Co-op is not very common for our area. New York is THE land of co-ops. Occasionally, you'll probably see co-op listings pop up in your search.
These co-ops look like condos on the outside, but they priced much lower
than condos. Though, not always.
There are rather few co-ops that I know of in our area, clusters around the District of Columbia, Arlington and Falls Church. There are more co-ops in the District than in Northern Virginia. The famous "Watergate" is a co-op. River Place in Arlington is - also a co-op.
Most likely, when you tell your agent that you want to see a specific property, your agent would tell you that this is a co-op.. or
cooperatives... and not a condo! Huh? So- what are the differences between the two?
There are some differences between condo and coop. The three main differences (there are more), namely:
- Form of ownership
- Property tax
- Financing
OWNERSHIP
In a condominium, you do own whatever within your four walls. You do have common area that you share with other condo owners, like hallways, parking, lobbies, and recreation area.
In a co-op, you own the share of the company that owns the building. What?! Yes, that's right.
In a cooperative apartment complex you don't actually own any real estate. Rather, you own shares in a not-for-profit corporation. As a shareholder you get the right to lease space in the building. The corporation owns the common areas. The effects of this are varied. Real property, for example, descends to your heirs while the co-op's tenant-stockholder's shares pass as personalty to your personal representative and may be subject to securities regulations. Generally, a condo is considered real property and a cooperative is considered intangible personal property. (bold is mine)
via Bankrate
That means you don't get the deed with your co-op purchase. Read it here, for an example of co-op purchase for River Place in Arlington. BTW, the ground lease for this co-op expires in 2054.
PROPERTY TAX
When you own your condo, you will pay property tax per square footage of your unit. You pay your tax directly to the tax office where you reside.
Because you are a shareholder in a co-op situation, the tax is roll into one big chunk to the corporation that owned the building. It then passes the tax bill pro-rata to shareholders in the monthly maintenance fee. Yeah, you might have one low mortgage payment. But, when you add your monthly co-op fee to your mortgage - it becomes a rather 'hefty' bill.
FINANCING
I think when it comes to buying a condo or co-op, there is no question that it is much easier to get financing for condos than co-ops. There are only a few lenders get their hands in co-op market. For one, the market is not as big as condo. It doesn't give the clout like financing condos. Two, it is much easier to sell condo than co-op.. because of the very same reason: financing.
A few co-op listings has this kind of remarks: OWNER FINANCING AVAILABLE FOR QUALIFIED BUYERS. If you buy this co-op, you'll be exposed to the same thing.. you might have to provide financing to your buyer.
Here is another kicker: The tax deductions on your property tax if you itemized it. It's easy to itemize it with condo. Try to figure it out with co-op your share of the pie...
Co-op also famous for its restrictions!
After reading this post, there should be no question about which one to choose. Condo should always be the first choice before co-op. Because of -- the pool of buyers and financing.
Think RESALE. Always.
