Duplexes vs Townhouses

[Street_Soldier]

What are the differences?

I understand that duplexes have 2 units while townhouses have > 2 units.

Pricing? When you buy a townhouse do you own the land?

Maintenance fees? I know you have maintenance fees for townhouses, is it the same for duplexes?

[eblend]

Can't answer most of these questions, but here is something to think about.

A Duplex is just 2 units attached by 1 wall, a townhouse in only attached by 1 wall if you got the end unit, otherwise you have 2 walls to share with the neighbor. Now the problem is, as per experience from my parents townhouse, is doing anything loud. Say you have a TV next to a wall...try watching a movie without constantly adjusting the volume...yah you will get a ring at the door pretty soon, or worse, they will just bang on the wall to tell you to keep it down. The opposite is also true, sometimes you will want to kill your neighbor simply because they are blasting their shit and you can't have peace at home. If you must, I recommend a duplex or an end unit in a townhome.

Townhomes for sure have maintenance fees, same as a condo fee, but they cut your grass and clean the snow ect, and some utilities are usually included. With a duplex I don't know, but I would imagine it is just a house you share, so you got to do everything yourself. If your neighbor wants to replace the roof....you have little choice but to argue with him, in a townhome, I don't think you have much choice other than to vote at the general meeting.

Also, another thing to consider, with a townhome, you have a few more people to worry about in terms of a house going up in smoke, with a duplex it is just 1 more person.

With a townhome you can't do anything outside of what the board approves, so no satellite dishes or additions to your place, I believe you can do all that with a duplex. Someone here should tell you for sure. Just figured I would throw in my $0.02 after living with my parents in a townhome for 15 years, that is why I bought a detached house myself.

[nj2Type-S]

i live in a duplex in the SW and i would NEVER, ever live in a duplex ever again...unfortunately, i bought this place during the peak of the house market so i've got to wait til the value goes up before i can sell. :banghead:

[ExtraSlow]

Townhouse is just another word for a Condo. You'll have condo fees, and some common property. Reserve fund and condo board are key to this type of pruchase. You do not own the land.

Duplex is like owning any other single family house, except you share one wall with your neighbor. You own the land, no condo fees.

Any type of attached housing has the potential for noise issues. If at all possible, get access to btoh sides and do a little test of noise transmission yourself.

I live in a duplex, and I never hear the nieghbors talking or music/TV. I can hear them slamming doors, but it's pretty faint. We have concrete wall between the sides though.

[Kloubek]

Just to play devil's advocate here... not all townhouses have condo fees. However, the places that do not are usually not kept up very well and look like hell.

I know that the lack of fees makes the duplex idea more attractive. And, especially if the place is new, that is certainly something to think about.

But what most people don't really consider is that the fees you pay actually go towards things. More than just snow removal and landscaping... the fees you pay at a townhouse will usually replace your roof at no charge. Or siding. Or a cracked foundation, or something major like that which would normally be your responsibility to pay in a house or duplex.

So, here is a quick pro/con list for you:
Townhouse Pros: Cheaper. Yard/driveway is maintained for you. No outside maintenence costs.
Townhouse Cons: Condo fees. Restricted by condo board as to exterior modification, noise, some actions. Have to live beside more people. Usually you don't have much of a yard. At the mercy of the board in the event of a special assessment.

Duplex Pros: Only one neighbor. No condo board telling you what you can and cannot do. Usually have a bigger yard.
Duplex Cons: More expensive than a townhouse. Outside maintenance and repairs entirely your own responsibility.

As far as "special assessments" go, if you buy a townhouse, do your research as to their reserve fund. Is it right on par or higher in amount than expected as per the budget? If not, then you can expect an assessment when something unexpected happens in the complex. Ie: Windows start to leak before expected lifespan is over, etc.

And finally, if you buy a townhouse, you DO own a share of the complex, but you do not own your yard, etc. In a duplex, you have actual property lines.


Originally posted by ExtraSlow
Townhouse is just another word for a Condo.
Not quite, as an apartment is also considered a condo. Yet, a apartment is NOT a townhouse. I'd *never* live in an apartment again. Not only are people on each side, but above and below you too!


OP, I think at the end of the day, it comes down to what you want and what your lifestyle is. If you are someone always on the go, sometimes it is really nice not to have to worry about shovelling a driveway or cutting a lawn. And sometimes it is actually nice to have neighbors closeby for various reasons.

However, if you want more of your own space and more of a felling of an actual house, a duplex might be a better choice. But if that is what you choose, make sure you check it out THOROUGHLY because any repairs are your responsibility. If it needs a new roof, that's 10 grand coming right out of your own pocket.

[HuMz]

I was in the same situation last year and decided to pay extra for the duplex. Like mentioned I have no condo fees, the common wall is double framed and drywalled and I have 60 feet from the back of my house to the edge of my property line (just under 40 if I decide to opt for a garage).

I say if you can afford the duplex then go for it.

[Speed_69]

Originally posted by nj2Type-S
i live in a duplex in the SW and i would NEVER, ever live in a duplex ever again...unfortunately, i bought this place during the peak of the house market so i've got to wait til the value goes up before i can sell. :banghead:
Input is great but care to explain reasons why???

[sh0ko]

me and someone else on beyond live very close to each otehr in the townhouses up in aspen hills. boy they are EXCELLENT meeting any ones demands and they are more than on top of their s*** in terms of our condo fees being spent properly.

i have a end unit so i only share one wall. and the condo board is more than leniant on what we can/cant do

[nj2Type-S]

Originally posted by Speed_69

Input is great but care to explain reasons why???

you're right and i apologize for the lack of details.

i bought a townhouse in the SW back in 2007. i've had 3 different neighbors over the past 3 years. the first ones were ok because they were never home. naturally, since i liked my neighbors, they've decided to move out. came along this fkking family who were absolutely inconsiderate. i'm not going to go into details but they were an absolute nightmare. anyway, they finally decided to leave and this nice, quiet couple moved in. i'm ok with living here, i guess, but when they move out, then what? i'm just dreading the day that they leave, lol.

i guess to sum it up, the reasons why i wouldn't buy a townhouse in the future are:

1) maintenance fees - i pay approx. $175/month for upkeep of the front of my duplex. they shovel the snow in the winter, provided a shelter for the garbage and...well, that's it! i don't have grass in front of my duplex so mowing it is not required. i wouldn't mind shoveling my front steps if it would save me $175/month. single homes get service for garbage pick up AND a recycling bin but we have to pay extra for our garbage to be picked up AND we have to take our recycables to a nearby recycling location (i'm not sure how it works with other complexes but that's how it is with ours).

2) neighbors - i'm not a whiney bitch when it comes to my neighbors and i'd like to consider myself as pretty considerate; i don't play loud music, i don't watch tv with the volume up nor do i have huge parties at my place. Sometimes, however, your neighbors don't think like you and may not be as considerate as you. i.e. playing loud music until 11:30pm and when you went outside to tell them to stfu, they couldn't hear you ringing the doorbell or BANGING on their front door...in short, neighbors are hit or miss...

those are the top 2 reasons on the top of my head why i wouldn't want to buy another duplex ever again. we were going to use this place as an investment home in the future but with how things are going now, it probably won't happen.

[masoncgy]

Neighbors are neighbors... sometimes they're good, sometimes they're not. It doesn't matter if they're attached to you or not, you will have those that can annoy & frustrate the crap out of you, no matter what.

I would suggest a duplex over a townhouse on the condo fees. More often then not, you are paying $200 a month or more for someone to sweep your sidewalk & mow your grass, that's it. That, in my opinion, is a huge waste of money.

You can't repaint your trim, change your siding, or make any changes at all when you live in a townhouse. You're under the rules of a condo board. You are told what you can and can't do. That might be ideal for some, but for most people, it's an intrusive annoyance that reduces quality of life.

There was a note about windows, roofing, etc being replaced by the condo fees. Yeah, not usually. Special assessments are normal for these types of projects and the contracts negotiated are always on the high side. I have a friend who got a special assessment of $4500 to replace the shingles on his unit, that's over and above the reserve fund allocation. Considering the townhouse is 900 sq ft over two floors, that's one tiny roof... $4,500 over and above the reserve is criminal, imho.

Going back to my comment about exterior changes, that's one downside to attached living... if they make any changes to their side and you do not do the same, you run the risk of the whole building looking like crap. Lots of examples in older communities where this has occured.

In the end, I'd say take the duplex. The cost difference isn't overly significant between the two types of dwellings anyway.

[88CRX]

When I was first looking to move out of parents place I thought that I 100% wanted a townhouse so I didn't have to worry about a yard, snow removal or any exterior work at all (roof, windows, etc).

Now after living in a townhouse for a year and a half and dishing out $130/month (up from $120 last year) for 'condo fees' I'm sick of it already. They cut the grass once every two week maybe. The grass is sketch and full of weed and dead spots, they picked the weeks in the gardens once all year (after they got two feet height) and they do nothing else. In the winter we're lucky if they've shoveled snow by 5-6pm that day, I shovel my driveway before I leave for work like most other people. They don't pick up garbage that's blowing around. They don't clean windows, nothing.

If I had to do it all over again I'd save more and buy a single family house, $130/month would probably cover the difference in a mortgage payment for a house vs townhouse too! And I have great neighbors that I very rarely even hear, if I had loud/inconsiderate neighbors I'd be livid.

As for a duplex.... never! At least in a townhouse there are rules in place to keep people from rednecking/ghettoing up their yards/homes. In a duplex I assume there's no controls over anything like that? Maybe someone can chime in on duplexes.

[masoncgy]

^ Duplex ownership is the same as a detached home. The only difference is you share a common wall.

Detached neighbors can 'ghetto' up their yards too... ;)

[Xtrema]

Anytime you share a wall, get ready for neighbor problems. The fact that these housing usually used for rentals, you may see high occupant turnovers.

As for condo fees, you have to examine what it's used for and check the reserves. Although it's easy to say all the exterior repair, upkeep are covered by the fees. It's really paid for by the reserve fund. If the particular complex has a low reserve fund, expect a huge increase in condo fee if some huge project happens.

Case in point, there a townhouse complex in the Hamptons that switch cedar to composite tile roof. The condo fee went from $180 to $380 for almost 3 years to pay for it.

Or the complex in Edgemont, an structural fault cost every occupant $20-$30K to fix.

So be careful when you are not buying new.

[Cos]

One positive thing about a townhouse and shitty neighbors. Usually the condo board can fine the people or get the tenants kicked out if the unit is rented. Duplex you are SOL. With the no satellite dishes comment, we allow them but they have to be mounted on pre-engineered spots. We have people drilling into siding and because the condo board is responsible to fix and replace siding we cant have that.

Condo board is good AND bad.

Good:

- Shitty dog? can be fined
- Crack heads parking everywhere? (like my place across the street) can be fined
- Kids come with paintball guns and fuck up siding (again experience)? Condo fixes siding.
- Windows break? Condo fixes it

Bad:
- Condo fees
- Cant paint or put in other windows or doors
- Condo boards are usually very slow to act
- Conflicting interests
- You may not think your parking, partying, dog is bad but granny next door may not agree.

I live in a townhouse surrounded by 40% renters, and am on the condo board. It isnt too bad, the place is well kept, the parking is a big issue (if you are breaking the rules or following them) and being that close to your neighbors is always going to be a problem. However unless you can afford a house (which we can't so....) a townhouse is #2 pick for me. I have a garage and no one above me. Drives me fucking livid to hear people above me stomping around. We have our own grass to throw a ball around, have a garage and pad to tinker, and a couple spaces that we can garden and take care of. Apartment condo would have been option #2 for us, but because my mortgage was 30k more (roughtly 200 or 300 a month) and our condo fees being at least 250.00 cheaper (most apartment ones were 350+) it made up for us to buy a townhouse.

In a duplex you are SOL if you and your neighbor dont get along. I personally would only buy a duplex if I could own BOTH sides and rent one out. That way you still hve control over the whole property.



Originally posted by 88CRX
When I was first looking to move out of parents place I thought that I 100% wanted a townhouse so I didn't have to worry about a yard, snow removal or any exterior work at all (roof, windows, etc).

Now after living in a townhouse for a year and a half and dishing out $130/month (up from $120 last year) for 'condo fees' I'm sick of it already. They cut the grass once every two week maybe. The grass is sketch and full of weed and dead spots, they picked the weeks in the gardens once all year (after they got two feet height) and they do nothing else. In the winter we're lucky if they've shoveled snow by 5-6pm that day, I shovel my driveway before I leave for work like most other people. They don't pick up garbage that's blowing around. They don't clean windows, nothing.

If I had to do it all over again I'd save more and buy a single family house, $130/month would probably cover the difference in a mortgage payment for a house vs townhouse too! And I have great neighbors that I very rarely even hear, if I had loud/inconsiderate neighbors I'd be livid.

As for a duplex.... never! At least in a townhouse there are rules in place to keep people from rednecking/ghettoing up their yards/homes. In a duplex I assume there's no controls over anything like that? Maybe someone can chime in on duplexes.

Just a counter point, when your roof goes, or the siding, or water mains, or electrical. Guess who covers it? Your condo fees. It doesnt cost 130.00 a month to cut the grass and shovel the snow. Any condo should maintain a decent reserve fund. Sure you can argue that you can save the 130 a month to cover it yourself. In 10 years your windows need to be replaced, about 10-20k. So that 130 a month you have been saving may cover that. Eavetroughs go? Probably 2 - 3k. Roof goes... bye bye 20k. So in 20 years you spend 50k on outside repairs (not including the garbage removal, lawnmower, gas, weedwacker, snow shovel, etc). That works out to what? $200.00 a month you have to save just for outside maintenance on a house? Dont get me wrong I want a house but if your sole motivation is to save money by not paying condo fees.... your SOL

Also you think 130 is bad? Condo apartment fees can run 400 - 1000 a month.

[MilanoRedTeg]

There's houses in Cranston that are considered Semi-Detached Houses. They are set up like town houses however, you share a wall with one place and only your garage shares a wall with the other side. No condo fees because of this either. Made by discovery homes.

[schocker]

I moved into a new duplex in the spring. It is nice not having the monthly fees associated with a condo even though I currently have no grass to mow, and have a big driveway that I will have to shovel in the winter. I also like having only 1 neighbour. I suppose it is also good that my neighbour is quite nice so that helps aswell, rarely hear a peep from the other side of the house.

[Cos]

.

[masoncgy]

Originally posted by Cos
Technically you own the lot (I have a title and drawing for mine) but the condo board has caveats on my property to allow them to control the siding, lawn, etc.

Well there you go... the whole lot ownership piece is really just an illusion if you have no say over what happens with it. ;)

It's like saying, "Yeah, I own this land, but I can't do anything to it unless the condo board says it's okay to do so."

That's not 'ownership' at all. Sounds like a shady sales practice to lure in unsuspecting buyers.

If I have ownership of my backyard, I want the freedom to park my trailer back there without question, etc.

[Cos]

Originally posted by masoncgy


Well there you go... the whole lot ownership piece is really just an illusion if you have no say over what happens with it. ;)

It's like saying, "Yeah, I own this land, but I can't do anything to it unless the condo board says it's okay to do so."

That's not 'ownership' at all. Sounds like a shady sales practice to lure in unsuspecting buyers.

If I have ownership of my backyard, I want the freedom to park my trailer back there without question, etc.

Touche, price you pay to have consistent housing. You can live in communities that have bylaws as well as part of the HOA.

Dont get me wrong I know what you mean. Just pointing it out. :D