What Do You Think ? (Townhome vs Single Fam Home)

[Ummto4]

So I live in a 2-story 3-bedroom townhome, approx 1500 sq feet. It has a small backyard (around 350 sq feet) and a front porch overlooking a courtyard with a two-car covered carport behind the backyard.

 

I love the complex. It's well-maintained and it's close to amenities.

I'm not crazy about the house floor plan, but the house is so intimate because it's small and my friend said it feels like stepping into an English home. You know .... small and intimate.

 

I have three small kids and sometimes think about bigger house with bigger backyard. We will have enough money saved up the end of 2010 to buy a single family home outright.

 

But now I start to question whether I really want a bigger house. Cons:

- more place to clean up.

- have to tend the inside and outside of the house.Here in our townhome, the HOA looks after the exterior of the house, including porch gate, fence, carport, windows, doors, our trees, roof and siding.

- bigger back and front yard --> more work.

- my kids have to ride their bikes on the road. Right now, they're riding bikes either in front of our home - besides the courtyard (no car access) or at the back of our townhome (car allowed, but only for owners).

 

 

What would you do ? Is big backyard important for your child's growth ? WIll 1500 sq feet too small when my kids grow up (we're talking about 5 adults: me, hubby and 3 kids) ?

 

Thanks

[justamouse]

I'm actually moving from the country to a town center. From 2 acres to .35. It's a paradigm shift for me, but the trade offs-like the library two houses down, theater, cafes, karate, dentist are all within walking distance are worth it. And, I think because my kids are older now, more important. I do plan on having my bees and garden, but as a backyard for the kids? Nope. Although the house has a patio and a pool.

[Sasharowan]

We lived in a townhouse (Navy Housing) when I was in 6th grade. Even though there wasn't much backyard space, it felt much bigger to us. There was a road in the back that was only available to people who lived there and was only busy when parents were going to or coming home from work. so we used is for games, skating, biking, etc. There was also an ampty field nearby that we could use for playing bseball, kickball etc. We were allowed a lot of free roaming since Mom could stick her head out and see us pretty much. We had to ask to go into anyone's house or to leave our circle, but that gave us more freedom and playmates than we had with a bigger backyard in a previous place. The only downfall was the thin walls, you could hear the neighbors fairly easily.

[Ummto4]

We lived in a townhouse (Navy Housing) when I was in 6th grade. Even though there wasn't much backyard space, it felt much bigger to us. There was a road in the back that was only available to people who lived there and was only busy when parents were going to or coming home from work. so we used is for games, skating, biking, etc. There was also an ampty field nearby that we could use for playing bseball, kickball etc. We were allowed a lot of free roaming since Mom could stick her head out and see us pretty much. We had to ask to go into anyone's house or to leave our circle, but that gave us more freedom and playmates than we had with a bigger backyard in a previous place. The only downfall was the thin walls, you could hear the neighbors fairly easily.

 

Yes, Mary, we have that back road too, and the road is only busy in the afternoon/evening. The pedestrian walk in front of our home by the courtyard is also very quiet and my kids ride their bikes there too.

 

And we can walk around our complex (pretty beautiful and big and set up differently from apartment complex) and it's very quiet and full of bird's chirping noise. It's very calming indeed.

 

On spring I often have read aloud session or homeschool session at our tiny backyard under the tree .. It's very quiet (except for the bird) it feels heavenly.

 

I'm still guilty about bigger house and bigger backyard though as I always think it's a sign of family living, KWIM ? And townhome is only meant for starters. All our friends have single family homes. We didn't want mortgage, so we bought cheaper townhome first. Turns out we like the complex and the small home ....:). But still thinking about single family home ....

[*********]

If you are happy where you are then why move? If you wake up one day and decide it isn't working anymore, then revisit the idea.

 

I'm with Wendy.

 

Dh and I bought our first home almost five years ago. We got a huge back yard, and a good size front and side yard. We also got more maintenance/up keep than we can keep up with most times.

 

Owning your own home is so much different than renting/living in a condo. We really didn't know what we were getting ourselves into, and ever since about two days after moving in, we wish we would have either stayed renters, bought a condo, or bought a MUCH smaller single family home.

 

Now we can't WAIT until dsd graduates/goes to college, and we can try to sell our home and move somewhere with less up-keep.

 

I know we're very different from other folks in this regard, but that's ok with us. Between ministry, dh's full time job, and homeschooling, we'd just rather spend our 'free' time on other things besides home maintenence/improvements/upgrades and yard work. Oh, the yard work... :tongue_smilie:

 

Everyone's situations are different. If there's one thing dh and I have learned for sure, it's to make sure that big decisions we make for *our family are what's best for *our family. We wish we hadn't listened to everyone else's advice of 'Oh, you just HAVE to buy a home, it's a waste of money to rent, blah blah blah'. You have to decide what's right for YOU and YOUR family.

 

Best of luck whatever you decide. :)

[ChristusG]

We've been thinking about moving here lately.

 

I either want to move into an average sized house in the country with several acres. Or I'd like to move into a townhouse. There are pros and cons to both. DH doesnt want the house in the country or the townhouse. :glare:

 

He seems to think of a townhouse as a "step down." But I don't!! I mean, you get all the amenities right there at you and you do not even have to take care of them (we have a pool right now that's a pain to care for). There's probably plenty of kids to play with. Someone else does your lawn (which hubby is awful at....our yard looks terrible). Everything seems great!

 

My only concern would be thin walls. Do all complexes have thin, hotel-like walls? That was actually the first thing that DH mentioned when I said something about a townhome.

[Ummto4]

I'm with Wendy.

 

Dh and I bought our first home almost five years ago. We got a huge back yard, and a good size front and side yard. We also got more maintenance/up keep than we can keep up with most times.

 

Owning your own home is so much different than renting/living in a condo. We really didn't know what we were getting ourselves into, and ever since about two days after moving in, we wish we would have either stayed renters, bought a condo, or bought a MUCH smaller single family home.

 

Now we can't WAIT until dsd graduates/goes to college, and we can try to sell our home and move somewhere with less up-keep.

 

I know we're very different from other folks in this regard, but that's ok with us. Between ministry, dh's full time job, and homeschooling, we'd just rather spend our 'free' time on other things besides home maintenence/improvements/upgrades and yard work. Oh, the yard work... :tongue_smilie:

 

Everyone's situations are different. If there's one thing dh and I have learned for sure, it's to make sure that big decisions we make for *our family are what's best for *our family. We wish we hadn't listened to everyone else's advice of 'Oh, you just HAVE to buy a home, it's a waste of money to rent, blah blah blah'. You have to decide what's right for YOU and YOUR family.

 

Best of luck whatever you decide. :)

 

Hi Bethany,

 

We own our townhome -it's pretty cheap, and we owned it outright. Between property tax and HOA maintenance fee, we pay prorate $300/month. I like it because that way, our lifestyle is pretty cheap - we can live with less than $1000/month. The maintenance of our property is also not bad.

 

With bigger house/yard, I'm concerned about maintenance too. NOt to mention if I bought a house in a good neighborhood, then the HOA will be very strict (grass tall, paint, etc).

 

AS it is, my tiny backyard's maintenance is pretty much neglected and we decide to pave it with stones rather than grass to decrease the maintenance. Between HS-ing, volunteering and my dh's work, we're worried about maintenance of a bigger home/backyard.

 

Still, that single family home is still playing on my mind....:). I guess it's because it's the culture, right ?

[elegantlion]

I can see both sides. My family likes their space. We live in a neighborhood but have 3 acres. Unfortunately I developed allergies to everything in the yard so dh does most of the yard work. We also can't walk to anything from here. It's nice to have big yard for the dog and ds to run, but that could be done in a city park, kwim.

 

My dh is ready to move further out in the country and I'm wanting to be closer so we can walk to shops or a library or even a park with tennis courts would be nice.

 

With a house it can easily become a black hole just for lawn care. You need a lawn mower, then you need a shed for the lawn mower, then you want to landscape so you don't have to mow in certain spots, then you have to get a weed eater, then weed killer, then fertilizer. etc, etc. It can snowball very easily. Where I can see without lawn care it's easy to pass up all those temptations.

 

If the townhouse living isn't bothering you, I'd stay put until you feel the need for change.

[Chris in VA]

How are the neighbors? Around here, it's difficult to find a good townhouse community--most (truly) are riddled with drug dealers (well-dressed, you wouldn't guess they were, kind of drug dealers). The public schools fight over boundaries so they don't have to include the "apartment kids" or the "condo kids." It's hard to believe, because it's nothing like a lower income place at all. We're talking 300-400 thousand for these dwellings--

 

If your experience is positive, and it sounds like it is, I'd say stay. Use your money for college, for travel, etc. You have a great life as it is. Keep it!

[*********]

Still, that single family home is still playing on my mind....:). I guess it's because it's the culture, right ?

 

You know, in my opinion, you are absolutely correct. Whenever my dh and I are finally able to sell our home and downsize, I'm sure we'll never hear the end of 'why did you buy a condo/rent a townhome? You're not investing, you're throwing your money away each month', and on and on. All of his parents and my parents won't 'get' that it's the best decision for OUR family at this particular season in our life.

 

However, if buying a single family home is what is right for you, or another family, I think that's great! I have nothing against owning a home. It's just the whole pressure to conform to the 'owning your own single family home must be everyone's goal and dream' thing that gets to me, and I just wanted to encourage you to make whatever is the best decision for your family.

 

For dh and I, we were just 27 and 28 years old when we bought our home. We had (and still do, in many ways) lots of 'growing up' to do. We didn't really quite have the hang of how to tell people 'this is *our life, and we'll make the decisions for ourselves, thankyouverymuch.' Funny how far we've come in that regard in the past five years. :tongue_smilie:

 

Blessings to you whatever you and your dh decide. :)

[Chris in VA]

Y'know, Beth brings up a good point--there IS the investment angle.

[Denisemomof4]

it sounds to me like you don't want the extra work a single home would require. Does your dh feel the same way? Are you guys comfortable with living in such proximity to all your neighbors?

 

I'd do a Pro and Con list of staying where you are and also one for buying a home. If space isn't as important to your family, and you really don't want the extra work a home would require, why move? Also consider 1500 sf with 3 teenagers.

 

I love all my space and huge yard. I want to stay here until I die. It's our haven. BUT, it's a LOT of work. A LOT, A TON, A TREMENDOUS amount of work. I love to work outside, as does dh, but have the memory fresh in my mind when my grandparents, and then MIL and parents, lost their ability to take care of their house/yard. I'm planning to simplify gardens this year because of this, but still - TON of work. Of course we don't have the typical home with a smaller lot in a development. We have a large home and a large barn. It's a TON of work to stain everything. Farm aside, I do worry if we're going to be able to manage this property on our own when we're older. If we're lucky, maybe we'll get a little help from our kids - who want this property to always stay in the family. siiiiiigh. I guess I just need to focus on how happy I am now, and how lucky I am to be able to do this TREMENDOUS amount of work. It's SO MUCH WORK. Work we love, but WORK.

 

Do you get my drift? ;)

[G5052]

How are the neighbors? Around here, it's difficult to find a good townhouse community--most (truly) are riddled with drug dealers (well-dressed, you wouldn't guess they were, kind of drug dealers). The public schools fight over boundaries so they don't have to include the "apartment kids" or the "condo kids." It's hard to believe, because it's nothing like a lower income place at all. We're talking 300-400 thousand for these dwellings--

 

If your experience is positive, and it sounds like it is, I'd say stay. Use your money for college, for travel, etc. You have a great life as it is. Keep it!

 

We have friends who bought a townhouse six years ago against our advice, and the crime is so bad that any landscaping they put out is stolen and the wife is afraid of going out alone at night. They put a police sub-station in the development recently and increased the patrols. These places go for several hundred thousand dollars each. It was fine for the first few years and then started really tanking several years ago.

[MelanieM]

If the only reason you want this other house is because you think people expect you to "move up", then goodness, don't do it!! Those other people won't need to live there -- you will. You'll be giving up all those things you love for appearance. Is that really worth it?

 

Not to say there wouldn't be some benefit to the other scenario; there's good in any situation. But it sounds like where you are now is a good fit for your lifestyle. I'd stay put and look at it again if/when your needs and desires change.

[Impish]

We rent a townhouse, and are praying to move to a house on an acreage. I loathe sharing walls with neighbours on each side, Diva has had 3 (I think 4, actually) bikes stolen, some jerk even stole Princess' TRICYCLE...the list goes on. We can't do anything to our yard without permission from the Board (our landlords allow us free reign, but EVERYONE has to have permission, own/rent, no matter), you can't have outside (window) air conditioners...yes, we don't have to mow any lawn (only cause our postage stamp size backyard is interlocking brick...otherwise you DO have to mow regularly, or be threatened with fines from the Board)....the list goes on.

 

I want our own place that NOBODY can tell us how many pets we can have, etc. I think its insane to OWN a property, yet be told yes and no from a Board!

 

And we're in a good neighbourhood, btw. Park across the way, rec centre, 4 schools within walking distance (more maybe, I haven't sat and counted all of them).

 

As someone else mentioned, there is the investment factor. A detached home will be worth more than a townhouse. There's a lot you can do to a detached home (renos) that aren't hugely $$, but put your value up quickly.

 

There are upsides to a townhouse too though. Roof repair/replacement is covered, etc.

 

I still can't wait for an acreage and privacy though!

[Samiam]

We live in a gated town house community and we don't have those types of problems, with crime etc. Now do we have the typical teenage problems, occasional damage here and there to community property, but I think that is just the teenagers who's parents are not watching them very well....that could happen in any community.

 

The only problem is that we do tend to get alot of people moving in and moving out...renters....which is NOT a problem in itself, we are renters, but we treat the property and community like it's ours, and respect it as it's our "home"....while others tend to not be so caring. About half of our community, which is about 100 units is rented, the other owned. But this is typical in Florida, where we get the out-of-state investors buying to rent out their investment. Now, also typical in Fl, sadly, about 1/3 of the properties in our community are being foreclosed on.

 

We don't have noise issues. I never hear my neighbors.

I love the no-yard work...as my DH is not motivated to take care of the yard...that was a "issue" between us when we lived in SC.

On the other hand, we are ready for a fenced in yard that is actually "ours", not a shared space that we have no rights to. Hopefully DH will be more into yard work when that happens :).

 

Overall, our townhome experience has been great. We are just ready for more indoor space, although we are at 1800 sq ft, it's all in the bedrooms, and the actual living space is becoming a bit tight as my children grow taller than me :).

[Ummto4]

We rent a townhouse, and are praying to move to a house on an acreage.

 

You don't have to do a yard work, right, if you're in acreage ? :lol::lol::lol:

 

Maintenance work (incl yard work), in a good family-friendly neighborhood, is what I despise. My hubby despises yard work and almost never does that. I did all the planting and maintenance of our tiny backyard. But he wants a single family home because of the size.

 

I know that although you technically own your townhome, in reality, you still have to inform the HOA if you want to add something to the outside building, like garage, or even awning.

 

But, thinking of going from townhome to a more family-friendly neighborhood just brings worry of unending maintenance. IT's not like you have freedom there, right ? Some HOA of those good neighborhood subdivision micromanage the appearance of your home.

 

The other option is to live in non-subdivision with no HOA, but usually that kind of neighborhood is not like the suburban subdivision, KWIM ?

 

Our units cost around high 60Ks to lower 80Ks and our neighbors reflect that: lots of retirees and single moms with kids. We are not low income but bought that townhome because that's all we had in cash (we don't want mortgage) and we're tired of living in apartment with all the noise.

 

We don't have noise problems here and somehow we're not bothered with our neighbors. I don't know if there's a drug problem here, but it might just be me who's oblivious. We never walk at night though.

 

I'm more confused than ever now.

[eaglei]

Wow - I'm surprised at how many people said staying in the townhouse is preferable! I do agree, however, that the decision you make should be the one that is best for YOUR family.

 

Dh and I lived in apartments and townhouses for many years. Each was a nice experience in different ways. We really wanted a house of our own, though. When we finally bought a house, we bought a smaller home in a smaller, quiet neighborhood with a manageable yard that has plenty of nature around it but is convenient to necessities.

 

There have been many positive things for us, not the least of which is the freedom to do what we want. The house we bought was not a fixer-upper in the tumbling down sense of the word, but it definitely needed a little bit of work, although it was in live-in condition, and there were also some things we just wanted to change. This was a plus for us as we saw it as a way to teach practical everyday skills. Book learning is very important but hands-on learning/doing of real life necessary work is also.

 

As someone else posted, having your own home and yard to maintain requires work - but you can, to some extent, choose the amount of work, as in you don't have to get a large home with a large yard, for example. And as another poster said, I definitely do not miss the thin walls of apartments and townhouses!

 

Is it a relief to have a problem that someone else is responsible for fixing? You bet! But being able to fix it yourself while teaching dc how to do it is rewarding because you are broadening your children's life skills. Of course, when it is a big expensive thing and something beyond your ability, well ...

 

I don't recall what these neighborhoods are called, but we have acquaintances who live in a single-family house in a neighborhood where there are stringent requirements concerning upkeep of the landscape, including your own yard. To that end, the residents do not do the yard work - they pay a monthly fee for this year-round outdoors upkeep, which *may* also include repairs that *may be needed* to the dwelling itself. So they have, in their opinion, the best of both worlds - their own home with no outdoor work required of them.

 

There are definitely pros and cons to each living situation, so the bottom line I think comes down to what YOU want, what is best for YOUR family, what works for YOUR family.

 

I pray peace for you and your family as you make this decision.:)

[Impish]

You don't have to do a yard work, right, if you're in acreage ? :lol::lol::lol:

 

Maintenance work (incl yard work), in a good family-friendly neighborhood, is what I despise. My hubby despises yard work and almost never does that. I did all the planting and maintenance of our tiny backyard. But he wants a single family home because of the size.

 

I know that although you technically own your townhome, in reality, you still have to inform the HOA if you want to add something to the outside building, like garage, or even awning.

 

But, thinking of going from townhome to a more family-friendly neighborhood just brings worry of unending maintenance. IT's not like you have freedom there, right ? Some HOA of those good neighborhood subdivision micromanage the appearance of your home.

 

The other option is to live in non-subdivision with no HOA, but usually that kind of neighborhood is not like the suburban subdivision, KWIM ?

 

Our units cost around high 60Ks to lower 80Ks and our neighbors reflect that: lots of retirees and single moms with kids. We are not low income but bought that townhome because that's all we had in cash (we don't want mortgage) and we're tired of living in apartment with all the noise.

 

We don't have noise problems here and somehow we're not bothered with our neighbors. I don't know if there's a drug problem here, but it might just be me who's oblivious. We never walk at night though.

 

I'm more confused than ever now.

My dh is in landscaping (switched from sales/marketing) so yard work is no biggie for him. One of the things he's looking forward to with an acreage is to be able to landscape whatever, however he likes.

 

I wish you all the best in making your decision, and will pray that you find clarity and guidance. :grouphug:

[eaglei]

You don't have to do a yard work, right, if you're in acreage ? :lol::lol::lol:

 

Maintenance work (incl yard work), in a good family-friendly neighborhood, is what I despise. My hubby despises yard work and almost never does that. I did all the planting and maintenance of our tiny backyard. But he wants a single family home because of the size.

 

I know that although you technically own your townhome, in reality, you still have to inform the HOA if you want to add something to the outside building, like garage, or even awning.

 

But, thinking of going from townhome to a more family-friendly neighborhood just brings worry of unending maintenance. IT's not like you have freedom there, right ? Some HOA of those good neighborhood subdivision micromanage the appearance of your home.

 

The other option is to live in non-subdivision with no HOA, but usually that kind of neighborhood is not like the suburban subdivision, KWIM ?

 

Our units cost around high 60Ks to lower 80Ks and our neighbors reflect that: lots of retirees and single moms with kids. We are not low income but bought that townhome because that's all we had in cash (we don't want mortgage) and we're tired of living in apartment with all the noise.

 

We don't have noise problems here and somehow we're not bothered with our neighbors. I don't know if there's a drug problem here, but it might just be me who's oblivious. We never walk at night though.

 

I'm more confused than ever now.

 

You must have been posting the same time I was! From your statement that you do.not.like yard work, I'd say either find a house with a tiny postage-stamp yard and hire someone to cut the grass, or don't move!

 

We actually knew a couple who had a yard that was so tiny, you wondered "why bother"?! It took very little time with a PUSH mower (yep, the old-fashioned kind) to cut the grass and there were no flowers, bushes, etc., to maintain. I know this for a fact because they were a middle-aged working couple whose kids were grown and it was my dh who cut the grass for them.

 

You said your dh wants a single family home for the size. IF you both decide to go this route, I'd say take your time looking. There are enough houses out there that surely you can find one you agree on - very small low maintenance yard, bigger house without being so big that maintaining it takes oodles of time, and close enough to whatever amenities you would like to not have to travel far to get to. Patience may be the key to finding the *perfect* setting, but it can be found!

 

Also, letting go of the whole thing may be a help . . . dh and I wanted a house of our own so badly we could almost taste it. After a very long time of looking and being disappointed, we decided one year that we just simply were done - no more looking - we would rent or live in the townhouse till we died - but no.more.looking for a house. Long-story-short --- a house basically *came* to us! We threw the ad away! But in the end, we went and looked at it and it was just what we wanted. In some way, quitting the search/letting it go/taking that pressure off of ourselves --- opened up the way for us . . .

 

Again, I pray peace in your decision - and contentment. :)

[Starr]

I want the town house! If you move to a house you will spend much of your free time keeping the house and property together. You get used to whatever square footage you have. Yes kids love a yard but I grew up in apartments and spent plenty of time outside. I would think about how you want to use your time.