Townhome vs house (Greensboro: for sale, apartment, rental)
Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High PointThe Triad Area
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So we've been here in Greensboro for almost 4 years now already Time does fly by !
We are now looking to buy our first home
I just wanted to hear from people here what is your thoughts on townhome vs house. I know everyone's needs are different, but just wanted thoughts (from non family and friends who are pulling us both directions) and what do YOU look at before buying a home.
Originally and ideally, we wanted a house. Mainly because we have two large dogs. However, with our budget , we haven't been able to find anything yet. So we're also considering townhome. We've narrowed down areas already according to both our jobs and daily commute as well as what we do in our free time.
Pros in townhome: HOA takes care of a good amount of things we won't have to worry about. No septic tank, no front and back yard to have to keep up with. Lower costs in utilities
Cons of townhome: very close neighbors hence possible noises issues from both parties , no backyard and sometimes no garage, HOA can sometimes be strict? And possible breed and size restriction for dogs
Pros of a house: privacy, yard, garage
Cons of a house: a lot of maintenance to deal with and a house is a lot to keep up with. Higher cost in utilities
Anything you guys want to add and share with us would be great. We're trying to make the right decision and I'm scared to regret our choice later on
Thank you !
We looked at 55+ places and even though they were detached homes they were very close together, had strict HOA rules about what you could do with your property so that they could cut the grass unencumbered, had fines if you didn't weed your tiny flower patch by your door. Just couldn't deal with all that. Seems like a townhome could be worse with neighbors on the other sides of your walls, limited space for the dogs. Seems like it would be an apartment with a mortgage. If you like apartment living and want to gain equity and not have much property maintenance to worry about, it could be OK. Otherwise, no.
We also looked at semi attached houses when we bought our first house and decided against it for the same reasons.
We are in our second home now for 11 years, our retirement home, a 1250 sq. foot 3BR/2BA ranch on a 100'x150' fenced lot with woods behind us. We were in our first house for 22 years, a 1250 sq. foot 2 story 3BR/1BA colonial (we added a second bathroom and finished the basement 9 years later) on a 40'x85' plot and we raised three kids, two dogs and a cat there. No HOA fees.
The only additional maintenance I can think of with a home rather than a townhouse would be yard work, mowing, trimming, clearing leaves and snow and gutters. For anything else you would probably wind up paying someone to do the work or do it yourself in either case.
For both of our houses we made sure to get city water, sewers and natural gas cooking and heating. In our first house we had window AC units. For this house we have central heating and A/C.
I'm not sure how much you would save in utilities in a townhome. Same number of rooms to heat and cool, same amount of laundry and showers and dish washing. And you still pay for water to maintain the townhouse lawns and lawn service as part of the HOA fees.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lucie0304
Hi everyone
So we've been here in Greensboro for almost 4 years now already Time does fly by !
We are now looking to buy our first home
I just wanted to hear from people here what is your thoughts on townhome vs house. I know everyone's needs are different, but just wanted thoughts (from non family and friends who are pulling us both directions) and what do YOU look at before buying a home.
Originally and ideally, we wanted a house. Mainly because we have two large dogs. However, with our budget , we haven't been able to find anything yet. So we're also considering townhome. We've narrowed down areas already according to both our jobs and daily commute as well as what we do in our free time.
Pros in townhome: HOA takes care of a good amount of things we won't have to worry about. No septic tank, no front and back yard to have to keep up with. Lower costs in utilities
Cons of townhome: very close neighbors hence possible noises issues from both parties , no backyard and sometimes no garage, HOA can sometimes be strict? And possible breed and size restriction for dogs
Pros of a house: privacy, yard, garage
Cons of a house: a lot of maintenance to deal with and a house is a lot to keep up with. Higher cost in utilities
Anything you guys want to add and share with us would be great. We're trying to make the right decision and I'm scared to regret our choice later on
Thank you !
So we've been here in Greensboro for almost 4 years now already Time does fly by !
We are now looking to buy our first home
I just wanted to hear from people here what is your thoughts on townhome vs house. I know everyone's needs are different, but just wanted thoughts (from non family and friends who are pulling us both directions) and what do YOU look at before buying a home.
Originally and ideally, we wanted a house. Mainly because we have two large dogs. However, with our budget , we haven't been able to find anything yet. So we're also considering townhome. We've narrowed down areas already according to both our jobs and daily commute as well as what we do in our free time.
Pros in townhome: HOA takes care of a good amount of things we won't have to worry about. No septic tank, no front and back yard to have to keep up with. Lower costs in utilities
Cons of townhome: very close neighbors hence possible noises issues from both parties , no backyard and sometimes no garage, HOA can sometimes be strict? And possible breed and size restriction for dogs
Pros of a house: privacy, yard, garage
Cons of a house: a lot of maintenance to deal with and a house is a lot to keep up with. Higher cost in utilities
Anything you guys want to add and share with us would be great. We're trying to make the right decision and I'm scared to regret our choice later on
Thank you !
SFH would be alot better for your large dogs. If you leave them alone, do they bark? You would have to make sure the townhouse would even take them. Would you be an enemy of your neighbors, right off the bat.
Do you have the time, to walk these large dogs? At least in their own fenced in yard, they could run and play, by them selves. It would be heartbreaking too find out, the dogs were not working out there.
SFH would be alot better for your large dogs. If you leave them alone, do they bark? You would have to make sure the townhouse would even take them. Would you be an enemy of your neighbors, right off the bat.
Do you have the time, to walk these large dogs? At least in their own fenced in yard, they could run and play, by them selves. It would be heartbreaking too find out, the dogs were not working out there.
No barking thank God occasional singing they're malamutes but nothing I would call nuisance.
We do have the time or we make the time for them. We regularly take them on hikes and long walks unless it's summer time. We lived in apartment before NC so we're familiar with walks But a fenced yard has been a big plus in our rental here for sure. They do love playing, running and hanging out in the winter in the backyard
I live in Garden Homes. Sometimes there are houses for sale here within that budget. Many have fenced in yards. This one is near me, but it might be under contract.
I live in Garden Homes. Sometimes there are houses for sale here within that budget. Many have fenced in yards. This one is near me, but it might be under contract.
Houses here sell fast, so if you like it, keep a lookout.
For sure! We've looked at some that are on the market for 2 to 3 days and they're already sold !
We actually looked at that one but already has multiple offers I believe
It's cute. The neighborhood is great. Almost everybody has dogs.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Time does fly by ! 
