Well, of the 2 you posted, I feel like the attached home is a no brainer. I do not think buying a house half the size that needs a lot of updating is worth avoiding shared walls.
Obviously I'm biased as I live in a townhouse, but I honestly think it's fine. The town where we live has a huge difference in price between types of homes too - you can get a reasonably good condition townhouse for around 300k, but a single family home is going to be 400-600k (or more) unless it is very small or needs a ton of work. We didn't even look at SFHs because while technically we could afford one on the low end of that range, it is more than we wanted to spend.
Well this is all so area and house specific, but we went with a townhouse because of the price ($400s vs $700s), and I really love our yard. It is decent sized square, and has a tall fence. In my area a lot of SFH have L shaped yards that are thin, and low fences so you can see all your neighbors. We have an HOA that is $$$, but it covers water, sewage, trash, and all outside structures. We’ve lived here 3 years and had our fence and roof replaced easily through the HOA. It also makes our home insurance cheaper since we don’t have to cover those types of things.
I do sometimes wish we had a SFH because I feel bad when our kid is being loud AF. I can hear my neighbors, but it becomes background noise. I always have all windows and doors open all the time. When the house is closed up it’s very quiet.
Post by wanderingback on Aug 5, 2020 19:55:16 GMT -5
I think this depends on where you live. Row houses are obviously the norm in the city. I like our row house. I’ve never heard any noise at all from neighbors. Maybe because the houses are brick? I have no clue but we have loud parties a couple times per year plus my partner’s music studio is in the basement and have never heard any complaints. I doubt I’ll ever own a sfh unless something drastically changes, so row houses are fine with me. I’m not in to yard work, so a smaller outdoor space is fine with me as well.
I think the SFH you posted is cute. The kitchen is old but meh. It worked for 50 years.
But I live in a 1600 foot ranch with 1.5 baths that cost 330k so that house seems reasonable to me.
We like having a yard although I wouldn't want a huge one. We like not sharing walls. New is not important to me. However I've heard oil heat is $$$$ so it does seem worth factoring that in.
I don’t want to live in 900 sq feet with a kid and a dog. Way too small for not being in the city!
I lived in a townhome for 13 years and I’ve been in a SF home for 2.
TH: My biggest pro was the neighbors but that will obviously vary. We lived like a commune, we helped watch each other’s kids, grocery shop, help with household projects, etc...we literally became family even though we were not all at the same stage of life. The proximity of neighbors can be a great thing and I am thankful for these friendships. That’s where my pros end. Lol
Our mortgage with association fees was more than we pay for single family and my yard work/shoveling now doesn’t destroy me like people suggested it would. We also like projects and kind of reached our limits at the TH only being able to modify the inside, we were worried about return of investment on bigger ticket projects.
When all is said and done we sold our TH for exactly what we bought it for and if I could do it all over again I would have bought SF to begin with.
Of those two options you posted I would go with the semi attached any day. That layout is more in line with my lifestyle, I wouldn’t be in a panic to update everything, and less than 1000 sq ft is a squeeze (for me). We were in a 1600sq ft SF before this most recent house, and it was on the same size lot as that semi attached and it was the perfect amount of space (we really only had a small gap between houses on one side). Our neighbours also had a 13 yo who was learning to play the drums. Being separate didn’t make an ounce of difference since I think it came through the windows better than it would a solid wall.
Good luck! House hunting is an insane process of compromise and quick decisions. I hope you find something great!
Post by goldengirlz on Aug 5, 2020 20:42:29 GMT -5
I would have no problem updating a kitchen and bathroom — we’ve done that in both houses we bought and I actually prefer updating to paying a premium for someone else’s updates.
But 984 sq ft would be a dealbreaker for me.
ETA: I don’t think I need THAT much larger though. I think we’d be okay with 1400, which is what our main living space is. We do have another 300-ish in a downstairs “basement” of sorts, which has been great to have during shelter in place, but we could probably do without it and be fine during a normal year.
Post by verycontrary247 on Aug 5, 2020 21:05:58 GMT -5
I lived in a 1k sqft 2bed/2bath townhouse with just my husband and 3 cats and the rooms felt cramped. I can't imagine trying to fit another room in there.
Out of the two you posted, I'd absolutely choose the attached house.
Post by W.T.Faulkner on Aug 5, 2020 21:11:48 GMT -5
I’d have no problem with an attached house that was more updated and bigger, both of which matter far more to me. Less than 1000 square feet is doable but not something I’m interested in if I can help it, lol. We’ve lived in a rowhome before and had 0 issues.
Post by Velar Fricative on Aug 5, 2020 21:13:53 GMT -5
I’m in a house attached on both sides. I love it. I haaaaaate exterior maintenance so it’s great for that because we don’t have much to maintain. We are not in any kind of townhouse development, just on a regular street so no HOA. When we were looking, we also liked the floor plan and it happened to be bigger than the semi-attached and detached houses we saw (2,000 sq ft with finished tv room in basement). Our yard is narrow but long, and also entirely paved because we didn’t want to mow grass. It’s NYC so attached houses are fine and do have value, even if not as valuable as detached homes.
If you’re seriously considering one, I’d probably steer away from newer builds that tend to have thinner walls. We live next door to a loud family (they admit it themselves lol) but we never hear them. You’d never guess we were attached to anyone. Our house was built in 1992 but it's clear that the houses built starting just before the housing bubble burst (so, ~2005 and more recent) are not as sturdy. Not to the point where they'd cave in, just it's more evident you have neighbors attached to you.
The only thing I really wish we had was more natural light though. The windows we do have are bigger and that helps, but more windows would be ideal.
Being a former Manhattan dweller, I have many friends who left Manhattan and bought semi-detached homes in other boroughs. I have visited several and have honestly never heard neighbors, felt “too close” , or heard complaints from my friends. Maybe becuase semi-detached are very common around NYC and we are used to them? I don’t know, but I’d be totally fine with one, especially if it meant a bigger space, more updated, etc. I know you said you are not considering either of the two you posted but the attached is more bang for the buck than the SFH and I’d choose that one. I can’t speak from experience though, when we left the city we went to a SFH in NJ. Would you consider NJ if it was diverse, walkable and good commute to NYc?
I’m currently sitting in a brown out with no air from the window units, so a community pool and central air sound like a million bucks to me right now. Lol
Oh, yeah that would be pretty awesome in those circumstances!! We rarely have issues with our window units, but I was thinking last night how miserable it would be if we lost power in the storm.
Nothing to do with anything, but I feel like I’m missing something here. If I lose power, my central air is out too. Jalapeñomel
I think the SFH you posted is cute. The kitchen is old but meh. It worked for 50 years.
But I live in a 1600 foot ranch with 1.5 baths that cost 330k so that house seems reasonable to me.
We like having a yard although I wouldn't want a huge one. We like not sharing walls. New is not important to me. However I've heard oil heat is $$$$ so it does seem worth factoring that in.
I don’t want to live in 900 sq feet with a kid and a dog. Way too small for not being in the city!
We had a 760 SQ ft ranch for a while (2 bed 1 bath) and it was fine so my perspective on square footage is obviously different than many people.
So I’d want to do a comparison with attached homes. Do the attached homes have the opposite of all of that for the same price? Just some things? It’s really going to come down to your personal preferences on what your must-haves are and what your nice-to-haves are.
So we’d definitely get more square footage, central air and gas heating (or at least not radiators with an oil tank). Newer appliances and a much newer home (1985+). Commute would be the same for either, property taxes are cheaper, but you also have HOA fees.
Here let me show you two that are sold and you can get an idea.
Just FYI, you can convert oil heated radiators to gas. Our last house had already been converted. Very few houses in my area still have oil tanks. And I agree, I would want to take it out. But the radiators, I LOVE radiator heat. I really wanted in our next house and I miss it. We also added central AC to our last house - so we had radiator heat plus forced air AC. It was the best.
I don’t want to live in 900 sq feet with a kid and a dog. Way too small for not being in the city!
We had a 760 SQ ft ranch for a while (2 bed 1 bath) and it was fine so my perspective on square footage is obviously different than many people.
Square footage is so dependent on layout. We had a 1,000 sq foot condo and the layout was so impractical it felt so much smaller. I have friends with similar sq feet or smaller and they’re fine because of better layout and storage options.
I would look at what works best for your family and if either style of house is normal in your area, then take that part out of the equation.
Layout, updating, maintenance would be the key factors for me.
I have 3/4 of an acre and it took DH 3 hours to mow the lawn last week. I'm pretty sure there are few people that want to deal with that. I don't, but he likes doing it, so I put up with it.
Being a former Manhattan dweller, I have many friends who left Manhattan and bought semi-detached homes in other boroughs. I have visited several and have honestly never heard neighbors, felt “too close” , or heard complaints from my friends. Maybe becuase semi-detached are very common around NYC and we are used to them? I don’t know, but I’d be totally fine with one, especially if it meant a bigger space, more updated, etc. I know you said you are not considering either of the two you posted but the attached is more bang for the buck than the SFH and I’d choose that one. I can’t speak from experience though, when we left the city we went to a SFH in NJ. Would you consider NJ if it was diverse, walkable and good commute to NYc?
DH works in the Bronx and I work in Westchester, so it’s a tough commute from Jersey. We briefly conserved a move over the Tappen Zee (Mario Cuomo whatever), but the traffic is awful.
Our current home is 1300 sq feet, and it’s fine for us but doesn’t work when we have family (also only one bathroom). If we were gonna go smaller, I’d move back to the city (which I’d like to do one day anyway).
My in laws will likely move in for a bit, but again, we are all used to small spaces and we are ok with that but not smaller than what we currently have.
Velar Fricative I really thought I’d like yard work, but I really don’t. Maybe I’m just lazy, but I don’t wanna do it. Gardening, ok? But the rest of it is too time consuming and it’s hot.
Oh, yeah that would be pretty awesome in those circumstances!! We rarely have issues with our window units, but I was thinking last night how miserable it would be if we lost power in the storm.
Nothing to do with anything, but I feel like I’m missing something here. If I lose power, my central air is out too. Jalapeñomel
Oh no, I get that, but as I’m sweating my priorities are changing. I never cared about central air until my power went out and I realized how much I love having air conditioning and wished I had it throughout the house. Or that if my power went out I could go to the community pool.
Post by Patsy Baloney on Aug 6, 2020 8:21:02 GMT -5
We have lived in 2 attached homes - duplex and townhouse - and now own a SFH. Attached homes tend to be rental properties here, so when we bought, we went SFH.
We enjoyed living in the attached homes. Both were laid out well, although the second one we lived in did not have a bathroom on the main floor, so that was kind of annoying. I do think square footage all comes down to layout. If a home is functional, it doesn’t matter how small it is.
Our shared wall experience was a good one. Yes, it could be noisy. At one point we lived next to a family of five. It was always hilarious when a snow day was declared. It would go from dead quiet to boundless energy and happy thumping up and down the stairs. Our first neighbor liked to have sex in her kitchen a lot 😬 but we always had good neighbors who looked out for us and made living in close proximity easy.
Yard maintenance was easier, definitely. I could definitely see my H and I retiring to an attached home for less work and more time to enjoy.
I do love our SFH, though. I’m able to have a big garden. We don’t have shared-wall noises. I think our home layout is better because we don’t have shared walls. For example, we have a galley kitchen now that is open on both sides so it’s easy to get in and out of and you don’t feel boxed in when someone else is in the kitchen with you. In our townhouse we had a galley kitchen that was closed on one side because that was our shared wall.
But I don’t think the pros of a SFH outweigh the pros of an attached home. I would definitely keep your eyes and hearts open to either one. You may find a real gem.
Jalapeñomel my H, DS and I just moved out of a 1394 sq ft (2 bed 2.5 ba) one car garage TH with no real usable outside space to a 1310sq ft two car garage duplex (3 bed 2 ba) with a small fenced yard. It feels just as big because of the layout IMO. Our master bedroom is smaller, but we honestly prefer a smaller bedroom for more space elsewhere. So for us it's been a huge upgrade. As soon as our TH sells (if the deal goes through by it'll the end of this month), we'll be house hunting for a SFH with a smaller fenced yard. I'm ok with 1300-1600 sq ft. H is ok with up to 2500 sq ft. It's just the three of us so anything over 1800 just feels like too much to me. I might eat my words though. We shall see.
Here’s another one we are looking at...it’s attached but a corner unit, so it only shares a corner, no walls. 1600 square feet, restroom on each floor (!!!) and brand new appliance. The commute is rough though for both DH and me.
Post by Velar Fricative on Aug 6, 2020 8:41:35 GMT -5
Jalapeñomel, Yeah given those work locations, commuting during rush hour over the Tappan Zee would suck. I'd go as far north as I was willing to go even if it's much further than, say, Rockland County, even though I know homes are less expensive in Rockland, Orange, etc.
I think based on your situation, you should keep your options open and not make attached vs. detached a dealbreaker. And if you do hate yardwork, then I think that could make an attached home really enticing.
Nothing to do with anything, but I feel like I’m missing something here. If I lose power, my central air is out too. Jalapeñomel
Oh no, I get that, but as I’m sweating my priorities are changing. I never cared about central air until my power went out and I realized how much I love having air conditioning and wished I had it throughout the house. Or that if my power went out I could go to the community pool.
Thanks for clarifying. I saw your post, and then the follow up and was wondering if I was some sort of idiot who didn't understand how the AC unit works, haha. That's what happens when I try to respond early in the morning, I guess.
We also love this SFH, but I doubt we can get it since our bid would be contingent on selling our current house (which is in contract though).
It’s big, 1900 sq feet, two bathrooms and a solarium, but it was built in 1972 and needs work (a new driveway before we move in)—-but the kitchen is ah-mazing.
Post by lemoncupcake on Aug 6, 2020 8:42:52 GMT -5
I think that attached house you linked is nice, but coming from the land of SFH with privacy fences, I don’t understand the logistics backyard situation.
What if you wanted to have a kids birthday party or a BBQ with friends - do you have to coordinate ate with your neighbor who can use the yard? What about kid toys/swing sets? And i know you mentioned you have a dog, would you just walk them or get a tie out or fence in a portion of the yard?
Oh no, I get that, but as I’m sweating my priorities are changing. I never cared about central air until my power went out and I realized how much I love having air conditioning and wished I had it throughout the house. Or that if my power went out I could go to the community pool.
Thanks for clarifying. I saw your post, and then the follow up and was wondering if I was some sort of idiot who didn't understand how the AC unit works, haha. That's what happens when I try to respond early in the morning, I guess.
No what you wrote made sense! My response was rando chain of thoughts.
I've never heard of a corner unit, that's interesting! In your market and with what you've said are your priorities, I wouldn't make attached/unattached a deal-breaker.
And I wasn't even thinking about being in the city (I know you're not right in the city) but I would absolutely live in a row home in a downtown area. I was really only thinking about my experiences with townhouses in the suburbs which are usually not very well built/insulated.
We also love this SFH, but I doubt we can get it since our bid would be contingent on selling our current house (which is in contract though).
It’s big, 1900 sq feet, two bathrooms and a solarium, but it was built in 1972 and needs work (a new driveway before we move in)—-but the kitchen is ah-mazing.
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The driveway repair is not as bad as replacing a kitchen. We gutted and reconfigured the kitchen in our old house, it’s not that bad if you need it done. I’d pick the best house with the best commute for you guys. A horrible commute is soul crushing, especially when you have to do a kid pick up or drop off.
I think either could work for you, so I would look at what house meets your needs as far as layout, what work needs to be done, etc.
I have a SFH that was built in 1926. We have no central air, but window units are fine for us (however we were lucky and the sellers left 5 window units). We plan to eventually add a high velocity central air system so we don’t have to add ductwork. I love my radiant heat. It just feels so cozy and warm to me. We have oil for now, but when it’s time for a new furnace will switch to gas heat. Having a gas line was critical to me to ensure we could do that upgrade when time and money allow.
When we bought we also had school district limitations because our oldest had switched schools for 2nd grade and again for 3rd, so keeping her in her school with her friends was critical to us at that point. We didn’t look at any attached homes because what was on the market as far as attached didn’t meet our needs (very small townhomes with no yards for $350K or huge sprawling townhomes for $650K with a huge monthly HOA fee).
I would consider an attached home if it had excellent sound insulation. My house is solid brick with plaster walls and sound doesn’t travel even inside, so I wouldn’t hear neighbors at all, which would be fine. But SIL used to live in a townhouse that had awful sound insulation and heard her neighbors all the time, which would make me very unhappy. That is a matter of how well built it is, though.
I would also need a way to make the backyard feel private (fence, row of bushes, etc). My neighborhood doesn’t have any plots as big as 1/4 acre, so the privacy would be no different being attached or not.