When leaving the suburbs for urban living, buyers sometimes confuse lofts and condos. To help during the search, here is a brief comparison of the two.
Condos
Condos, or condominiums, maintain nearly the same design as a single-family house with divided and dedicated rooms, like the living room, kitchen, and bedroom. Typically, condos are newly built and have property amenities such as exercise centers, pools, security, and a concierge. Downtown San Diego condos for sale also usually have a patio, balcony, or a small yard. Condo owners are members of an association, with extra annual or monthly costs used to maintain common areas.
Lofts
In contrast, lofts tend to be completely open without dividing walls for most of the rooms. Lofts originated as industrial spaces that were converted into living spaces above a warehouse or similar facility. Today, however, many lofts are built specifically as a housing unit. Lofts for sale in Downtown San Diego generally have floor to ceiling windows, exposed concrete or brick, and exposed industrial fixtures such as piping. Lofts typically do not have yards or patios, though some may have balconies. Generally, lofts don’t have the same amenities as condos, although owners might still pay additional annual or monthly costs to keep up the common areas in the building.
When looking to buy Downtown San Diego real estate, don’t base your decision on aesthetics instead of needs. You can always add walls in a loft, but removing walls in a condo may not always be a good idea, particularly if they are load-bearing walls. If you’ve got a better idea of what will work for you and would like to start looking at properties in Downtown San Diego, call (619) 649-0368 to speak with one of our friendly and experienced real estate agents. We look forward to hearing from you! ')}