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Maybe if you have a paid off house and your 300K was worth 1M in 2007. Then you have a shot at your 300K coming back. Life is just a big crapshoot anywhoo.

What about those of us who did the best they could and HAD $1M and now don't. Those of us who are screwed are just waiting around to not be.

Falling in love is always a bad idea (with RE anyway) and perhaps first dates.

Tough, if not impossible, to do before making an offer...

Only think I would caution is about that dishwasher - like many things in life, if you don't use it, you will lose it.

Another issue is the condo manager's registration or license with the state... here in CT, it is required but many boards of directors are unaware of this. One more reason to buy into a large (over 100 units) place as they tend to be more on top of legal and managerial issues. Larger complexes...

Obviously, a waterfront SFH will be worth more than a waterfront condo in the same location. However, a waterfront condo will usually be worth more than a SFH that is not in a waterfront location elsewhere in the same town.

Exactly right! I learned that the reserve should be at least $1,000 per unit. That's one of the biggest tips as to whether the association is run properly and a real indication of its financial health. High percentage of owner occupied - just right. Don't know how you can find an...

Listen, I'm in the Northeast... that's how it is here. Not interested in getting into a pissing match about elsewhere.

that doesn't even make sense - a beachfront luxury condo will always be more expensive than a SFH in the same town, BEACH, water, elevators, doorman... No comparison.

Condo by-laws and rules and regs basically depend on people acting "in good faith". If they don't, i.e, father and son take over the board as president and treasurer (with the idea of paying themselves for services rendered or directing service contracts to relatives (or themselves)), you can...

The place was built in 1988 and then the builder went out of business (the condo market tanked in the late '80s). Unfortunately, the buildings went to auction in the early '90s and suffered through a severe price reduction and took about 20 years to recover. Prices for beachfront condos in...

We bought in 2006 and put quiet rock over the existing sheetrock in common walls - QuietRock Soundproofing and Noise Reduction Drywall - Higher Performance, Higher Reliability, Lower Cost At that time, they did not have flooring solutions - they do now. My unit is completely quiet (when we...

Probably best not to buy there - I knew a RE agent who told me, "I would never buy a new condo" - it took some time to realize what she meant.

I've lived in condos for over a decade - my advise would be to, ALWAYS, buy a condo that is similar or equivalent to the price of a SFH in the area. That way, people are there because they want to be, not because they cannot afford anything else. When people can't afford anything else, they...

Can you retire with your 1.2M and then experience a 2008-2009 market drop? Where your 1.2M goes to 300K? That's what happened to me - I panicked, applied for a couple of jobs (didn't get them), and now have come out the other side, realizing that, even at that level, I can make it without a...

You got that right! This was the worst case scenario (I think) and we came out on the other side - back to where we were in 1999!

You need a million until you don't... or you don't have a million... or you had more... That's the thing I've learned over the last two years. I went from wondering, "should I buy a second property, maybe on Cape Cod or in Manhattan" to "OMG, chuck the cable, the cell phone, the restaurants...

I find this interesting. I do a high protein, low carb diet most all the time. I echo the thing about Trader Joe's; they have high quality veggies, meats and good quality stuff like mayo and peanut butter that are not that expensive. I also shop at Aldi's which has ground turkey for $2.49/lb...

Well, my portfolio was down about 70% and I've regained about 30%, so I guess I'm only down 40% or so. I paid off my house in 2001 when doing so was considered "unsophisticated" (remember those days?). So, by reducing my expenses to the bone, I'm okay for now, and none the worse for it, BTW...

It was a terrifying time from fall 2008 until a couple of months ago. I had such huge losses in my portfolio and my dividends from financials went kaput. I was positive I would have to find a job and even applied for one, only to be told the position was cancelled. I got letters of...

Grammie, aw, I hope you are feeling better. I'm in Connecticut and the regulations for selling baked goods are very stringent. Thanks for your research. I'm not sure what we are going to do... maybe we'll be okay. It's too early to tell...

We are 7 years and 6 years in, respectively. We thought we'd make it as long as we lived but then 2008 happened. So far, we are still hanging in - we spent a lot of time worrying and thinking about what jobs we would need to get. But, somehow, 8 months later, that just didn't happen, so I...

Thank you very much. I've been feeling a bit alone in the wilderness trying to figure this stuff out. I'm trying to convince DH to work on his photography and just sell stuff, but, honestly, I'm really not sure how. I lost all my bank dividends and am trying to figure out how to replace that...

I think there are definite dangers growing old (especially alone) in a SFH. It can be very isolating, especially here in the northeast, where there's no place to walk and meet neighbors.