What does common room mean when it comes to renting an apartment?
The common room really comes down to exactly you are renting. If you are renting a room in a house you have exclusive use of the bedroom (and bath probably) to yourself. But other areas of the house, kitchen, living, and yard is for use by everyone occupying the house. I don't think I have heard of an apartment complex having a common room, but a comman area or facility. This would be the pool, tennis court, spa, or clubhouse. Though you may sublease an apartment from the current renter and that would be similar. It all comes down to how your lease reads and you need to inquire with the person you signed the lease with for the exact defintion in your case.
Why do so many tennis courts face north and south?
So that the sun is not shining low and directly on the face of a player, especially in the mornings and evenings when tennis is usually played. The sun can be blinding for a player while serving or if it is low then even during a rally, and disrupt the quality of the game. The court direction obviously doesn't matter for an indoor court.
Advice on owning a condo vs owning a home?
I have owned both... well actually two condos ( townhome style ) 2 homes... The only thing i really like about the homes more then the condos was that each was more unique - i mean you felt like you could decorate and style the place and make it look incredibly your own. In a condo what ever you do really ( since you cant structurally change the place ) is just like everyone elses. Have to say tho all in all i prefer the condos.. only becasue there is less to worry about - i mean they are a great amount of living space for a lot less money....and generally houses in the same price range usually have much smaller rooms... there are only two things that i would say to look out for.. thin walls.... try and find a place that has fire walls between the units.. these are a cinderblock or cement walls and block quite a bit of sound. Both units i owned were 3 floors ( basement , 1st and 2nd ) and had fire walls and the only time i really heard the neighbors was in the basement. i mean about once a month you might hear the person next to you but it has never been to the detriment of my sanity like loud music or screaming that was unbearable... the second item is privacy in like your backyard or deck. my first place the back was open to like 10 other neighbors and at times you felt like you were having a bbq for all the world to see... the second place is much more secluded and we put up privacy fences so we can hear the neighbors but see no one..and the back of the unit faces trees.. in the first place we backed up against another building with land inbetween. in regards to the fees.. both have been reasonable.. i think the first place ( 16 years ago ) was 115./month - snow, lanscaping, electric garbage etc... the current one is $115. a quarter - but basically just includes a pool and gym and street maintaince.. everything else is billed seperatly and you are responsible for your own ground maintenace... So really it depends on your complex - but both o f mine were townhome style which meant three floors.... any questions please feel free to ask... best of luck.. oh also I think now is an excellent time to buy.. its is most definitely a buyers market and interest rates are still very attractive....
What are some "big cons" or "issues" with the metric system/international system of units?
One unheralded difficulty is that most major sports are not metric.Most modern major sports arose from the Anglo-American sporting culture of the 1800s, and as such, their rules were devised involving traditional units. But due to worldwide popularity, the rules had to be converted to metric. However, the old units persist.For instance, in association football (aka soccer):the goal is 8 yards wide by 8 feet tall.the goal box is called the “six-yard box” because its parallel line is 6 yards from the goal line.the penalty spot is 12 yards from the goal line.the penalty box is called the “18” because its parallel line is 18 yards from the goal line.the circles and semi-circles trace lines that are 10 yards from their center point.Players must stand 10 yards from a free kick (This is why referees usually take nine steps, not ten, by the way.)But around the world, who has yardsticks and traditional-unit tape measures? Converting all that to metric requires a rulebook that means that the goal is 7.3 x 2.4 meters. The circles are 9.15m. Obviously, it’s easy enough to measure, but not as easy to remember as 8 yards by 8 feet.A basketball goal is 10 feet off the ground, and the free throw line 15 feet from there. Luckily, most other measurements are somewhat flexible, so basketball is more easily metricized.Baseball diamonds are 90 feet in each direction, and the pitcher’s plate 60 feet 6 inches (60.5 feet) from home plate.A cricket pitch is 22 yards long by 10 feet wide.Don’t even get me started on American and Canadian football, where every yard is meticuloulsy marked.Tennis courts are 78 feet long by 9 yards wide (12 for doubles). That’s 26 yards long, or 13 on each side of the net. Service lines are 7 yards from the net.Volleyball courts are 60 x 30 feet, and so on.Some sports have metricated, despite their Anglo-American origins: Rugby union has a 5, 10, and 22-meter lines, and Rugby league has a 100-meter playing field. The lines don’t all quite match where they had been before metrication, but I don’t know if the game was affected by that switch.Sports that did not come out of that Anglo-American tradition were already metricized by the time they spread. Handball, running, and swimming for instance.
What are the potential benefits or drawbacks of buying a property governed by an homeowners association?
That is a thoughtful question!In my state, Texas, most properties in subdivisions are actively governed by HOAs. Some of them have very strict rules, for example, acceptable colors to paint the outside of the house, the square footage and type of house, what the yard foliage looks like, how many inches tall can the grass grow. Some properties have no restrictions, which means people can do whatever they want in their yards and houses. This can be good or not good.The benefits: houses and yards must be kept clean, neat and in good repair. This type of a neighborhood is desirable to many people. Often one cannot operate a business from their home. Residents generally view this rule positively as it limits the vehicles and people in and out of the area. In condos and in some subdivisions, the HOA can also dictate the percentage of units that can be rentals versus owner occupied. This is a good thing from the residents’ viewpoint to have owner-neighbors.The drawbacks, from an investor’s viewpoint, are that you must make yourself familiar with the rules and operate within them when rehabbing a house, for example, to comply with the look of the neighborhood. Also it would be a good idea to know the annual HOA fee, as that is an ongoing expense in addition to taxes and insurance. In condos and in some subdivisions, the HOA can also dictate the percentage of units that can be rentals versus owner occupied. This is not a good thing if you are an investor looking to rent the property.In Texas, older neighborhoods sometimes have HOAs that expire after a period of time, for example, 25 years, if they are not voted on by residents and kept current. I do invest in these types of properties because I can find more bargains there, and they are desirable to people looking to build a metal shop or who have a home business.Know your market. Your local tile company can research the current HOA rules of any neighborhood or you may be able to do a quick DuckDuckGo search yourself.