last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

we are so on the fence about which direction to go in.

we like the fact that a townhouse is newer, compartmentalized nicely, boasts many amentities ( pool? clubhouse?etc) and zero maintence. and the fact that there arent as many house repairs!! thats a big one!

but does it stack up to having a house?
i really like the idea of having something shiny and new and zero maintanence!

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

rather a house.

I think the market for townhouses can be tough at times. So can the housing market but I have had personal family experience with selling a townhouse and it wasnt easy.

I think a townhouse has a smaller market so it can he harder to unload.

Plus I kinda feel like townhouse/condo living is similar to renting.....I like my own space.

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

we actually considered both. we decided on a house after looking into them
reasons being:
At our price point we got ALOT more house sqft wise then a condo
there weren't that many 3 bedrooms in the areas we were looking in our budget, and the ones that were on the market were not in great shape so we were going to have to make repairs
I didn't like the yard or parking situation

we have a boat and 3 cars. the driveways were small and for all that $ I didn't want to have to park in a parking space or always use the garage for a car. and we would constantly be switching cars around. a huge PIA for me. And the boat, we would have to pay for dock space. we bought a boat that we could trailer to the water to avoid having to dock it

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

It depends on your preferences and how long you plan to stay, how big of a family you would like to have.

I know I sometimes wish we had considered townhouses a bit more, in the summer we're barely in the yard (other than doing yardwork) because it seems there is always some house maintenance we have to do or things we need to buy to maintain the house and yard. And I hate our basement at the moment, so that's no longer a plus for me.

But it's really up to you--I think either could be good, but if you think you have your heart set on a house, you probably will wonder what you missed if you get a townhouse.

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

I would look for a 2 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house.

If I needed 3 bedrooms it would most likely be for kids. Then I would need a backyard. I don't know many people without kids who have 3 bedrooms townhouses. And don't know many people with kids who live in a townhouse, especially one with 3 bedrooms.

Price wise, the house is probably cheaper by square foot vs a townhouse.

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

I prefer a newer townhouse. we are thinking of moving to E. Brunswick NJ (or manalapan) bc they have so many gorgeous town homes. we love our free time, don't want to maintain a home. and I don't want to buy an old rickety home that needs a lot of work.

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

we decided on a 3 bedroom townhouse condo as oppossed to a house... we like the very little maintenance aspect.... but I could def see how we'd want more like having a backyard when we have kids...

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

House - I dont like sharing walls or floors anymore.

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

I live in NJ too and we live in a 3 bedroom, 3 1/2 bath town house. We have a 2 car garage, full finished basement and 3500 square feet. My house is also semi attached and flooded with natural light!
We have a pool and club house that I love because it is how we are able to see our friends all summer and socialize

What town are you looking in? Maybe I can help

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

DH and I looked at houses and townhouses/condos in the same price range. We would have gotten more for our money with a condo/TH (1800 sf+ and 2.5 baths on average vs. 1500 sf and 1.5 baths.)

I see the benefits to houses- but for us- I wish we'd gone with the condo/TH. We hate yardwork and there's always some annoying thing with the house because it's also older than the complexes we looked at.

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

We had to make the same call, and opted for a house. The house we bought is actually a touch smaller than the townhouse we saw.

1) More privacy
2) Bigger yard
3) More parking
4) Better resale value

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

All things being equal I love the sound of low maintance bc DH and I are not into gardening and all that jazz.

I also love that you a pool and other community stuff that YOU don't have to maintain.

If the TH is the same sq living space as the house I would prob go w/the TH.

I am not someone who needs a backyard (well not a big one anyway, I am sure the TH has outdoor area).

The only downside IMO is the shared wall..I like windows on both sides and wouldn't want to hear my neighbor--other than that I would vote TH.

I do see PP's points and I think it really is preference

GOOD LUCK

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

that was our exact decision.

moved into brand new 3 bedroom townhouse in great neighborhood with pool, gym, playground, trails.

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

I lived in a townhouse that was an end unit for many years. I had a small fenced in patio, plus a small backyard.
I was a single Mom at the time & could not have handled all of the upkeep on single family house on my own.
My unit was ranch style & on the end of the building so I only shared one wall & honestly I never heard my neighbors. The unit had a private driveway garage, ample extra parking nearby & a HUGE attic. The community was very small so we had a basic pool & small "clubhouse" and a tennis court. The road was private, had speed bumps & had very little traffic so it was great for kids playing or riding bikes safely.

Six years ago after I got married we bought a single family house because we wanted more private outdoor space for gardening & entertaining & although I would never want to give up my yard now, I really miss the maintenance service you get with a townhouse, perfectly tended lawn & gardens, cleaned gutters, powerwashed exterior and other things I never had to think about because they would just get done.
The one caution I have is the "rules" of townhouse communities. Often they have very specific rules about # of vehicles or even types of vehicles, some don't allow you to personalize the home in anyway on the exterior-for example we all had to have the exact same storm door even though it was really crappy. One of my neighbors liked garden signs & decorations, but someone complained so if she didn't remove then she would get a fine.
Stuff like that can be difficult to deal with. The homeowner's association can change the rules as time goes on, so I suggest getting involved with the association so you are always aware of what they are planning.
Good luck!

Message edited 5/13/2010 7:45:33 AM.

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

we currently live in a 3BR co-op and love it for all the reasons you mentioned a townhouse. When the market rebounds and we sell this place we are definitely buying a townhouse for all the low-maintenance aspects of it. It has all the amenities of a single family home with none of the work. For us, wed rather spend our weekends doing whatever we want as opposed to yard work and fixing up the house. Its really a lifestyle choice.

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

I live in a condo now and I will say that it is not like renting a place at all. We own it, we take care of it and do whatever we want to it. That being said we bought it as our starter because when we have kids we want a house and a yard and the whole nine yards. But for now it's honestly nice only the have to take care of the inside of a house. I guess my answer would be it depends on what stage of your life you're at and whether or not you intend for it to be your final home. We knew going in our place wasn't permanent, it we thought it were going to be we would have gone for a house.

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

Posted by FelAndJon

I live in NJ too and we live in a 3 bedroom, 3 1/2 bath town house. We have a 2 car garage, full finished basement and 3500 square feet. My house is also semi attached and flooded with natural light!
We have a pool and club house that I love because it is how we are able to see our friends all summer and socialize

What town are you looking in? Maybe I can help

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

thank you everyone for your responses!! they were very helpful!!!

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

It really depends on what you want. DH and I bought a 3 bedroom 4 bath townhouse and we love it. Its completely finished and pretty much brand new. Ours actually has more space then most of the houses we were looking at the time.

We have zero responsibility for anything outside our place except our deck and that is just what we needed.
I personally love my townhouse, people usually come in and say how they wish they bought something like we did.

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

i would prefer a house to a townhouse. after apartment living, i was done with sharing walls (and pests of the four++ legged kind) with my neighbors. houses also will often give you a bit more of a yard than a townhouse, so keep that in mind for your family too.

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?

we were looking at single family houses in FL for awhile, made a few offers but we weren't having much luck...my DH wanted to look at condos and tonwhouses - figuring it would be even cheaper and we could get something so we could start our life down there and then sell in a few years and upgrade to a single family home...i fought him on it, but then we saw a listing for a 4 bedroom townhouse in an amazing community - and it had more living square feet than the single family homes we were looking at - and the price was right too...

so after saying how i couldnt wait to move out of NY so i didnt have to end up in a townhouse - i ended up in a townhouse anyway!

it hasn't bothered us yet...we are the middle unit in a set of three so we have limited light and windows and that is really the only downside...being attached hasn't bothered us yet - i'm more worried for our neighbors when *we* have kids

love that the landscaping is done and we have no upkeep, although sometimes i wish i had a yard i'm glad we can spend our free time doing things we enjoy (in FL the grass gross so often in the summer we'd have to mow our backyard more than once a week if we had one!) and we have a beautiful community pool that we enjoy and the beach is close...

in this market the villas we live in have been selling quick...i do worry about if and when we sell, it might not be easy but i'm not going to stress over things i can't predict...


our townhome had everything plus MORE for our money than the single families we looked at - so i am happy with our decision...

Re: last one:would you rather a 3 bedroom townhouse or a 3 bedroom house?