What Is The Definition Of "garden Style Condo"

[Chris Colston]

The form asks:

Project Type....Primary Residence, Second Home or Recreational, Row or Townhouse, GARDEN, Mid-Rise, High Rise

I don't see "walk-up". :rainfro:

Anybody have an architectural guide? Should have "design" types in there.

 

[DTB]

Chris,

I do see a box that is unmarked where you can add what it is called in your market. :rainfro: :rofl:

 

[jason regan]

Apartment Style- Interior entrance only

Garden Style- Exterior entrance only, they can also be more than one story.

Thats they way we recognize them in my market.

 

[moh malekpour]

Remember, these forms are centrally designed. They use them all over the nation and I am not sure if Canada is using them or not. If you see something in the form that you never heard , you may not have it in your area otherwise somebody somewhere would have said something about it. The question in the form is if the project design is townhouse? Garden? Highrise? Low rise? Midrise? and a blank space for your own if none of them applies. For example, underground complex. The whole project is underground.
I haven't seen it or heard about it but in my wild immaganition, it ought to be single story detached or attached with a large site as common area that is similar to a garden. trees, bushes,grass, springs, birds.

 

[Mike Boyd]

My comments are two+years after the question was asked, BUT.......there is a developer in CA, McQuenn,....I think he dead now, that built many condo complexes all across the State, maybe also in Nv and AZ. There were 4 units in each building. 2 townhouse styles, one "pent house" (all upper floor) and 1 Garden unit. That unit is one story on the ground floor

 

[ttaM kooC]

Once again, if Fannie and Freddie are going to use terminology like this, they should bloody well let us know how they define it, but I find no definition of "Garden" anything in Fannie or Freddie's glossaries online. Gotta love the Freddie form 469S where the top 1/3 contains the form and the bottom 2/3 contains the definitions. It'd be nice if Fannie/Freddie would include a Defintions page (or three) with all of their forms that could be included or excluded as an addendum. Especially if they (Cert 23) expect every Tom, Dick, and Harry to be relying on them.

 

[BarbaraNJ]

Here in NJ, we refer to the 2 story condo bldgs "garden" style though I must agree that it is likely different areas of the country have different names for things.

In fact, it did come from apartment buildings build in the 40's thru the 60's called "garden apartments", and which were converted from the 80's to the present into condo units.

The reference to one-story clustered style homes are sometimes called "patio" homes here.

I think that the references to wondering what FNMA---authors of the form--- mean by the term is valid. No matter what the area of the country calls it, its what Fannie means that is most important.

By the way, in NJ we have split levels and bilevels. Just over the state line in New York (20-30 min. car ride) they call the same homes split-entry and high ranch. So far, New York is the only state that I have found call bilevel styles a "high ranch".

 

[Brad Ellis]

Barbara,

A garden style condo is a one level unit that is partially below grade- or at least that is how they are referred to in most major metro areas.

Brad

 

[Carnivore]

brad,

What would you call a condo that is all on one level of the 2nd floor of a two story building? The other unit is on the first floor. See attached picture of condo I just appraised.

 

[Brad Ellis]

Andrew,

I'd call it a condo.

Seriously, though, that building looks like a duplex/2-unit (I think I saw two entry doors) that has been converted into the condo form of ownership. Not at all unusual in the big metro areas- not sure about your area. Folks are converting almost anything inot condos nowadays.

But, I think it differs from Barbara's since (my assumption) hers is probably partially below grade whereas yours are both a\fully above grade.

I think that is where the consternation comes in- all the space partially below grade so you have a condo unit with NO square footage? Hence the moniker.

Brad