon Lasner explores the history of co-owned multifamily housing in the United States, from New York City’s first co-op, in 1881, to contemporary condominium and townhouse complexes coast to coast. Lasner explains the complicated social, economic, and political factors that have increased demand for this way of living, situating the trend within the larger housing market and broad shifts in residential architecture and family life. He contrasts the prevalence and popularity of condos, townhouses, and other privately governed communities with their ambiguous economic, legal, and social standing, as well as their striking absence from urban and architectural history.
Whether you?re a first-time real estate investor or a seasoned professional, The Complete Guide to Buying and Selling Apartment Buildings helps you map out your future, find apartment buildings at a fair price, finance purchases, and manage your properties. Now revised and expanded, this Second Edition includes tax planning advice, case studies of real acquisitions, and appendixes that add detail to the big picture. Plus, it includes a handy glossary of all the terms investors need to know, helpful sample forms that make paperwork quick and easy, and updated real estate forecasts. With this comprehensive guide at hand you?ll find profits easy to come by.
Condo Buying Mistakes: 46 Costly Mistakes Condominium Buyers Make...And How to Steer Clear of Them teaches homebuyers about the risks, pitfalls, and mistakes that buyers make when purchasing a condominium. In this book you will learn: - The most important items to look for in the condominium document disclosures - What causes buyers to walk out of a condo within 10 seconds of viewing the unit - How to properly value comparable condo sales (and why you've probably been doing it wrong) - Why the common grounds of a condominium are just as important as the unit itself. - Why doing a few unconventional things when you view a condo in-person can help save a big headache down the road. - The biggest mistake to avoid when purchasing a large condo unit that had been combined by the joining of two adjacent units. - How the amenity package will factor into your decision (even if you do not care about amenities) - Why capping the maximum monthly condo fees in your search may end up hurting your search. - And so much more... Who is this book for? This book is for any homebuyer, investor, or real estate agent that is looking to purchase a condominium and wants to ensure that they are leaving no stone unturned. This book will help to analyze all aspects of the transaction and help to provide the framework for a condominium purchase so that you can be sure that you are asking the right questions and are keeping a keen eye out for any mistakes that could be on the horizon.
The majority of people now live in cities and for many that means apartment living. Apartments are where we spend our time, make our homes, raise our families and invest our money. Apartment living requires that we try to get along with our neighbours and make decisions collectively about the management of our buildings. This book examines how different housing markets, development practices, planning regimes, legal structures and social and cultural norms affect people’s everyday experiences of apartment living.
Discover the (surprising) secret to lifelong financial freedom with real estate investing. Real estate has always been a powerful tool for investing, and many people believe that a single-family home investment strategy will help them achieve their goals. However, the true path to financial freedom using real estate is found in apartment buildings. Real estate investing expert and author Michael Blank learned that once investors did their first deal, the curious "Law of the First Deal" led to the second and third deals in rapid succession. Most were able to quit their jobs within 3-5 years of getting started. Of course, when most people hear "apartment buildings" they immediately assume they need years of investing experience and money saved up to be able get into the game. This simply isn't true. Michael has compiled the results of his research into his new book, Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing: The Blueprint to Quitting Your Job with Real Estate - Even without Experience or Cash. He's outlined the "Financial Freedom Blueprint" that guides you through your first multifamily deal, even if you have no prior experience or your own cash.
When it comes to understanding the legal rights of condominium owners, as well as the dynamics of condo association boards, nobody knows condos like Robert M. Meisner! An attorney specializing in community association law ... adjunct professor at two Michigan law schools ... extensive lecturer and prolific author ... Meisner is a nationally recognized specialist on condiminiums. In Conco Living, Meisner shares his wit and wisdom accumulated from more than 35 years of practicing community association law. If you've ever thought about buying or selling a condo, or joining a condo board, read this book first!
Leo Rosenberger's thirty years of condo experience as an owner, ten-term board director and treasurer, and hands-on association manager gives him a unique perspective that is unmatched by condo industry management peers. After you read this book you will have no doubt that when it comes to condo "street smarts" he's the real deal-the guy who has been "been there, done that" in the world of condo living. For several years owners, residents, and fellow board members of the community associations he has touched, have urged him to write this book. They said "Leo, no one knows condos or has stories to tell like you." Finally, he took their advice.