Hello ScotlandX
A Real Estate Agent would say that about the levies. They’ll say one thing to a prospective purchaser, and another to an existing owner. Anything to make an easy sale. I know that when I bought the villa where I now live it was only a couple of years old, and there was no way we could fund the requirements for our strata plan from the levies originally set. I recall that a 30% or so increase was needed, and naturally there was consternation from the owners when this was put to the AGM, but reluctantly this budget was passed and things have since settled down. There is a new complex in town where the initial levies are set less than ours, and there are such facilities there which will require more levies than we pay. The same thing will happen there a couple of years down the track, and as far as I can gather this is a common practice to set unrealistically low levies on new constructions. The gullible then swallow the bait when purchasing and cop a hefty increase a little way down the track.
I’d agree with you that proper budget management is the way to go rather than being influenced by sales hype of a real estate agent, if I could chronicle the rubbish I have been told by that “profession” I could fill a book the size of War and Peace. 