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Hi All,
I live in one side of a duplex, our insurance considers it a townhome. There is no Condo Association. So far we have no neighbors, when we do I'm sure well have to chat about things like roof and driveway maintenance.
We would have loved a single family home, but we know our budget, and had to stay in it. Our current home is about $60,000 - $100,000 cheaper than the same square foot, similarly maintained single family home in the school system we wanted. Inside the home, it feels no different than a single family home, it was well planned out. The side with no window has things like closets, and the washer dryer hookups, you never even notice the lack of windows. We got a great price on the house, the seller brought $80,000 in cash to closing as she wanted to move to Boston for work. We do have confidnece that when the "perfect" home comes along, we shouldn't have too much difficulty in selling our current side of the duplex.
I really do love the duplex we are living in for now!
I am not sure I did the right thing - one home went for 148K and there was a bidding war - it was a true sfh with spectacular views but in need of remodeling and had water/roof/leak issues and some wood issues.... This was the top of my budget and I couldn't fathom all the expense of fixing it with a broke bank... However whomever wins that house will have a real beauty once she's fixed up - breathtaking.
So I got lured by a twin side for 90K. Quite a savings. The other neighbor I've yet to meet as they just closed 2 weeks ago. Built in 1995 I'm guessing it's the original roof, siding and driveway -- meaning needed repairs and replacement might come up in the home inspection --- and that's where I get nervous.
Like what if my neighbor broke the bank just to get his/her side and has no funds to replace the roof? And say it needs replacing badly? What if I got sickly and needed money for medical issues and siding or driveway helps were the last thing I needed my money to go to even if it did need to be done?
When do you say something? Or do you not say something? It's 2 BR - on the other side of the house - not the shared wall side......2 BA - again away from the shared wall. The shared wall would be the kitchen wall and living room wall. And the garage wall. The yard has a wall down the middle of it -- who owns that wall and is responsible for it's upkeep? I don't even know!
How would I find out about 'permits' and rules for these types of dwellings? My realtor has one - but owns both sides - he rents the other unit out for income.
I will be using a professional pest service as I despise the idea of scorpions - but how good is that if my neighbor doesn't seal his home? There's an attic in the garage - I wonder if it's divided up there or not...
I'm definitely getting nervous about my decision - I love the backyard though as it backs to a wash - is quite large and has natural desert landscaping -- not much upkeep required. The front yard doesn't need much work either -
Initially I liked the idea of living in a subdivision like all SFH - but without the huge expense. It's a rather ritzy area all and all - in fact my neighbor next door (not the shared wall) - that building is only 2 years old and is a huge twin home -- they seem to be quite popular for builders as much of the sub has these in it - but I never even knew or noticed ....
To do this - or not do this - I guess I'd like more information.... Who is my mystery neighbor? How do we discuss paint colors, roofing 'time', etc.... And what do you do with a shared driveway if your neighbor is rude and say takes your half of the driveway or parks partly in your side so as to make it hard for you to get into your garage?
Some of your concerns -- scorpions, for instance -- would be no worse in a semi-detached vs. a detached home. And your firewall should extend through the roof, and above the chimney height.
Your attached neighbor's roof and siding are not your concern.
The wall and especially the shared driveway would be my real concern. Check your deed -- and the HOA if there is one -- to make sure that maintenance, etc., is spelled out. Even if it is, your neighbor could still be a PITA.
The appeal to a duplex is: price, plus the appeal of a single-family home lifestyle (well almost), at a lower cost of living. Oh yea, did I mention price?
You cannot force your neighbor to even agree to a compatible choice of color in siding or roof. You do your thing, s/he does whatever they heck they want. You own 1/2 of a building, a semi-detached (actually semi-ATtached) single family home. I drove by a house just last week where one side had yellow/mustard siding and the other was - very different - and much older - it was a very icky greenish. It was clear that one side had been replaced long before the other. The style of siding was quite different - one was very skinny and the other wide.
I own one of these as a rental. And thinking about purchasing the other side in the future. I like it more as a rental than as a owner occupied property type. Mine is titled as a condo, and has some common elements, yet has no association fees. That aspect is most troubling for me, as a association co owner.
At times we have different ideas about what should be done upkeep wise. I have a genuine fondness for the family that owns the other unit and that helps a great deal. I pull an 11% ROI, in my area that is very high for a rental condo, townhouse, or single family. And tenants with fair shot at keeping several years. Biggest gripe about the property is the uncertainty of value. No comps like it in zip code, so an appraiser would basically be making $hit up to arrive at a value. I had a RE agent do a CMA, worth every cent I paid for it.
In my 113 home HOA, 41 homes are duplexes (84 owners, the earlier units) and 29 (29 owners, the later units) are singles. Our builder switched Phase 2 (2009) to single homes only as duplex sales were slowing.
In our duplexes each garage is side by side with the driveways separated by a narrow landscape strip. Each home entrance is set back from the garage door and also there is an entrance to the house front hall from the garage. There is a common wall from the garage back through the middle of the unit. This wall is double wide, cinder block wall with insulation between each cinder block wall.
I have lived in side by side townhomes with similar construction and rarely if ever, have I heard noise from next door.
If the duplex is part of an HOA then nothing out of the ordinary can be done by either party. As far as the roof, the association would more then likely not allow only one half to be replaced. They would require total replacement. This is the main reason our HOA is responsible for roof replacement on all homes. This was originally done to prevent "problems" with "duplex" ownership. The builder considered modifying this requirement when starting Phase 2 but there were other parts of the docs about equal assessments, etc. so the builder let them stand.
Appeal:
1. Less outdoor maintenance with a smaller yard.
2. Less exterior maintenance with only 3 walls.
3. Lower heating/cooling costs.
4. Live in a highly desirable "happening" neighborhood.
5. Get a modern design house.
6. Party Wall Agreement (e.g., http://www.3968vrain.com/English/Col..._Agreement.pdf) helps ensure roof maintenance and consistency of appearance. And, because our neighbor is a real-estate lawyer: no chickens.
In our neighborhood, duplex sides cost more on a sqft basis that 4-wall single family homes. Less overall as the SFHs are larger.
At $650+K per unit, price is not a motivating factor.
I'm in a new construction half of a paired home/duplex. We have a party wall and a shared roof - so yes, if the roof needs replaced, it could be a problem if the owner of the other half doesn't want to or can't afford to. But since this was brand new construction, it should not be a concern for a long time to come, and I feel confident that things can be worked out. These paired homes are quite common in my neighborhood and they have been working well for a decade now. We are part of a master community association for the large (redeveloped airport) area, but not part of a smaller sub association, so we have individual responsibility for the building and grounds.
As for the appeal, it got me into a new construction home that is the perfect size for my single parent/single kid family, in the neighborhood I wanted to be in. I have a small amount of outdoor space, enough to enjoy but not too large to maintain on my own.
I could have possibly found a SFH in my desired neighborhood, but at the price I wanted to stay at, they are rare and would be a lot smaller than what I got. That definitely was not a tradeoff I wanted to make for whatever benefits there are to a single family vs. a semi-detached. Love my house, love where I live, happy to not have a larger mortgage for the same amount of space in the same location.
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I just bid on one side of a Twin home
