well, every window, every door, in my building, was reversed lapped and improperly flashed. so it’s not a maintenance issue. And it’s not uncommon. BellTown Court, Seattle Heights?

Notwithstanding, I’d love to talk condos and condo homeowners associations with you some time. I’ve been doing this board thing for almost a decade, so I’ve got some stories! Just my opinion here, but most people I have seen moving in over the last ten years seem to have no idea what they are getting into, or what their financial exposure is. I think of it this way: walk into a bar and choose 20 people at random; pool your money with them and make a commitment to live under the same roof. Would you trust them to share your financial interests?

Please do email me off list. I don’t do Queen Anne much and the few times I’ve been in houses there…well let’s just say one reminded me of the La Brea Tar Pits But I’d like to know and LOVE to talk about HOA stuff.

I’ve considered doing HOA presentations to help them keep on top of things. But after doing that week after week for a couple of years, and people not wanting to care about what happens after they leave, I got burned out. Maybe I’ll do an article on that late in the summer…too late now. Most have their new budgets in place by September.

I very much appreciated your lengthened response. I always tell Dustin, Bubble People are cool…they just come at things from a different angle. I still read you guys often to keep in touch with what “Mr. Everyman” is thinking. Helps me a lot.

Happy New Year and give my best to (dare I say his name…it’s like saying Beetlejuice…he might appear)

I am laughing so don’t take this as a hit. But seriously, I don’t sell houses, unless I own them. Owners sell houses; people buy houses and I represent people who do those things.

I have a lot to say about Home Owner Associations and water intrusion…but that’s an article for another day. Suffice it to say that annual maintenance, and not the builder, is often the culprit. Properties need to be maintained on a regualar basis, and rarely do you see people taking care of their own balconies, caulking windows or doing any regular maintenance items.

Caulk lasts a year or two…not forever. Not saying that is everyone’s issue, and builders are sometimes responsible. But they also get a bad rap for anything that goes wrong. No property is maintenance free.

>> I normally think you are a vacuous sales agent
> For the record – I would never refer to you as “vacuous”, Ardell

Doug, I promise to limit my use of three syllable words in the future.

Ardell,

I thoroughly enjoyed your response. I never doubted your ability to sell real estate. I do find your general analytical skills to be thin, but I believe you genuinely care about your clients. Hey, it’s my opinion so don’t shoot me. I respect your relentlessness and your whacky formatting.

I won’t state where I live, but suffice it to say it’s Queen Anne (if you are selling). If you e-mail me, I will divulge more. I do want to point out that our situation is not unusual in Seattle. It appears that one in five condos in Seattle will have some serious building envelope issue that will result in a spanking on the order of $30K average — and remember that your percentage of ownership interest means that it may be $15K for a small unit and $60K for a a large unit. So heed Ardell’s advice regarding the resale certificate. There are a lot of new condos that will be dumped on the market over the next year or two. Buying into a new building will give buyers some warranty protection. That doesn’t mean you are exempt from water intrusion problems, but it may mean you can seek recovery through the builder (or their insurance company). If you are buying any building that is not new, pay extra attention to the disclosures.

Real Estate Agent = vacuous

Anyone who buys vs. rents = vacuous idiot

Anyone who is waiting to win the lottery – Genius

For the record – I would never refer to you as “vacuous”, Ardell…

Great post.

I’m glad you are happy with one thing I had to say…don’t get me wrong…but why do I never get the benefit of the doubt on anything else?