Two-bedroom condos in Oakville

An eighties suite at Bronte or on Lakeshore Road often runs larger than a new two-bedroom along Dundas, with a separate dining room, a real laundry room and a wide balcony, but it carries a higher fee that may include heat, hydro and water, and the reserve fund is paying for decades of upkeep. A suite finished in the last few years at the Uptown Core or in Glenorchy is tighter, with an open kitchen and a den that the listing may count as a second bedroom if it has a door and a window, so check. Parking and lockers in the newer projects are usually deeded separately and appear on the listing as included or not. Ask what the fee covers in each case before comparing two numbers that measure different things.

Order a status certificate for any suite you take seriously and give it to a lawyer who reads them regularly. In Oakville's older waterfront buildings, the reserve fund study will show what is planned for underground garages, windows, roofs and elevators, and whether the owners face a special assessment. In new buildings, look for the shortfall in the first-year budget that often surfaces after the developer turns the corporation over to the owners, and for any litigation with the builder. Read the rules covering pets, smoking and short-term lets, and confirm whether the parking space is deeded, exclusive-use or assigned. Check the declaration for any restriction on renting the suite if you are buying partly as an investment.