Renting a 2 bedroom apartment or a 2 bedroom townhouse in the same approximate neighborhood for same price? (San Jose: apartment complexes)

[DwightOnFireE]

Which is a better bargain for a family of three looking for good schools? Renting a two bedroom apartment or renting a 2 bedroom townhouse in the same neighborhood with the same neighborhood school.

The apartment would cover utilities and provide a community pool and playground but offer less privacy and require trips to a community laundry and parking the cars under a community garage.

The townhouse would provide a small backyard and a lot more privacy with a private garage but require the family to pay utilities and garbage bills and not offer a community pool or playground.

[jbunniii]

Don't underestimate the value of the private garage, because it gives you additional storage space that you might otherwise need to make space for inside an apartment. Community laundry sucks, too. Community pool and playground are potentially nice, but only if you actually use them. However, in the apartment's defense, free utilities can be very significant, especially if air conditioning is included.

Perhaps more important than any of these considerations is the quality of the neighbors.

[Wintermomma]

If the townhome comes with it's own laundry that would sell it for me.

[justinbro2002]

Apartment complexes usually cover your water and garbage included with rent. So that is maybe another $100 you would spend to live in a townhouse. A townhome would more than likely have a washer/dryer vs an apartment that would most likely not have washer/dryer. So going to the laundry room or Laundromat is a trade off but the laundry room will cost you maybe $40 or $50 bucks a month in quarters and the time wasted waiting for you stuff and the chance you stuff could get stolen if left unattended. Apartments are more likely to have a community pool but some townhome neighborhoods have them as well. Some people may also worry about the "status" of telling people you live in an apartment vs a townhome. I would rather live in a townhouse with it's own laundry vs apartment without even if apartment had pool. But everything being equal with amenities I would go for townhouse.

[ccm123]

Townhouse for me. You may pay a little more, but the living conditions will generally be better. You will have the convenience of your own laundry and your own garage.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

The laundry clinches it for me, too. You can sign the kidlet up for swimming lessons where they are supervised and can meet friends. Then invite the friends over to play in the backyard of the townhouse.

I don't have this choice and don't have WD in unit. If you go the apartment route, DM me for the name and number of a lady in San Jose who does my laundry for me - picks up and delivers. I'd rather do my own when I felt like it, but not if I have to go to a laundromat or community room.

So, townhouse wins.

Plus, with the townhouse, you normally only have neighbors on each side, not above and below. Makes a huge difference noise-wise.

[fashionguy]

Depending on the condition of the townhouse and apartment.

If the apartment is a mid to high rise built with concrete with thick walls, and the townhouse is with paper thin walls, I would choose the apartment. With townhouse you still have neighbors and with thin walls that could be worse than an apartment. The apartment being in one level usually has better floor plan. Most townhouses in the bay area has no where to fit a big screen TV. You have to either block the windows or put it in perpendicular to the sofa.

If the apartment is also wood made, I would choose the townhouse. Utility wise I think it is a wash. I am surprised the townhouse requires you to pay water and garbage because those are usually included in the HOA. washer/dryer in unit is a big plus.

Originally Posted by DwightOnFireE

Which is a better bargain for a family of three looking for good schools? Renting a two bedroom apartment or renting a 2 bedroom townhouse in the same neighborhood with the same neighborhood school.

The apartment would cover utilities and provide a community pool and playground but offer less privacy and require trips to a community laundry and parking the cars under a community garage.

The townhouse would provide a small backyard and a lot more privacy with a private garage but require the family to pay utilities and garbage bills and not offer a community pool or playground.

[spicydreamt]

I'm the sole apt voter at the moment for a simple reason: when we looked, the townhomes were easily 30% pricier than similar-sized apts. No doubt a townhome offer better living amenities, a bit more privacy and probably more recent construction, but when it comes down to money justifying the value, not a better "bargain" - and frankly we could afford the condo but not the townhome, which settled it. In fact the true bargain back then seemed to be the last apartment in a 1-story building, combining townhome privacy with apt pricing. We saw a couple of these in Sunnyvale.
Outside laundry's only annoying when you haven't been accustomed to in-garage laundry yet...

[BridgesBurner123]

I vote for the apartment but I'm a single guy and I'm hardly home. No need for more space.