Living In A Townhome Long Term

[RED_RAIN]

I'm thinking about the future.

I'm not really into having a lawn and having to take care of it.

I've seen some really nice Townhomes. From what I understand, you can own it like a house.

For those who have done it, comments?
For those who have done the Townhome and house, comments?
For those who have done apartment and Townhome, comments?

I'm also trying to think about how it would affect children growing up (no backyard to play in, etc).

[benfranklin]

First thing to do is compare all of the costs of the options. Compared to an apartment, you are going to get a lot more for your money in a townhouse, because the interest and taxes are deductable, and you are building equity. A townhouse is going to have a monthly association fee, could be $100-150, depending on the place. But that does include lawn, snow removal, outside building maintenance and painting, and structure insurance. Heating and A/C bills are generally going to be significantly less in a townhouse than in a house, especially if they are well built.

On the non-economic side, it is a matter of personal tastes, but I think a house has it all over a townhouse. For one thing, homeowners associations are a major pain in the butt. There is a probability of 1.00 that at least half the people on any association board will be anal retentive or otherwise mentally unbalanced.

Depending on the design of the development and of the units, a townhouse can be as bad as an apartment as far as lack of privacy, parking problems, and noise. I place a high value on not hearing my neighbors and not having to worry about cranking up the subwoofer.

So it's a personal decision, based on economics and what is important to you.

[vulturesrow]

Red,

I live in a townhouse, however I am just renting. But I can address a few questions. I have three rugrats, and as you pointed out, we dont have much in the way of a yard. In the back we have a big concrete slab and we put a sandbox and a playhouse out there. They like writing on the slab with sidewalk chalk. Our development has a playground and a good sized pool which helps a lot.

Being in the military, Ive lived in lot of different dwellings. The construction in townhomes tends to be shoddier than a house. A lot of that has to do with ever growing amount of buildings codes that have to be met, which forces the developer to cut costs where they can and still be able to churn those puppies out. It could be an isssue if you buy a townhouse. We were the first family to live in this particular townhouse and we have had a string of problems. The most recent is the linoleum in the kitchen is molding. The developer thinks water is getting underneath it through cracks in the foundation. Hope this helps.

[Ray Zee]

lawns do just fine with cutting once in awhile and watering only during a drought. a house is the way to go for investment as well as pride.

[daryn]

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as well as pride.


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