Townhouse rant.

So we own our townhouse, or at least are 1/30th of the way there, i think. i'm not sure how that all works. It's a 30 year mortgage, pretty sure, and we've lived here a little over a year, so it would stand to reason that we own 1/30th of this place. Anyway, we plan to sell it if possible when our mortgage contract is up in August 2009.
There are many things about this place that are obnoxious. For one, due to extremely stringent townhouse association rules, we can't grill. Apparently, someone ruined it for all the rest of us by a few years ago almost burning down their whole townhouse block. So now we can only grill on the (crappy) charcoal grills provided out in the community area or by paying lots of money to have a gas line hooked up to our decks so we can buy an expensive gas line grill, because we can't have a propane or charcoal grill. There was a day, a beautiful day in May 2007 when we grilled on our cute little charcoal grill, unknowing of its prohibition. We made bruschetta burgers, in similar fashion to those at Applebees. They tasted good. But not $100 worth of good. Turns out that when nosy neighbor tips the association on to your misdeeds, N.N. gets $50, and you get fined a fat $100. Easy $50 for the association and the nosy neighbor, right? Jerks.
Also, no ball-playing is allowed on the grounds. So yes, when you see the kids having fun, playing football in the common area back yard, you'll get $50 if you turn them in, plus they don't even find out who it is! Honestly, it's an outrage.
Another we found out was when we were puppy-sitting for a friend. It was quite difficult taking the puppy out when i was by myself with a 10-month-old, so i'd chain the puppy's leash to the inside of the slider door and let her out and close the door behind her. She'd do her thing, and i'd let her in. i'd finish feeding David or whatever i was doing, then i'd go out and pick up her "presents". It would sometimes be 1/2 hour or so, or even sometimes it'd wait until the next time she had to go. It was our deck, and there was about a foot of snow on it, so it wasn't affecting anyone, right? Not true. Every time i'd let her out, i'd see our cati-corner neighbor staring at me from her slider door. Once i even saw her looking up at us from where she'd walked out to just outside the underneath of our deck. Apparently, you can't leave your dog's poo, not for a day, not a 1/2 hour, even on your own deck. The one you pay for. Even if it's not public property. She was licking her chops, waiting for the moment to turn us in. We're pretty sure she's the one who turned us in for grilling, instead of coming up and saying to us "Hey, I know you're new around here, just letting you know you can't grill." You know, the neighborly thing to do?!
You can't park outside in the common parking area directly outside your garage between 6AM-6PM any day if it has snowed any more than 2 inches. Oh forgive me. i meant if it's forecasted to snow 2 inches. You are subject to towing, and, oh yes, a $100 fine. And you can't park in the street, either. Since Kris and i have two vehicles, and a one-car garage, when it snows, we have to drive one of our cars to Target, a mile away, because it is the closest parking lot that doesn't monitor the cars there during the day. We still haven't figured out what to do about the parking situation.
So these are little things, actually, to me they are quite major, that would lead me to suggest, if you are in the market and are deciding between a house or a townhouse, to try for a house. Seriously. The outdoor maintenance is not worth it! Plus, they charge you $200/month for it. A fraction of that money would do much better paying some kid to do it, on your own schedule, not causing to leap out of bed, terrified, because it snowed last night and you have to move your car.