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What's everyone's thoughts on twin homes? They seem to be cheaper to run/maintain/etc. Basically, seems like their taxes would be cheaper, heat/AC cheaper, new roof would be cheaper, etc.
I'm assuming you are talking about a twin home that is part of a planned community and is part of an HOA. I would not consider a twin home that does not have restrictions. After all, you need to have both sides re-roofed, painted, landscaped, etc at the same time. These days, sometimes the HOA gets stuck with a walk-away or foreclosure and the owner quits paying their condo fee. The HOA still has to maintain the lawns and pay the landscaper the same amount as contracted.
I think the up-keep/utility costs will vary according to the square-footage and the property. Some of them are very nice; they have been around for years. I know several people who currently live in them. I would bet on a single-family home re-couping it's property value quicker, though.
A common confusion is thinking a twin home is the same as a duplex. A twin home looks like duplex, walks like a duplex, but doesn’t act like a duplex. Twin homes do look like duplexes, and do have a shared common wall but the main difference is the ownership interest. A twin home has an individual owner who has rights and responsibilities for their own side and for their own lot. In other words, twin homes are basically half-homes with with their own respective lot with a lot line landing between the two homes.
Growing up this is what a (side by side) duplex always was thought of or referred to.
It's a nice compromise... like having end unit townhouses back to back.
As for the condo like or HOA deals that the new term seems associated with... no thanks.
Don't like them. Had one in the 80's, a brand-new development. The connected houses had the same color siding and roof (unlike the photo example). However, I had a control freak neighbor who insisted on certain landscaping for the "shared" part of the front yard. I went along with her, but the plants were boring, grew fast and needed a lot of trimming. She also freaked-out when a couple of us put up fences (wooden post-and-rail) to define our yards. I moved out in the 90's, and went back to look at the place last year. The neighborhood is a mess. Because there is no HOA, the individual owners can do whatever they want with their home exteriors and yards. Because the homes are connected and the yards are narrow, all this individuality looks unsightly and trashy. Not to mention there are no garages and the driveways are poured concrete -- which get oil spots all over them. Gawd, I hate that. Would much rather have blacktop.
As far as the logistics of the shared wall, I didn't hear any noise coming from neighbor's side. She did, however, complain about my son's drumming practice, which was up in his attic bedroom. I suppose that even good soundproofing won't mask the sounds of drums. But the kid needed to practice, so what was I supposed to do?!!
What is a "twin home"? "Twin homes do look like duplexes, and do have a shared common wall but the main difference is the ownership interest. A twin home has an individual owner who has rights and responsibilities for their own side and for their own lot. In other words, twin homes are basically half-homes with with their own respective lot with a lot line landing between the two homes"
I believe that in our area those are called zero-lot-line
It all depends on the ownership interest. A duplex generally has one deed and the home posted would have 2 deeds, one for each side.
The first section in my HOA are duplexes (side by side), each side deeded seperate. The section I live in (2nd and last section) are stand alone homes but similiar in overall design to the duplexes.
As a youngster I was brought up in what we called two family homes. Some were side by side two story units. Others were one unit on 1st floor, another unit on 2nd floor. All were owned by one person who may or may not have lived in one of the units. Some were even one family homes that had been converted to a two family. My first apartment was in a converted home.
Some years later when I first heard of/saw duplexes, they had two owners/deeds but I assume that can vary.
I grew up in and my parents still own a twin. When they first bought the house the neighbors were not the best at keeping up their property and my parents are very particular. Eventually they got new long term neighbors who do make more of an effort to care for their property, but still not to the same standards that my parents do.
In practical terms, they are generally cheaper to maintain and cost less to heat and cool, mainly because you benefit from the shared wall. However, you are also ultimately dependent on your neighbor to maintain their property to the same standards. There is an inherent risk with this as while you might have neighbors like my parents who consistently invest in and maintain their home, you may have someone who is the complete opposite. You may also end up with someone who is very particular about their place and maintains, just in a completely opposite way from you. For instance, they like red siding, you like blue siding, etc. For this reason I would not personally buy one that wasn't governed by a HOA to ensure a certain level of standards at least on exterior maintenance.
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I know several people who live in twin homes
If that is a twin home, what is the difference?
