Jeff MacKinnon

Among the showings I did with clients this past weekend was a really nice place in a 30-unit complex in Signal Hill.

The catch with this property – a semi-detached bungalow villa – was that it is a bare land condo. So, I had to explain what exactly is a bare land condo anyway? Which I was happy to do.

Unlike conventional condos, a bare land condo comes with a real property report, which simply put is a map of your home/lot. So, you own the land that the home sits on, but you are part of a home ownership association that collectively is responsible for the rest of the property. With bare land condos you won’t have free reign to do what you want with the exterior, such as paint it a different colour than the rest of the units, or park an RV in the driveway. Stuff like that.

I pulled this description of an RPR off the website of Arc Surveys, who I’ve used in the past when seller clients had to have a new one done or one updated prior to a sale:

“A Real Property Report (RPR) is a legal document that clearly illustrates the position of the building in relation to the property lines and municipal bylaws. It takes on the form of a plan or illustration of the various physical features of the property, including a written statement detailing the surveyor’s opinions or concerns.”

: What is a bare land condo? : What is a bare land condo?

Typically, condo fees for bare land condos are lower than regular condos because the condo board is only responsible for maintaining the exterior features. They’ll take care of maintaining the grass, clearing the snow and common areas. For the one I showed on the weekend fees covered: insurance, maintenance of the ground, professional management, reserve fund contributions, sewer, snow removal.

In a condo building the HOA would be usually be responsible through the reserve fund of repairing and replacing things like doors, windows, roofs, HVAC systems, etc. Not so with a bare land condo.

“Improvements on the lots themselves are normally the sole responsibility of the owner individually,” says an information blog found on the Alberta Real Estate Board’s website.

Two easy ways of determining if you are buying a bare land condo: it comes with an RPR, which the seller is obligated to provide as stated in the purchase agreement; and if the land title (which your realtor should have at a tiny cost of $10) shows a plan and unit number and not a plan, block, and lot number that a typical home would have.

Call, text or email: 403-860-9525; homesinalberta@gmail.com