u/purplemarin

I am looking to purchase a home as a SINK and my budget seems to be limited to condos unless I go outside of the area I'm looking at. I've decided this is where I want to live so I'm not interested in compromising on location. And I still think a townhouse (most likely with an HOA as well) is unattainable or going to be too much of a fixer upper. And I don't want to be a forever renter.

That being said I've been watching the market for weeks to months and I've seen some patterns.

I'm curious to know if anyone has knowledge around certain condominiums I'm eyeing. Most places seemed to be older bldgs from the 60s and 70s. I know one concern is the strength of reserves, last assessments, upcoming major repairs, etc. How can I figure out if there are more renters or owners?

Bldgs I'm intersted in:
Watergate
Olympus
Alexandria Knolls
Greenhouse

I'm pretty much priced out of Kingstowne and Cameron Station, which are two other areas I'm considering. Open to other Landmark/Alx/West Alx options.

Lastly, I know folks are generally against condos but it's what I can afford and it fits my lifestyle. I'm not looking to get talked out of this. I just want to know if people have insight on these buildings or any other guidance I can walk away with.

TIA

I have been enrolled with LUO for several semesters and I am not new to asynchronous learning. However, at my past institution there were a number of resources to help students, like 24/7 virtual tutoring, and the professors had office hours and were genuinely helpful. I have yet to experience that with LUO.

I learn best through dialogue so the SI sessions do help but I wish there were more opportunities for discussion.

I guess I’m wondering what other LUO students do to strengthen their understanding outside of their professors and SI sessions. Do I really need to go find my own tutors? I do use AI but I want to talk to an actual human being.

So, my fellow LUO students, how do you make the most of your self learning? Do you feel like you’re actually learning the material?