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I live in a duplex. Since it is northern NJ, I paid alot of money to live in half a house. I could hear the neighbors in other other side of the wall, though I think I am the loud one and they are the quiet ones.
But we get along. We share the house insurance. I mow the lawn and collect the leaves while they put mulch on my bushes and even trimmed them.
I am thinking of purchasing one. I currently rent an apartment and debating whether to purchase a duplex. So you have no regret in your purchase? What was your reasoning in buying one?
I live in a condo/townhome and have no plans to share walls with neighbors again unless I live in Manhattan again. We plan to move next month. We loved living here but are ready to stop worrying about common wall noise. If you live in the suburbs, get a house!
It seems like the worst of both worlds to me: don't have the benefits of a single home, but have the headaches of attached wall / costs.
For instance, my mother in law has a duplex, and the lazy duplex neighbor won't mow the lawn nor pull the weeds, which continually spread to her backyard. Front yard also looks like a pig sty. Mother in law wants to sell her side soon, but buyers obviously won't want the nasty backyard and unkempt neighbor.
You may also have to "share" your insurance with your duplex neighbor, but what happens if your neighbor is negligent or doesn't pay his/her share? You're screwed.
You want to make changes/repairs to your home? You need your neighbor's permission. If your neighbor's side needs repairs and is impacting your side? You're screwed.
If you still insist on buying a duplex, be sure to verify the tax/deed/etc. clearly state the duplex as dual occupancy. A friend ended up unwittingly paying double the taxes for a year because the seller didn't have the 2 sides as separate occupancies.
interesting. i see so many of them being built in areas like palisades park, cliffside park, edgewater , etc and ive always wondered about the experiences. people must be buying it right? and if they are building more...it must be good for most right?
Why do u want a duplex? You can have lousy neighbors and realize the first night that you made a huge mistake. We are very good neighbors (our neighbors tell us so). However, our toddler still stomps around our townhouse making a ton of noise. I would never want to live next to us! Another reason we are moving...
My husband used to live in a fully attached house. The neighbor on one side went to bed at 8pm and if you had people over for dinner he would call can complain that you were being too noisy. The neighbors on the other side were wonderful. And then they sold it. The new owners never spoke a word to him and their small dog would squeeze through the backyard fence, crap, and then go back home. Every time.
People are buying duplexes and townhomes because they can't afford anything else and don't want to save for a downpayment on a house.
Duplexes are not cheaper than separate single family houses. Duplexes are fairly new so they cost much more than older one family homes. Irish Eyes doesn't have a clue. All the duplexes are priced more than the older single family homes in Fort Lee where I live.
My regret in buying my duplex is that I paid way too much money. I could have gotten a very large single family home in south New Jersey for what I paid for my duplex in north Jersey.
Well location plays a role, and older housing units can have many problems and may not be renovated. If commute to the city didn't matter, then it would have made no difference fr u to leave in fort lee or south jersey
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