The Colonnade Inn, built in 1883, was built a summer hotel back in the day when the city was even more popular as a summer destination than it is now. During that time, summer hotels cropped up around the place to accommodate the crush of tourists that came during the summer months and disappeared the rest of the year. Nowadays, while tourists are still plentiful in Sea Isle City during summer, the summer hotels are gone with only one of the old historic hotels left standing.

The summer hotels were not the only pieces of history that have slowly been erased from Sea Isle City’s map. In fact, just recently, backers of a really old lighthouse lost the battle to developers, resulting in the historic lighthouse being torn down.

The Colonnade Inn is one of the last pieces of history that is still standing in Sea Isle City, and perhaps the only one that is worthy of being called historical due to the restoration process it went through in 2004. Perhaps the fact that it is a hotel, making it profitable, that has allowed it to survive the ravages of time. Or perhaps it is the love of formers owners, the Dorsem family, who clung on to it for a really long time. Whatever it is, it’s a good thing that a small piece of history still has its place in Sea Isle City.

Condominium living is a great solution to the urban space dilemma. Condominium units are very compact but do not compromise on functionality. With some creative design plans, even a relatively small space will can become quite a comfortable living space. All it takes is imagination, creativity and a good sense of how space should be used. If you have interior designer friends, ask them for help or input. Their professional eye can help you tremendously.

What is a Condominium?

A condominium is a building composed of separate residential, bedroom units. Condo buildings have areas common use and particular amenities such as swimming pools. It is ideal for those who need to live in proximity to their workplace or want to begin living independently with a manageable area to maintain.

Why a condominium?

There are both pros and cons to selecting to stay in a condominium.

Pros:

1. Easier to maintain- because there are maintenance crew who can help when you’re too busy with work or away for quite a while
2. Manageable Personalized living space- you can choose how big your living area would be, and thus you can measure your capacity to maintain the place. Also, it’s a great way to discover your personal tastes in interior decoration.

Just like in any unexpected accidents that we encounter in our everyday lives, we can’t really say when a big bag of goods like rice will be broken. I myself had encountered an incident wherein I failed to notice that the plastic bag where the grains of rice I bought was broken. What happened? Well, the grains of rice was scattered on the floor! The other tenants who witnessed this event gladly helped me out.

If you encounter the same problem, you are responsible in cleaning up your own mess. You can ask help from others, but don’t expect them to do the whole cleaning for you. It is important that you work on it as soon as possible to avoid further accidents like slipping.

The Advantage of Condo Living

Nowadays, condominiums are rising everywhere. This is so because condo living is a great choice for people who are attracted to the idea of owning a property at a fairly inexpensive price and yet, well-situated in the city. Apart from being in a good location, condominiums have many facilities which unit owners can maximize.

One of the leading reasons why owning a condo attracts many people is because of the fact that it does not include individual land ownership. It is basically full ownership of the unit without the sole responsibility of owning the land. Also, the combined ownership makes facilities existent and free for all and such are the pool halls, gyms, club houses, and the like. Some condominiums also take the liberty of housing small business establishments such as a mini grocery, a bookstore, and eateries so as to give even more convenience so that the tenants wouldn’t have to leave the very building.

Another advantage is that tenants only maintain their own units and the care for the garden, hallways, and the lobby is assigned to a housekeeping staff.

Just a continuation to my previous post regarding small spaces in condominiums, I feel that it is but proper to emphasize the minimalist approach.

If your condo space is small for large appliances and furniture to fit in, DON’T FORCE IT. If you do this, either you want your space to look smaller, or in extreme cases, let your things stay inside your house and you, outside. What you can do is choose little things as possible by eliminating the “wants” with the “needs”. If you have two lampshades, better sell the other one in thrift shops. Or perhaps, if you have a large sofa, sell it so you could have a smaller one. Remember: minimal is best.

Photo taken from http://www.apartmenttherapy.com

Living in a condo can have a number of restrictions. For one, owning a pet could be one of the biggest decisions to make (that is if they allow it); cooking or ordering take-out will always be something to think about; and the way you present your itty bitty living space speaks much about who you are. Before even considering living in a condo, you have to know the restrictions and how they may affect you and how you would want to explore living independently. And with all the given independence, there will always be moments that you’d want someone or something to keep you feeling safe and comfortable.

In continuation of the The Moving ‘in’ Part 1 This is a sort of DIY (Do It Yourself Moving).

Packing, loading/unloading, & driving can be very time-consuming and tiring make sure you’re properly rested and schedule the event so as not to interfere with your work.

With Packing wisely and traveling ‘light’ you can save time and effort, but if you can’t help but pack large furniture and lots of things, try calling up family and friends to help you out.

Thing to Consider If you need help packing/unpacking and moving your stuffs
1. Pickup & Delivery Services (PUD)
2. Professional Movers

Well so far we’ve discussed the Inspect part (link to inspect a condo) and then the buying part (link to buying a condo), now for the most tiring and exciting part, the ‘Moving In’ Yey! Finally here are simple tips to help you glide your way to the process of packing things and unpacking them on your new fortress.

Don’t pack and take everything with you when you move, either throw out, give away, or sell things that you wont need. The plus of selling some your stuff is that you can add the money you earned for some other things you may need in your unit.

Pack the bare necessities or you may have problems moving all your stuffs if you’re doing it alone.

Condominium living in Calgary has been gaining more and more popularity over the past few years. Is it the desire to live downtown and be part of the pulse of the core and uptown 17th? Is it the dream to be central enough to leave the car at home and walk to work? Is it the fancy to be an urbanite and reside in a chic, modern elevated suite in the sky? Maybe it is yes to all of these, and perhaps more!

Calgary Condo Living provides the maintenance free, lock up and go attitude that a lot of individuals crave. Whether you lead an active, busy existence and don’t have the need for a lawnmower and snow shovel, or whether you just wish to take off into the mountains for a weekend; condo living is probably your ideal lifestyle. If you’re a current Calgary Condo owner, then you know exactly what I am talking about.

Our current Calgary Condo market is an exciting one! The May 2009 statistics released by the Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB) shows likewise as our market is gaining strength in 2009 as sales are up and listings are down – the perfect blend for a healthier, balanced real estate market. Here are some numbers to further my explanation:

The number of condominium sales for the month of May 2009 was 653, an increase of 13 per cent from the 579 condominium transactions recorded in April 2009, and an increase of 13 per cent from May 2008, when 577 condominiums changed hands.

Calgary metro condominium new listings added in May 2009 were 998, up 3 per cent from April 2009, when the MLS� saw 967 condo listings coming to the market. This is a decrease of 35 per cent from May 2008, when condominium listings were 1,538.

Our CREB president, Bonnie Wegerich mentions “All signs indicate we are moving to a balanced and stable market. Consumer confidence is improving, prices are holding steady and inventory is trending downward.”

For those hopeful Calgary Condo buyers out there, check out the “Purchase Check List” at my Calgary Condo Living blog on WordPress – http://calgarycondoliving.wordpress.com/

This will provide new buyers with some quick tips on Condo Living and ownership.

For the current Calgary Condo owners, contact me for a free consultation. I can provide a market evaluation, staging assistance, and anything else that may be useful to you and your condo experience.