When Buying a home with a Condo Association, make sure to read the bylaws CAREFULLY!!! If you don't understand something, have your real estate attorney explain it to you. I say attorney because it's their job, a real estate agent is just trying to sell a property and might not even understand or be able to clearly articulate the bylaws for you.

Condo associations can have almost any restrictions on your property that is approved by the members of the board. They can control property color, what is allowed on the exterior of your property, if you can have plants, satellite dishes, what type of vehicle you can park on the property, how many vehicles you can have, even what activities you are allowed to perform on the property to include common area usage. These are just a few of the bylaws that can be enacted by a condo association. Just be careful and make sure you read in detail all the condo documents, and NEVER NEVER buy a property without receiving these documents from the seller.

Many people enjoy living with guidelines, it keeps their neighbors property in accordance to rules and regulations set by the condo association board members. It's just when you fall out of graces with the board, or want to personalize your home, that this can become a huge issue.

Condo Liens and Condo Foreclosure

Don't pay your association dues or violate rules and regulations and you can loose your property, the condo association can foreclose!

Let us say that your front door was damaged and your changed it to secure the property. Oops, you didn't get an approved door according to the condo association. You can start accruing penalty fees, once these fees reach a certain amount, a lien can be placed on your property and they association can even foreclose on the property.

Maybe you are going through rough financial times and haven't been able to pay your association dues, not just will they start racking up late fees, but normally after three months they will file a lien and shortly after move to foreclose on the property.

The only way to fight your condo board is to file suit in your local courts. The problem is that most condo boards have attorneys who tell them to strictly enforce avery law --generally saying "If you make one exception, the whole neighborhood falls into chaos". It's only in the best interest of the attorney to provide themselves job security.

Condos and Lawsuit

What happens when a condo association is involved in a lawsuit? Beside being expensive, this generally means that you might not be able to sell, or sell for top dollar. Would you want to buy into a property that is involved in a lawsuit and you won't know the outcome? Well neither do most people.

Here are some related articles:

• 10 Things Condo and Homeowners Association Won't Tell You
• What You Need to Know to Buy a Condo
• Condo Or House? Exploring The Differences In Ownership
• House Painting: Home Owner’s Association Restrictions

Our Real Estate Forum has a section for our visitors to discuss their Condo association and community (it's broken down by state).