Comparing single-family houses vs. townhouses can be difficult. What is the right fit for your home purchase? That depends on a whole host of factors — things like your budget, your need for space and privacy, and your penchant for home maintenance.
Are you trying to decide whether a townhome or a detached, single-family house is the best use of your money? Here’s what you should consider.
1. Cost — both upfront and long-term.
Townhouses generally come with a lower sales price vs. single-family houses, meaning you can become a homeowner more easily, more affordably and maybe even sooner, too. With a lower sales price, you’ll also need a smaller down payment — another nice perk.
You’ll likely have lower ongoing costs, too. In townhome communities, you’ll usually have lower maintenance expenses than you would on a single-family home. This is due to two factors: 1) your property is typically smaller and 2) your community association may handle some of those tasks.
2. Upkeep and maintenance requirements.
When you own a single-family home, all the maintenance and upkeep falls on your shoulders. That means you’ll need to mow the lawn, change out the air filters and smoke detector batteries, unclog the gutters, and do all those regular maintenance tasks to keep your home in good condition.
With townhomes, you’re usually a part of a larger community association, which will handle a lot of those larger tasks — particularly the exterior ones — for you. They might keep up the yard and garden, tend to the roof and gutters, and maintain other shared areas of the community, too.