Pros and cons of various housing types - your views please?

[chilaili]

Originally Posted by Tigerlily64

Thank you Dave, appreciated. Only been in the US since February this year so still learning the colloquialisms and how to speak "English" correctly

Don't forget, over here the Ground Floor is the First Floor, First floor is the Second floor, etc, etc ! Took me a while to get used to that.

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by chilaili

Don't forget, over here...

"Garden level" means -1/2. That is, halfway underground.

[Tigerlily64]

Originally Posted by chilaili

Don't forget, over here the Ground Floor is the First Floor, First floor is the Second floor, etc, etc ! Took me a while to get used to that.

Yes! Confused me a lot initially and I still have to think about it first occasionally.

As for "garden level" as Dave mentioned, that is something new to me. In TX I didn't see any houses that had a basement but when I experienced my first tornado warning with a supercell immediately above my house back in May, I wished we had one!

[WiW]

We currently rent a town home and like it. However, we'll move to a SFH when our lease is done.

Town homes tend to have limited width - anywhere from 12 to 20 feet. The narrower ones feel like bowling alleys. Middle units tend to have limited light because they only have windows in front & back. End units are much better. Try to have southern exposure in Denver - you'll get a lot of light all year.

Having someone else take care of the outside maintenance is great. You could have a small back-yard (like ours) or balconies. The weather is beautiful in Denver so having some outdoor space is a great idea.

We are in an end unit & have not had a lot of noise from our neighbor, but obviously, your own experience could be different.

HOA fees are all over the map, but if you are renting, that will be covered.

All the best.

[Tigerlily64]

Thank you WiW, yes looking at some of the floor plans posted for various complexes I see exactly what you mean about the "bowling alley" feel. I would only be interested in an end unit and it seems that the ones above a two car (width rather than tandem) give a better layout for the living areas. Some of the balconies look very tiny too so it is all about shopping around and I am used to a horrendous commute to work here in TX currently, so can put up with similar if need be to find the right location to live. At least with renting, if we don't find that kind of community suits, we can always move I guess!

Once I have a better idea of timing from my company I will schedule some time to come up and scout areas and view some of those resort type communities that offer town homes and loft style condos ( the other non SFH that have caught my eye) and see if a "gut check" helps me figure out whether to go that route or just stick with what I know! Hubby doesn't care so long as there are some nice bars/restaurants around