Houses vs Condos vs Townhouses

Single-Family Houses

Single-Family Houses are the most typical style of property outside of urban areas. The house is an individual, freestanding, unattached structure typically built on a lot larger than the structure itself that results in the yard surrounding the house.  Buyers own the lot the house is built on and are responsible for everything to do with the land itself as well as the interior and exterior of the house.

Owner owns the land the house is built on – Yes

Owner is Typically Responsible for Maintenance & Repair of the following Items: 100% of the lot and House including all interior components like decorating, upgrades, repairs and maintenance of the floor coverings, drywall/ceiling repair, painting, cabinetry and tile work in kitchen and baths, bathroom fixtures, kitchen appliances, all mechanical systems including the air conditioning, furnace, water heater, water softener, sump pump, insulation, light fixtures and electrical wiring and plumbing, telephone wiring, fireplace and all doors, windows, stairway railings etc.

All exterior maintenance and repair including painting, siding and brick, gutters and the chimney roof repairs/replacement, garage doors etc.

All structural and foundation repairs or maintenance

All Landscape and hardscaping items like lawns, sprinkler systems, trees, shrubs, flowers, retaining walls, decks, patios, fences, water features, driveways, sidewalks, drainage issues, snow removal etc.

Typical Association Fees Related to this Property

Association fees with this type of property are typically related to neighborhood or development amenities and do not have to do with the individual home itself. Fees could range from fifty dollars each year to deal with neighborhood entryways at the low end up to several hundred dollars each month based on features like neighborhood pools, clubhouses, tennis courts, lakes, golf courses as well as street or sidewalk repair and snow removal if privately owned

Pros of This Type of Property

Increased privacy and typically less contact with neighbors unless involved in neighborhood functions of your choosing. Greater ability to make aesthetic and other decisions that affect the exterior of your property although many neighborhoods have covenants that owners must follow along with city zoning requirements. Owners are not required to maintain a rainy-day reserve fund to cover the future ongoing repairs and maintenance like painting or replacement of the roof when needed. Owners decide if they want to deal with routine repairs and maintenance like mowing the lawn themselves or hiring a contractor.

Cons of This Type of Property

Typically less contact with neighbors unless involved in neighborhood functions. No mandated reserve fund to pull from when surprise repairs and expenses occur nor to cover planned repairs and maintenance. Expenses like roof repair, painting etc. are greater due to the loss of volume buying power. You must find, negotiate and supervise all contractors dealing with the interior and exterior of the house itself. Real estate taxes and insurance costs are generally higher than for a comparable condominium property.

Neighbors tend to pay less attention to activity occurring with neighbors homes like crime, vandalism etc.

Townhouses / Row Houses

Typical townhouses have more than four units that are attached side-by-side in a row creating the illusion of one larger building. This configuration can also be referred to as a ‘row house’ although not typically. A townhouse has a door directly to the outside. Each Townhouse is a single-family unit that shares a common ‘party wall’ with one or two adjoining, single-family units.  Many townhouses will have a one or two car private attached garage although with many townhouses the private garages are grouped into a separate structure, that’s disconnected from the main structure, where the space between the living space and the garage structure creates a backyard or courtyard area.  Each townhouse, and the garage when not attached, is on an individual lot shares one or more common ‘Party walls’ with adjoining units and garages (when not attached). Typically the landscaping surrounding the front and ends of the townhouses, even though part of each unit’s lot, is maintained by the Homeowners Association. Sometimes the HOA will also maintain the back yards or patios but typically each unit’s owner is responsible for the care and maintenance of their back yard.

Owner owns the land the house is built on – Yes

Owner is Typically Responsible for Maintenance & Repair of the following Items: 100% of the lot and House except for the Party Walls (common walls) including all interior components like decorating, upgrades, repairs and maintenance of the floor coverings, drywall/ceiling repair, painting, cabinetry and tile work in kitchen and baths, bathroom fixtures, kitchen appliances, all mechanical systems including the air conditioning, furnace, water heater, water softener, sump pump, insulation, light fixtures and electrical wiring and plumbing, telephone wiring, fireplace and all doors, windows, stairway railings etc.

All exterior landscape maintenance is almost always included as part of the HOA fees and oftentimes repair/maintenance items including painting, siding and brick, gutters and the chimney roof repairs/replacement, garage doors etc. are also covered as part of the fees although not always.

All structural and foundation repairs or maintenance, driveways, sidewalks & drainage issues are typically the owner’s responsibility.

Typical Association Fees Related to this Property

Association fees with this type of property cover most if not all Landscape and hardscaping items like lawns, sprinkler systems, trees, shrubs, retaining walls,  fences, water features, snow removal etc. along with costs associated with neighborhood or development amenities. None of the fees typically covers unit specific patios or outside spaces, structural items with the individual home itself. Fees could range from fifty dollars each month to deal with neighborhood entryways at the low end up to several hundred dollars each month based on features like neighborhood pools, clubhouses, tennis courts, lakes, golf courses as well as street or sidewalk repair and snow removal if privately owned

Pros of This Type of Property

Increased contact with neighbors. May or may not be required to maintain a rainy-day reserve fund to cover the future house specific ongoing repairs and maintenance like painting or replacement of the roof when needed. Excluding Unit specific outside spaces the Owner typically does not have to deal with routine landscape maintenance like mowing the lawn or shoveling/plowing snow themselves unless they choose to be involved with the Association that hires a contractor. Real estate taxes are generally lower than for a comparable single family house

Neighbors, especially the adjoining neighbors, tend to pay more attention to activity occurring around them which can help reduce crime and vandalism etc.

Cons of This Type of Property

Typically more contact with neighbors. May or may not have a reserve fund to pull from when surprise repairs and expenses occur nor to cover planned repairs and maintenance. Expenses like roof repair, painting etc. could be greater due to a loss of volume buying power if not part of the HOA fees. You must find, negotiate and supervise all contractors dealing with the interior of the house itself and sometimes the exterior too.

Zero-Lot-Line Home

Typical zero lot line homes appear visually to be a single-family detached home. But the actual lot boundaries coincide with the exact exterior perimeter of the structure itself and the yard that surrounds the home is co-owned in common with the rest of the residents of the community or development.

With this style property, there is usually a legal easement that allows the owner of the property to access the home by crossing over common areas in the form of driveways and sidewalks

Owner owns the land the house is built on – Yes

Owner is Typically Responsible for Maintenance & Repair of the following Items: 100% of the lot and House including all interior components like decorating, upgrades, repairs and maintenance of the floor coverings, drywall/ceiling repair, painting, cabinetry and tile work in kitchen and baths, bathroom fixtures, kitchen appliances, all mechanical systems including the air conditioning, furnace, water heater, water softener, sump pump, insulation, light fixtures and electrical wiring and plumbing, telephone wiring, fireplace and all doors, windows, stairway railings etc.

All exterior maintenance and repair including painting, siding, and brick, gutters, the chimney roof repairs/replacement, garage doors etc.

All structural and foundation repairs or maintenance, driveways, sidewalks & drainage issues

Typical Association Fees Related to this Property

Association fees with this type of property cover most if not all Landscape and hardscaping items like lawns, sprinkler systems, trees, shrubs, retaining walls, decks, patios, fences, water features, snow removal etc. along with the costs associated with neighborhood or development amenities. None of the fees typically covers structural items with the individual home itself. Fees could range from fifty dollars each month to deal with neighborhood entryways at the low end up to several hundred dollars each month based on features like neighborhood pools, clubhouses, tennis courts, lakes, golf courses as well as street or sidewalk repair and snow removal if privately owned

Pros of This Type of Property

Increased privacy and typically less contact with neighbors unless involved in neighborhood functions of your choosing. Greater ability to make aesthetic and other decisions that affect the exterior of your property although many neighborhoods have covenants that owners must follow along with city zoning requirements. Owners are not required to maintain a rainy-day reserve fund to cover the future house specific ongoing repairs and maintenance like painting or replacement of the roof when needed. Owner does not have to deal with routine landscape maintenance like mowing the lawn or shoveling/plowing snow themselves unless they choose to be involved with the Association that hires a contractor. Real estate taxes are generally lower than for a comparable single family house

Cons of This Type of Property

Typically less contact with neighbors unless involved in neighborhood functions. No mandated reserve fund to pull from when surprise repairs and expenses occur nor does a fund exist to cover planned repairs and maintenance. Expenses like roof repair, painting etc. are greater due to the loss of volume buying power. You must find, negotiate and supervise all contractors dealing with the exterior and interior of the house itself.

Neighbors tend to pay less attention to activity occurring with neighbor’s homes like crime, vandalism etc.

Duplex, Triplex, Quadraplex

• NOTE: WHEN IT COMES TO CONDOS...  ALL DEVELOPMENTS ARE NOT EQUAL
  

A duplex consists of two adjoining units; a triplex, three units per building; and a quadraplex, four units per building. These units can be one or multiple story units where each unit shares one or more common walls with adjoining units and each sits on its own separate but adjoining lot where each owner typically maintains the landscaping surrounding their individual unit. While the duplex and triplex are generally built side-by-side in a row, the units in a quadraplex are generally constructed back-to-back.

Owner owns the land the house is built on – Yes

Owner is Typically Responsible for Maintenance & Repair of the following Items: 100% of the lot and House except for the Party Walls (common walls) including all interior components like decorating, upgrades, repairs and maintenance of the floor coverings, drywall/ceiling repair, painting, cabinetry and tile work in kitchen and baths, bathroom fixtures, kitchen appliances, all mechanical systems including the air conditioning, furnace, water heater, water softener, sump pump, insulation, light fixtures and electrical wiring and plumbing, telephone wiring, fireplace and all doors, windows, stairway railings etc.

All exterior maintenance and repair including painting, siding and brick, gutters, the chimney, roof repairs/replacement, garage doors etc. along with landscape and hardscaping items like lawns, sprinkler systems, trees, shrubs, retaining walls, decks, patios, fences, water features, snow removal etc. for your 1/2, 1/3rd or 1/4th of the total structure.

All structural and foundation repairs or maintenance, driveways, sidewalks & drainage issues for your 1/2, 1/3rd or 1/4th of the total structure.

Typical Association Fees Related to this Property

Association fees with this type of property cover only any common walls or driveways. Fees could range from nothing up to one hundred dollars each month.

Pros of This Type of Property

Increased contact with neighbors. Depending on if covenants and restrictions exist there could be a greater ability to make aesthetic and other decisions that affect the exterior of your portion of the property although many structures are opting to have covenants that owners must follow along with city zoning requirements. Not typically required to maintain a rainy-day reserve fund to cover the future house specific ongoing repairs and maintenance like painting or replacement of the roof when needed.  Real estate taxes are generally lower than for a comparable single family house

Neighbors tend to pay more attention to activity occurring with neighbors homes like crime, vandalism etc.

Cons of This Type of Property

Typically more contact with neighbors. No mandated reserve fund to pull from when surprise repairs and expenses occur nor to cover planned repairs and maintenance. Expenses like roof repair, painting etc. could be greater due to the loss of volume buying power unless all owners decide to deal with these items at the same time. You must find, negotiate and supervise all contractors dealing with the exterior and interior of the house itself. The owner does have to deal with routine landscape maintenance like mowing the lawn or shoveling/plowing snow themselves unless they choose to find, negotiate with and hire a contractor.

Patio Homes

Locally most of these properties refer to a group of 6 or more residences comprised of groups of ‘paired patio homes’ which are a single-story, single-family unit that share a common wall with another adjoining single-story, single-family unit where each unit sits on its own separate but adjoining lot, although typically the landscaping surrounding the home is maintained by the Homeowners Association.  Depending on the local building market this style of the property could also include 3 or more adjoining dwelling units where some or most units share more than one common wall with adjoining units. This type of property may be called a garden home, garden villa, courtyard home, club home or cottage etc.

Owner owns the land the house is built on – Yes

Owner is Typically Responsible for Maintenance & Repair of the following Items: 100% of the lot and House except for the Party Walls (common walls) including all interior components like decorating, upgrades, repairs and maintenance of the floor coverings, drywall/ceiling repair, painting, cabinetry and tile work in kitchen and baths, bathroom fixtures, kitchen appliances, all mechanical systems including the air conditioning, furnace, water heater, water softener, sump pump, insulation, light fixtures and electrical wiring and plumbing, telephone wiring, fireplace and all doors, windows, stairway railings etc.

All exterior landscape maintenance is almost always included as part of the HOA fees and oftentimes repair/maintenance items including painting, siding and brick, gutters and the, chimney roof repairs/replacement, garage doors etc. are also covered as part of the fees although not always.

All structural and foundation repairs or maintenance, driveways, sidewalks & drainage issues are typically the owner’s responsibility.

Typical Association Fees Related to this Property

Association fees with this type of property cover most if not all Landscape and hardscaping items like lawns, sprinkler systems, trees, shrubs, retaining walls,  fences, water features, snow removal etc. along with costs associated with neighborhood or development amenities. None of the fees typically covers unit specific patios or outside spaces, structural items with the individual home itself. Fees could range from fifty dollars each month to deal with neighborhood entryways at the low end up to several hundred dollars each month based on features like neighborhood pools, clubhouses, tennis courts, lakes, golf courses as well as street or sidewalk repair and snow removal if privately owned

Pros of This Type of Property

Increased contact with neighbors. May or may not be required to maintain a rainy-day reserve fund to cover the future house specific ongoing repairs and maintenance like painting or replacement of the roof when needed. Excluding Unit specific outside spaces the Owner typically does not have to deal with routine landscape maintenance like mowing the lawn or shoveling/plowing snow themselves unless they choose to be involved with the Association that hires a contractor. Real estate taxes are generally lower than for a comparable single family house

Neighbors excluding the adjoining neighbors tend to pay less attention to activity occurring with their neighbor’s homes regarding crime, vandalism etc.

Cons of This Type of Property

Typically more contact with neighbors. May or may not have a reserve fund to pull from when surprise repairs and expenses occur nor to cover planned repairs and maintenance. Expenses like roof repair, painting etc. are greater due to the loss of volume buying power. You must find, negotiate and supervise all contractors dealing with the interior of the house itself.