Making the Most of Your Condo Living Experience

1. (844) 902 6636 Making the Most of Your Condo Living Experience info@catalystcondos.com www.catalystcondos.com

2. (844) 902 6636 How Managing Your Expectations is Key to a Happier Living SpaceLiving in a condo building is unlike any other experience. With people living on almost all sides of you, there are bound to be circumstances you may not have been prepared for. For instance, a neighbor who works at a different time as you may have a completely different “getting ready” time of day than you do, creating noise when you weren’t expecting it.. info@catalystcondos.com www.catalystcondos.com

3. (844) 902 6636 While communal living can be a great experience, it’s important that you recognize what you’re responsible for to help make your condo living a pleasurable experience, rather than harboring your irritation with the downstairs neighbor’s love of techno music. As a condo management company here in Calgary, there are three key points we’ve learned from our clients as to how to best create the condo living experience you want. And, it all starts with managing your own expectations. info@catalystcondos.com www.catalystcondos.com

4. (844) 902 6636 What do you want in a Condo?The first thing to proactively manage your expectations of living in a condo building is to understand exactly what you want in your condo building.For instance, if minimal sound from your neighbors is important to you, then you should be looking at condo buildings whose foundation is concrete rather than timber. You should also consider the external aspects of your condo building, such as whether or not your condo building, in particular the unit you’re looking to buy, backs onto a bar. You may love everything about the building itself, but if you don’t look at the building as a whole – including the external aspects – than you will not enjoy living in the space, no matter how amazing the crown molding features are. info@catalystcondos.com www.catalystcondos.com

5. (844) 902 6636 Start by prioritizing what’s important to you within your condo, what are nice to haves, and what are absolute deal breakers. By identifying your priorities, you’re better positioned to find a condo building that meets your expectations, while helping you manage your own reactions to condo living info@catalystcondos.com www.catalystcondos.com

6. (844) 902 6636 Expectation of NoiseNoise is one of the biggest make or break experiences of living in a condo. As we mentioned in the point above, the foundation of your condo will greatly impact how much noise you hear through your walls. If your building is built out of timber, you can expect to hear unwanted noises (a little more of the everyday variety, such as bathroom…or even bedroom sounds). You’ll become intimately more aware of what your neighbors are doing in a wood frame building than in a concrete one. Talk about getting to know your community! info@catalystcondos.com www.catalystcondos.com

7. (844) 902 6636 What’s important is that while you may not like the noises that other people are producing, ask yourself if what they’re doing is reasonable (and legal) within both city and your condo’s bylaws. We get it – noise can be irritating, but that doesn’t mean that they’re necessarily wrong. The same goes with other people’s schedules. While you may be an early bird, with an 8 – 5 job, you may have a night owl neighbor whose hours are midnight to 8 am. Meaning, they could be getting ready for work at 10 pm. Create your expectations of noises and you’ll find that you won’t even notice them at some point. info@catalystcondos.com www.catalystcondos.com

8. (844) 902 6636 That said, if there is noise that is not within your expectations, such as someone practicing their drums at 2:00 in the morning, try talking with the noisy neighbor first and come to a compromise together before going to the board with any noise complaints. After all, they may not know how loud they’re being and you may learn that you’re not so quiet yourself. info@catalystcondos.com www.catalystcondos.com

9. (844) 902 6636 Parking ExpectationsNext to noise, parking is one hiccup that we hear about more than any other. Unfortunately, many condo buildings have minimal space when it comes to parking, and the parking stalls are spaced so vehicles juuuuuuuuust fit. If all condo owners drove tiny smart cars, parking most likely wouldn’t be such an issue. However, being that we’re in Alberta where trucks reign free; these small parking spots seem even tinier. If you or your parking neighbor drives a truck, making your spot a little bit cozier than you would like, take a quick moment and ask yourself: info@catalystcondos.com www.catalystcondos.com

10. (844) 902 6636 * Are they over the line? * What solution can I come up with to make our tiny spots seem more spacious?If your parking buddy is not over the line, there’s not much you can do about it. However, if they are, talk to them in a calm manner, letting them know that their vehicle is infringing on your spot. Additionally, even if their vehicle isn’t over the line, but space is still tight, it could simply be a manner of parking differently. For instance, can one of you pull into their spot and the other back in? This will give the illusion of a bit more space; at least as you open your doors. See how the two of you can work together to make sure that you’re both getting as much space as possible. info@catalystcondos.com www.catalystcondos.com

11. (844) 902 6636 Curious as to other ways you can set your own expectations for condo living or have an experience that you’d like to share? Contact Catalyst Condos today as we’re always keen to learn new ways to help our clients live the condo lifestyle they’ve always wanted. info@catalystcondos.com www.catalystcondos.com