Parking in front of garage

[Tom in Raleigh]

I own a 2nd-floor condo in Raleigh, NC and my unit includes a ground-floor garage. In this complex, there are 198 units (mid-rise condos and townhouses) and 38 of the condo units include garages. The complex has existed since 2007. In 2016 the HOA decided (without the approval of owners) to prohibit owners from parking in front of their garages. It’s my view that this action reduces the value of my unit and that of all the 38 units that include garages. I use my garage for storage and other residential purposes. The photo, below, shows my car parked in front of my garage (far left). My SUV is barely visible in the space in front of the garage entry. By prohibiting me from parking in front of it, I have to find one of the unassigned spaces that are 400 yards from my garage. I am looking for any financial analysis of the value of a garage-front parking space in a condo complex. Is there any hard data and fact-based analysis of this situation?

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Thanks for any help you can offer. Tom

 

[Artemis Fowl]

Hire a professional to answer those questions for you. It's not something we can answer from a distance, on a national forum, for free, without having done the work to support it. There are NC folks here who may be available.

 

[Tim Hicks (Texas)]

There is no picture posted. Are we to assume that you own the space in front of the garage? If it is part of the common area, then it is the HOA's discretion. As most condo ownership is only the interior (including the garage), I don't see where you have any ownership rights. However, this is more of a legal matter than a appraisal matter. An appraiser can say it is worth this or that, but if you have no rights to that area, then it does not matter what the area is worth.

 

[shrubberyvaluation]

I own a 2nd-floor condo in Raleigh, NC and my unit includes a ground-floor garage. In this complex, there are 198 units (mid-rise condos and townhouses) and 38 of the condo units include garages. The complex has existed since 2007. In 2016 the HOA decided (without the approval of owners) to prohibit owners from parking in front of their garages. It’s my view that this action reduces the value of my unit and that of all the 38 units that include garages. I use my garage for storage and other residential purposes. The photo, below, shows my car parked in front of my garage (far left). My SUV is barely visible in the space in front of the garage entry. By prohibiting me from parking in front of it, I have to find one of the unassigned spaces that are 400 yards from my garage. I am looking for any financial analysis of the value of a garage-front parking space in a condo complex. Is there any hard data and fact-based analysis of this situation?

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Thanks for any help you can offer. Tom

This will be market specific. Have any of those 38 units sold after the change? Comparing them after the change to similar units without a garage, and comparing units before the change with a garage with similar units without a garage. Its possible its not noticeable. On the other hand there is a condo complex near me with 5 unassigned spaces for a 50+ unit building in an area with limited parking where having an assigned place to park your car is very valuable.

 

[Tom D]

Since we don't know the value of your unit, the ownership of the driveway, the answer to your question is not answerable by anyone here. A driveway on a high end condo may have a different value to someone owning an expensive car verses a a $200,000 condo. We have plenty of high rise condos in the suburbs that only have lot parking. But parking closer to center city is pricey.

Don't be cheap, it won't cost a lot to have a local appraiser try to figure it out. But there may be a very limited, or no amount of info to actually determine something new like that. If you don't own the driveway, then how much will you spend in court to see if you can park there. If you are a senior, file a discrimination hardship against the hoa.

 

[J Grant]

I own a 2nd-floor condo in Raleigh, NC and my unit includes a ground-floor garage. In this complex, there are 198 units (mid-rise condos and townhouses) and 38 of the condo units include garages. The complex has existed since 2007. In 2016 the HOA decided (without the approval of owners) to prohibit owners from parking in front of their garages. It’s my view that this action reduces the value of my unit and that of all the 38 units that include garages. I use my garage for storage and other residential purposes. The photo, below, shows my car parked in front of my garage (far left). My SUV is barely visible in the space in front of the garage entry. By prohibiting me from parking in front of it, I have to find one of the unassigned spaces that are 400 yards from my garage. I am looking for any financial analysis of the value of a garage-front parking space in a condo complex. Is there any hard data and fact-based analysis of this situation?

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Thanks for any help you can offer. Tom

Imo you are wasting your time. If we live in a condo, we sign on we obey their rules. Allowing to park in front of your garage may slightly diminish your value ( or not )- but it is your choice to use your garage for storage - you can rent a storage unit but don't want to pay for it - consider it a good physical exercise to walk 400 yards to the parking space!

For an appraisal, I doubt I would devalue a unit for it. A new owner would typically use their garage to park in so it would not be an issue for them, and an appraisal is based on a hypothetical sale.

 

[Tom D]

Brilliant again J grant, you're breaking records. What has more value or less annoyance, storage unit or just a garage for a car. But the posters want an answer here for free. No think they will pay a monthly storage unit.
But we all here do feel you pain for this unexpected utility change. This post is a hail mary pass looking for a victory over this conondrum facing them now.

 

[Mark K]

I understand where the HOA is coming from. Are there other garages where parking in front of them will impede traffic flow? If they allow you to do it they have to allow everyone to park in front of their garages.

I can't answer your question re: effect on value, but I'd suggest, as others have, getting a storage unit for your junk and park in the garage or just get rid of your excess junk. Maybe a garage sale is the best route, assuming the HOA permits same. A local condo assoc has an annual garage sale for this express purpose, according to the owners I spoke with.

 

[Tom D]

Here is why you need a r.e. attorney, not us. Do you, or do you not, own the driveway. If the project owns it you cannot do anything, period. But you may own that driveway. Around here it's called deeded parking. You may have actually payed more to have that driveway ground. How would you know. Look at original title report. If it mentions another parcel other than your unit, it would have a separate legal description. Now on your 'deeded' parking it should say what rights you have for it's use, or it may be spelled out in the project condo docs. But you have a legal issue more than a value issue. Right now it's more of an annoyance issue for you, than a value issue, because you have storage issue.

 

[sputnam]

I disagree that you need an attorney to determine whether you own the space in front of the garage or not. You just need to read your deed and the condominium documents. It will be tedious but, the answer is there. As for impact on value of the associations decision... yep, hire a local appraiser. You might also consider talking to other garage unit owners and going to the next HOA meeting to complain.