What you should know about buying a townhouse or living in a townhouse over a condo or single family home. What should you consider when create your own profile for your home buying search. Owning a townhouse in the city or suburbs is a wonderful balance between condo living and a standalone dwelling. A townhouse is considered a fee-simple dwelling just like a single family home but it may still at times have a small monthly or yearly homeowner’s Association fee. A townhouse has one or more homes attached to it. You will share one party wall if it is a semi-detached home or two party walls if it is an interior home. If there is a yard, it may or may not have a fence on the property line. A townhouse community may be set up to have no common area or no Homeowner’s Association which means each unit is 100% independent of the other. This is often the case in all of DC but may be different out in the suburbs. Typically in DC, the only shared space is the party wall also called the firewall that is constructed in between each home. You own your property in most cases to do with as you please from renovations to landscaping to painting and adding rooftop decks as long as it is approved by the zoning office downtown.
WHY BUY A TOWNHOUSE?
- Owning a townhouse is a wonderful way to have independent living while still having a city or urban or main street vibe.
- Full responsibility, control and ownership of your property with only a moderate amount of exterior maintenance and yard work.
- Maintenance up keep in usually limited to just the roof, front and rear façade, foundation and yard which can easily be covered with a service plan or an hour of up keep per week.
- No high condo fees for common areas or for services that you may never use like party rooms, pools, rooftop decks and a front desk staff.
- No condo by laws that govern what size pets you can have or how many pets or when you can rent out your unit and no special assessments to upkeep common areas.
- Normally, a townhouse is built to minimize noise from neighbors and usually no one is above or below you unless you have a rental unit.
WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING A TOWNHOUSE?
- Limited natural light especially if it is an interior unit. This is often helped by what is called a “dog leg” which is when a section of the rear part of the townhouse is cut out like a walkway to allow natural light to reach the bathrooms or dining room or bedrooms. Another thing to consider is which way the house is facing…south-facing homes generally get more natural light throughout the day.
- Your neighbor’s home can have a direct impact on the condition of your home if they do not keep up their maintenance or vice-versa. Although you have no real control over your neighbors living condition, you can always make your concerns know in advance to address an issue before it becomes a major problem. When buying a townhouse, it is important to also visually inspect all other attached townhouses for upkeep.
- Privacy can sometimes be a factor given in most cases the front and rear yards if any… are in plain view and earshot of attached neighbors and those across or behind you home. Keep this in mind if you are a fan of sun-bathing or if you are not a fan of window treatments.
- A key thing to be very mindful of with townhouse is the layout. This is critical for someone who has already acquired lots of furniture that they love and have no desire to get rid of or put into storage. Most townhouses are vertical and the wide is often limited to 14 to 20 feet. This requires serious advance planning before writing a contract as to how your belongings will fit in the new space. Areas that most have trouble with is the dining area, the kitchen layout and the master bedroom. Spend some time thinking about the layout of your furniture and how you like to decorate before make that final offer.
For more information about layout and design and the pros and cons of townhouse living, go to www.BrattonRealty.com or just call John Bratton who has living in a townhouse, condo and single-family home for years and share his personal experiences. He can be reached at 888-8222240.
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