House or Townhouse or Condo?

[Jetfire]

I was wondering what peoples preference is for housing...I have always wanted a house on acreage...mainly for privacy...but certain areas of the US a house(with a fair amount of land) is way too expensive and things like Townhouses and condos are cheaper for the same square footage, number of bedrooms and baths.

I didn't include apartments because I am talking about buying a dwelling and not renting. of course if I have said something stupid here one of you kind people will surely point it out.

What do you prefer House +acreage or Townhouse or condo? And if you can explain why that would be great.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I hate mowing the lawn. I always hope for an early frost that kills all the grass. But I do like a bit of space, so I'll vote townhouse.

 

[Scout101]

House is the preference for me. Privacy, a little elbow room from the neighbors, garage, etc.

Depending on the neighborhood, I could get by with a Townhouse, as it at least feels like a house, still usually has garage, etc., upstairs and downstairs... Don't have to mow the lawn or plow, etc (usually), but the association fees aren't attractive to me, I'd rather do that myself.

Condo is just an apartment, doesn't really feel like a home to me...

 

[MetalPants]

House definitely. I like having my yard and trees around me.

 

[Shatnertage]

Before becoming a family man, it was definitely townhouse or condo. Now, it's a house. We need the space.

 

[iguana_tonante]

I'm not sure I understand the difference between living in a condo and having an apartment (flat). Isn't a condo composed by apartments?

In every case, space here is at a premium, so anything but an apartment would be crazily expensive and out of question. Also, I wouldn't know what to with acreage, except to accumulate garbage and wild bushes.

 

[Jetfire]

an apartment you are renting and a condo you purchase like a home...depending on the area alot of condos are more set up like townhouses than like apartments.

[edit] I know in bigger cities you can purchase an apartment instead of renting.

 

[cultcross]

Not sure on the translation of the US terminology, but I'm guessing approximately detached house -> terraced house -> flat? I'm a bit thrown by the comment about buying not renting, people here certainly buy 'apartments' to live in. But then, our house prices in general are sky-high compared to the US because of our ridiculous land values. The legal building space left to the UK is very limited so any building that uses up land like a large detached house with a garden costs a fortune.
We're in the process of buying a Victorian terraced house, which I'm very much looking forward to - we rent a maisonette at the moment so I can't wait to have somewhere we can make 'ours'.

 

[Jetfire]

^
More less yeah House(Detached House), Townhouse(Terraced House) & Condo(Flat).

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I enjoy owning my own home and I wouldn't want to give that up. There is the yardwork thing, but I don't mind that. Gives me something to do and a chance to exercise a fair bit!

 

[Warp Coil]

I'm not terribly interested in maintaining a yard (cutting the grass, raking the leaves, planting bushes and shrubs and trees and flowers, etc.) or dealing with a lot of the exterior maintenance (cleaning out the gutters). So I don't think a single family home is right for me. I would love a nice, roomy townhouse with a garage. At the moment, I can only afford a condo so that is what I have. If the day ever comes that I get married and can enjoy living off of 2 incomes instead of just my own, it will be time for an upgrade.

 

[Lookingglassman]

I have owned two houses and I hate yard work. I am moving next year and am looking into getting a condo so I wont have to deal with all of that mess.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Not sure on the translation of the US terminology, but I'm guessing approximately detached house -> terraced house -> flat? I'm a bit thrown by the comment about buying not renting, people here certainly buy 'apartments' to live in.

Yeah, condos and apartments are basically the same thing. Condos you own outright, while apartments are rented. Although, to make things even more confusing, you can rent a condo too.

More specifically, an apartment is one housing unit in a building with a single owner. Condos are all in one building, but sold separately and you get complete ownership over it.

 

[Small White Car]

I have an end-unit townhouse. This is, for me, the ideal middle-ground

I have nice big side yard and only one direct neighbor (through a brick firewall) so it's a huge advancement over a condo.

But I also have a neighborhood association that does the majority of yard care. The part I'm responsible for is quite small. So I have that advantage over a stand-alone house.

 

[iguana_tonante]

Yeah, condos and apartments are basically the same thing. Condos you own outright, while apartments are rented. Although, to make things even more confusing, you can rent a condo too.

More specifically, an apartment is one housing unit in a building with a single owner. Condos are all in one building, but sold separately and you get complete ownership over it.

Ah, ok, I think I understand now. Thanks for the explanations. Under this classification, most homes here are condo, since having a building with a single owner renting out flats would be exceedingly unlikely. For example, I rent a one bedroom condo, while my parents own a two bedrooms one.

I would like to own a townhouse when I settle down, but I don't see it coming unless research grants get a sky-high rise in the near future (yeah, sure ).

A detached house looks too big for a couple or a small family from my perspective, and also too much of a hassle.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Yeah, pretty much

More than you could ever want to know on this subject

The difference between a condominium and an apartment is purely legal: there is no way to know a condo from an apartment simply by looking at or visiting the building. What defines a condominium is the form of ownership. The same building developed as a condominium (and sold as individual units to different owners) could actually be built someplace else as an apartment building (the developers would retain ownership and rent individual units to different tenants).

EDIT: Interestingly enough, the Code Napoleon first legalized this type of ownership in 1804, while English law generally prohibited it (the first American condominium was 1958 in Puerto Rico and 1960 on the mainland).

 

[Holdfast]

To me, location and period/architecture are the primary things I look for in a place to live.

I want somewhere convenient for both the country and city I currently live near, and either Georgian or Victorian architecture. Beyond that, I'm less fussy about the nature of the place. In an ideal world, of course I'd prefer a detached house with a large garden, but with given my location/architecture preconditions, I'd be looking at somewhere in the region of £2-5 million to get my preferred property. If I "settled" for a semi-detached or terraced property, I could probably get one for around £750k-£1.5 million, and I suspect I'll end up biting the bullet on that at some point.

Currently, I own a 2-bed generously proportioned flat that meets both the location and architecture requirements, and frankly is comfortable enough given I live on my own. Rather than get a larger property, I chose to get a second buy-to-let instead. Maybe in a decade I'll sell both property, top up the total and see how close I can get to my ideal property and compromise as needed. But for now, I'm happy where I am.

 

[RoJoHen]

House, for sure. I love having a yard, and mowing the lawn gives me an excuse to go outside in the summer. I also hate sharing walls with neighbors, so I find condos and townhouses annoying. I mean, they get the job done for living, but if I'm going to actually purchase a place, I want a house all to myself.

 

[Finn]

House! I want a wooded lot by a forest, with a creek running through it, with 10 point bucks drininking from it.

My fiancee wants a white house with green trim/shutters and a red front door.

 

[iguana_tonante]

My fiancee wants a white house with green trim/shutters and a red front door.

That's... oddly specific.