What motivates the owners?
“There are only two forces that unite men - fear and interest.”
—Napoleon Bonaparte

Condo corporations consist of owners who look after their self-interests. They have three different views on how the property should be maintained.

Figure out which of the following three interests controls the board of directors.

1. We want to maintain the building
Maintaining the building and grounds to its original standard over the long term is important to us. We plan to live here indefinitely and the board should set the fees accordingly.

2. Plan to sell
We plan to sell in the next two to five years. We demand that the board keeps the fees low and only spend money on the:
1. Lobby
2. Hallways
3. Front landscaping and driveway.

We are only interested in "curb appeal" so we will get the highest possible selling prices. Low fees means it's easer for us to sell.

3. Keep the fees low
We want the monthly fees to be set as low as possible and kept there. As long as the lights are on, we have hot water and the elevators work, we are content. Not much else is important to us. Don't talk to us about the long-term because we don't care about the long term.

We will vote for anyone who promises to freeze the fees or keep them low and we will remove any board that raises the fees.

Why is this important?
You need to know which of the three groups control the board of directors. If the low-fee owners control the board and make up the majority of the owners, then you have to wonder if meaningful change is possible.

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