Do Condo Fees Go Up in Aruba?

[SunnyAruba2018]

I am thinking about buying a condo in Aruba....The question I have is...if you have purchased a condo in Aruba, have you seen your condo fees go up and up and up over the years? Also very interested in any feedback on how it has been if you bought in a recent development....how long have your fees stayed the rate when you started - and when it changed. Thanks you SO much for your feedback!

[schexc]

Our development opened in June of 2017. The HOA fees have not changed to date.

[SunnyAruba2018]

Thank you so much for your feedback...and welcome others' thoughts as well to see the "aruba" practice. It's just so hard to learn everything you need to know when looking at an aruba purchase....If there were any other "surprises" that bubbled up that you didnt expect, do also feel free to share those...(ie you didnt expect (insert issue) when buying at a new development)
Have a super day!

[schexc]

We agree, there is a degree of difficulty when looking to purchase. That is why this forum is so great, as there are a number of owners' that can share their experience. Up to this point the only thing that I would say that we didn't expect was how happy we are with our purchase

Thank you so much for your feedback...and welcome others' thoughts as well to see the "aruba" practice. It's just so hard to learn everything you need to know when looking at an aruba purchase....If there were any other "surprises" that bubbled up that you didnt expect, do also feel free to share those...(ie you didnt expect (insert issue) when buying at a new development)
Have a super day!

[JohnMtl]

Up to this point the only thing that I would say that we didn't expect was how happy we are with our purchase

Same here. We were amazed that after spending six months in Aruba we were even more enchanted by the island than when we first arrived. It really surpassed all of our expectations.

[Aruba4ever]

I owned a second property that was a condo years ago. In the 7 or 8 years we owned the property the fees went up about half of those years. Over time they almost have to go up in order to keep up with inflation. Good luck buying in Aruba.

[robin]

We bought a resale at Oceania and make settlement March 2017. Our fees went up one year and down the next. We had a very small special assessment to fund a solar panel project and it was spread over a few years but that was adjusted down because the project came in under cost and is generating more than projected.

Things to think about-everything has to be brought in, so it is more expensive than in the US and you cannot always find what you want on the island. The salt, humid, windy climate causes things in general to not last as long as you would expect them to last. You really need to keep your AC unit on 24/7 or have a dehumidifier to prevent mold/mildew.

[schexc]

Just wanted to add to Robin's post. If you have sheet rock construction, as Robin and Stu have, you do need to keep the A/C on. If you have masonry construction, like we have, the A/C can be turned off. For us, this really reduced our electric bill.

We bought a resale at Oceania and make settlement March 2017. Our fees went up one year and down the next. We had a very small special assessment to fund a solar panel project and it was spread over a few years but that was adjusted down because the project came in under cost and is generating more than projected.

Things to think about-everything has to be brought in, so it is more expensive than in the US and you cannot always find what you want on the island. The salt, humid, windy climate causes things in general to not last as long as you would expect them to last. You really need to keep your AC unit on 24/7 or have a dehumidifier to prevent mold/mildew.

[robin]

We have mostly concrete walls, but the AC still needs to be on. I guess it is because we get so much direct sunlight. Keeping the drapes closed makes a huge difference especially in our electric bill-saves about $100-150 a month . The AC is left on around 80F when we are not there.

Electric and water are expensive in Aruba compared to what we spend in the US.