Good morning beautiful people! I am happy to report that things are going well in casa Deena. The kids are in school. The Gregory is working away at something. I did actual, paying work this morning, and I've had a lovely cup of coffee. How are all of you?

Good morning, Deena!

Quiet here for a Monday morning. My list is long, but getting through it. I have so many balls in the air right now so trying to finish something, anything!

Now that I'm working on projects with people in both Singapore and Europe, I have twice as many emails waiting for me in the morning to wade through, since they've had all day to send things! And usually lots of morning meetings too—I get so stressed out every morning and feel better only around like 2 or 3pm!

Oh meara, that just sucks. I hope you knock it out of the park early today.

Well, my classroom situation still isn't resolved. I've sent more emails.

Also, I'm looking into maybe buying a condo. I feel like I need an adultier adult for this. How does this whole thing work? My mom couldn't give me any advice except, "Talk to a realtor."

I understand an important part of negotiating a condo is to be sure about the amount you'll be charged for the monthly association fees. Also have a chat with your bank so you'll be prepared by knowing your financial situation.

Hit up the Bank of Mom for the down payment if that's feasible.

I would never agree to a variable mortgage or a balloon payment.

There, that was probably enough adulting for tonight. Hope it's helpful.

Home ownership has way more ups than downs in my experience. With Condos you just have to investigate the association. Some condo commandos can be super obnoxious with the rules. The fees can be high, but they can also cover a lot of stuff, like some include cable and of course landscaping and that type of thing. If the place is due for a new roof soon, that can bring on a big assessment, but it would if you had a single family home too.

You would think realtors would be more helpful, but frankly if you are a buyer they just want to sell you the place, and if you are selling they just want the listing. Finding a realtor generally has to be from local recommendations.

Hil, check to see what the status of the condo corporation's reserve fund is like before you commit to a purchase. If there is a large pending repair (like roof, or pool, as Laura mentioned), then you could be on the hook for a chunk of that. Otherwise, condo living is pretty good. How do they heat/cool the units? What shape is the plumbing like in the building? How do they do garbage, recycling, etc.? I'm trying to think of things that I didn't think of as a new/prospective condo owner that has potential to be annoying.

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

I've also thought about getting a house, because the selection of accessible condos in Cincinnati is pretty slim, but a house would mean having to pay someone to do all the yard work and maintenance stuff and things like that. Plus, there aren't that many one-story houses around here, either.