re: Would you buy a townhome?

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I'm not a fan of yard maintenance and live in area where townhomes aren't ghetto shitholes. A decent single detached house here are 500k+ while upgraded townhomes can be had for 100k less. The concern is they won't appreciate as much but it beats continuing to pay rent. What says the OT?

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Yeah, if I was in a city like DC, Chicago, or New York.

Or, if it was in a high end neighborhood.

Yes, loved my townhouse when I lived in Memorial area of Houston. Like with any real estate, just depends on the neighborhood. You also have to look at the interior walls to see if the barrier is decent.

You can find good ones that have majority owners living in them. The problem is some special assessments come along because the insurance went up, the driveway needs fixing and you do t know what else.

Normally will pay $250 a month for water and yard and outside insurance.

Helped my parents buy one that we rent out as an investment and the special assessments eat a lot of the profit. Talk to the HOA president ask for financials and ask relator to find all special assessments past and future.

Depends on the location

I disagree about appreciation. The property may not appreciate as quickly as land or a typical house, but I know people have made money on townhomes or condos that the owned for a few years.

as a primary...no way.

As a second home in somewhere like NOLA or BR, yes. It would be a great rental property if I decided I didn't want it.

The nature of the common walls is really important. On very old townhouses, if the common walls are two or three bricks thick, are the bricks and mortar strong or has tuckpointing been done on both sides?
Is the common wall solid and does it extend three or four feet above the common roof line on both sides?

How impervious to sound is the wall? Does the next door neighbor have a large barking dog, screaming wife or loud children?

When were the windows last upgraded and does a management company have the ability to force you to make 'improvements'?

Sharing a wall with someone seems to defeat the purpose.

No. Wouldn't buy a townhome. There are 40 new units for sale at the edge of our neighborhood in Lawrenceville, GA. Going rate on these in particular is $420,000 for three floors (1600 s.f.) and a two car garage.

Since we're moving away from Gwinnett county and over to west Georgia to be closer to the office we found a 2500 s.f. home, 2-car garage, and a full acre on a cul-de-sac with only four other homes around. Just a tad more expensive than the townhomes where I'd have a neighbor on the other side of the wall whose behavior I cannot control or predict, and Kroger shopping center within a quarter mile.

Nope. No townhome for me, thank you very much. I'm getting old fast and I hate people in general. Don't want or need anyone that close to me other than my wife and coonhound.