Start with the physical basics. Is the unit large enough to meet your needs? Is there adequate storage? Is there additional storage available in the basement or elsewhere in the building? Is it an added cost or is it included in the purchase price? Is the room layout acceptable? Is it even livable?
What about the soundproofing in the walls? There’s nothing you can do about the fact that other people are living in the building, but if you sneeze and the occupant four stories up says Bless you,” you may want to reconsider.
Remember my advice in chapter 8 about getting copies of back utility bills from the seller of a single-family home? The same thing applies to condos. You want to estimate as carefully as you can how much it will cost you to occupy the unit. If it’s a new development, you’ll have to rely on the developer’s estimate of what those costs are likely to be, but you can check by looking at the costs for comparable units in comparable buildings. One important question to ask the broker or the developer is whether there are individual meters — or even separate systems — for electricity, heat, and water, which means you pay for what you use, or central meters for the en- tire building, which means you subsidize owners who are less conservation-minded than you.
In looking at the cost of any condominium, don’t forget to factor in the monthly maintenance fee, sometimes known as the common-area charge or condo fee. (Bear in mind that lenders will add that fee to your monthly PITI calculation in their assessment of your ability to qualify for a mortgage. Also remember that your monthly fee in a condo is not a tax-deductible expense.) You’ll want to know not only how large that fee is but precisely what it covers. Is access to the pool and exercise room included, or is there an extra charge for that? Is parking included in the fee?
Speaking of parking, are the spaces “deeded”? That is, do the unit owners buy their parking spaces too, as part of the condo purchase, or are the spaces sold separately to those owners who want them? Are there enough spaces to go around, or will the scramble for scarce spots trigger daily melodramas in the parking lot?
You should ask similar questions about any amenities offered with a condo. The first question is, do you want or need the amenities you’ll be paying for? If you’re not going to swim, you might be better off with a lower-priced unit in a development that doesn’t have a swimming pool. On the other hand, if it’s the availability of the swimming pool and tennis courts that most appeals to you, take a good look at those faciJities in relation to the number of people likely to be using them. How much of an attraction can those two tennis courts be for you if there are always thirty people waiting to use them? As you explore different condos, remember that in addition to buying a unit, you’ll also be acquiring an interest in the common areas as well. Pay as much attention to the areas outside of your unit as you do to the unit itself. If you’re looking at a newly constructed condominium or a newly renovated one, pay particular attention to the quality of the workmanship and the quality of the construction details. That will give you some idea of the care — or lack of care — that the developer has put into the project. But don’t be so snowed by the brass doorknobs on the entryway or the Jacuzzi in the bathroom that you overlook the things that really matter — the condition of the heating and cooling systems, for example, or the age of the building’s roof.
The condition of the buildthg’s infrastructure is important to you, and you’ll definitely want to hire a qualified home inspector or structural engineer to inspect the building before you buy
it. You’ll want him to look at the common areas as well as at your individual unit. If the roof is going to have to be replaced or if the heating system is on its last legs, it’s better to find that out before you decide to buy rather than a month after you move in.
If you’ve weighed all the pros and cons and decided that a condo may be right for you, it’s time to think about evaluating the units you’re going to see.
Most of the factors I discussed in relation to single-family homes apply to condos as well. The community in which the home is located, the surrounding neighborhood, the distance from your work — all of these considerations are as important to someone buying a 1,000-square- foot condo as they are to someone buying a 3,000-square-foot Colonial.
Buying a condo, however, is more complicated.
There are more documents to read, more questions to ask, and more details to consider. There are whole books on buying condos and co-ops, and all of them together won’t tell you everything you might ever need to know about the process.
I’m going to cover some of the basics. But again, these are
just the major issues — not the only ones — that condo owners
should consider.
When faced with a deeply rutted trail, Steffens advises, “Ride the ridges:’ Ruts can be caused naturally—by erosion—or deliberately—by drivers who run the trails after wet weather. Either way, a trail that’s been chewed up will be pockmarked with deep gullies, any one of which can snag a 4×4. Most commonly you’ll high-center the vehicle, but sometimes the gully will trap the nose or the rear instead.
“If you can stay on top of the ridges, you’fl ride above the ruts,” Steffens says. This is demanding driving; if the vehicle slips off the ridge and into the rut, chances are you’ll be there awhile.
Many drivers believe that the faster the vehicle goes through a rough section, the better not so. If the vehicle builds up too much speed when it hits a deep hole or rock, the resulting loss of control can send the 4×4 bouncing off the trail or wedge the nose or rear tight into a rut. Either way, it’s bad news.
Steffens prefers momentum to speed. “Momentum implies control—because the vehicle moves just 6st enough to overcome an obstacle while remaining in the driver’s complete control. To me, momentum also means staying off the brake as much as possible,” he says.
“Wheel spin [the result of a heavy foot on the throttle usually means that you’re not in control of the situation,” he says. “So slow down. Remember, you want enough momentum to carry you through the sand or over the boulders, but not enough so you can’t control the vehicle. Easy does it.”
Stefitns also advises that you use the engine braking created by low-range four-wheel-drive rather than the brakes to help slow the vehicle during a steep descent. This way you can avoid locking the brakes—which leads to a loss of steering and, ultimately, trouble.
From the top of the hill, I could see for miles. The rugged mountain terrain was dotted with ponderosa pine and manzanita, and the pungent smell of sage was in the air. “Keep your
eyes open,” my host said. “We’ve got mule deer, bears, bobcats, turkeys, mountain lions, and coyotes up here?’
“Up here” was Calilbrnia’s San Bernardino National Forest, where at 8,500 feet I was getting a lesson in 4×4 driving tactics from Gary Steffens, a reserve deputy sheriff for the San Bernardino county Sheriff’s Department. For more than 25 years Steffens and his search-and- rescue team have been called upon to find hunters and fishermen who have gotten stranded in this huge expanse of desert and alpine forest. As a lifelong outdoorsman, Steffens knows all about the lure of remote hunting and fishing locations; as a trained offroad driving and survival expert, he is also well acquainted with what can go wrong when you venture deep into the wilderness. So pay attention; his tips have been honed by years of experience. They’ll help you get out there . . and back.
Sam Anderson is a young touring pro on the walleye circuit. Between his fishing and promotion work, he drives through 17 states a year, iiiainly the northern half of the country. He tows in all kinds of weather and terrain, and his tips are worth a listen. • “First, do a walk-around inspection of the truck and trailer. Make sure everything is stowed properly on the boat.You’d be amazed how many fishing rods are lost each year because someone forgets to secure them properly with a tie-down or put them in a rod locker.”
• “One of the accessories I regularly inspect—and almost never see anyone even look at—is windshield wipers.This is critical. Try driving 5 or 6 hours in bad weather with worn-out wipers. It’s bad enough during the thy; at night, when you’re tired, forget it.You’re an accident waiting to happen?’
• “check the air pressure on the vehicle and trailer tires. A lot of people check the tires on their truck but forget the trailer. Make sure that the tire pressure is in the recommended range because of the extra weight you’re hauling. Properly inflated tires will also help the tow vehicle deliver maximum fuel economy, and when you tow, every gallon counts?’
• “check the wiring harness regularly for signs of corrosion that could cause the trailer running lights and brake lights to fail. Northern drivers take note: Road salt is a certified killer of electrical connections?’
• “check the trailer wheel hubs regularly. Most people check the hubs once a year. I do it every time I stop for fuel. Why? Because of the heat that towing generates. You want to make sure the hubs still have adequate grease, arid it’s a whole lot better to stop at a service station and get it fixed than have the hubs lock up in the middle of nowhere. And let me tell you, you don’t want to deal with a hub failure at highway speed; it’s nasty business. I know some guys who won’t even go on the road without spare bearings packed in grease and stored in sealed plastic bags in case of emergencies.”
When the marketing-economic system does not perform as well as we would like, we attempt to change it. We hope to make it serve us better by producing and distributing goods and services in a fairer way. Most people believe that the system is working sufficiently well and requires no changes and that relatively minor adjustments can achieve a fair distribution.
Four ways in which we control or influence the direction of the marketing system and try to rid it of imperfections are by (1) helping the competitive market system to operate in a self-correcting manner; (2) educating the consumer; (3) increasing regulation; and (4) encouraging political action. The competitive market system operates to allocate resources and to provide most of the products we purchase to satisfy felt needs. While we may hear many complaints about the system, most of the goods and services we purchase or use flow through it with little difficulty. Competition works if the conditions of many buyers and sellers and other technical requirements of the free-market economic model allow it. We have attempted—sometimes with limited success—to restore competition where monopolies have reduced it.
Combined with the free-market system, consumer education can lead to wise choices. As products become more complex, diverse, and plentiful, the consumer’s ability to make wise decisions must also expand. Educational programs and efforts by parents, schools, businesses, government, and consumer organizations all contribute to a better system. A responsible marketing philosophy should also encourage consumers to voice their opinions. Such comments can result in significant improvements in the seller’s goods and services.
The marketing concept must include social responsibility as a primary function of the marketing organization. Social and profit goals are compatible, but they require the aggressive implementation of an expanded marketing concept. Explicit criteria for responsible decision making must be adopted in all companies. This is truly marketing’s greatest challenge.
This term indicates a method of building on a concrete foundation that goes into the ground only slightly below the frost line. The frost line is a point in the ground below which the ground never freezes. As you might guess, the depth of the frost line depends on many variables besides degree of northern latitude, such as groundwater, shade conditions, and composition of the subsoil (e.g., sand never freezes). In the coldest parts of the United States, the frost line is a maximum of about four feet down. Most people excavate at least that deeply to be sure of avoiding the frost heaves that can ruin a house’s frame. Point is that you have to make judgments about soundness on a house-by-house basis.
So what should you look for?
Outdoorsmen want a rugged wheel, but they also want to improve the appearance of their 4×4. An advantage of the fbrged aluminum wheel is that its bright chromelike appearance requires little maintenance. There is no paint to chip or flake off, and the wheel won’t rust—definitely a problem with steel.
“Although many companies use a conventional clear coating to help protect the appearance of the wheel, Alcoa does notT says Simpson. Why? “Because the coating can be damaged in certain applications, which degrades the overall look of the wheel.With our wheels, all you need to do to keep them looking good is a seasonal wash and polish.
“The wheels may not help you catch more fish,” Simpson said before signing off. “But they’ll look good. And they certainly will get you where you want to go—and get you home again.”
Slab foundations are level pads of concrete that are poured on top of the ground underneath the floor of the house. This method is seen from time to thne in the Northeast, where it was favored in the post—World War 11 building boom because it was fast and cheap. It is more common in the South and California, and it is seen everywhere in Florida, where the groundwater is only a few inches below the grass. If there’s no frost to worry about, why not use a slab? If there’s no need for oil storage, no need for a place to put the heater, and no need for occasional plumbing and wiring changes, a slab is all right.
I really wonder about slabs for main house living, though. For one thing, they can crack. For another, many people find them cold and hard to walk on, even though judicious use of carpeting and tile can moderate the problem somewhat. If they’re not well insulated, they add to your heating costs and make plumbing additions very difficult. To add a new bathroom off the family room, you have to put a jackhammer to the slab. If you find yourself with a termite problem, it’s almost impossible to cure.
