What an exciting time, you’ve decided to buy a house. This is an excellent investment in your future and the future of your family. There are many factors to consider, such as location, cost, floorplan, buy a house already built, or contract a new construction home. Will you want a townhome or a detached single-family home? Then there are the decisions on what you’ll fill the rooms with, what art will hang on the walls. So many decisions can be overwhelming. Here’s the first bit of advice you should heed, stop, take a breath and call Revere Homes.
Today, we’re going to discuss townhomes versus single-family detached houses. Both are wonderful for different reasons, and you can find both at Revere Homes. This article will give you some facts and figures and a good idea about both so that you can make the choice of dwelling that is right for you and your family. Let’s get started.
The most significant difference between these two styles of home is the structure of the building itself. With a townhome, you get a house attached to others, and you will share at least one wall. A single-family home is detached or freestanding, with no shared walls.
A single-family home usually comes with a plot of land that the house is built on, which the homeowner owns. The contract determines the size and shape of the land. A single-family home could have a vast, sprawling backyard or more modest yards in front and back. But, that land is owned by the homeowner.
A townhome can also have a plot of land, the land on which the townhome is built, and parcels in front and back. However, these areas of land will be smaller and close to your neighbors as your houses, and therefore your land parcels, are attached.
Both choices give you land; you just have to decide how much you need or want for yourself and your family.
It’s often been said when it comes to real estate; the most important factor is location, location, location. However, which location is best is as individual as the color of the house and the pots and pans in the kitchen. One location may be perfect for a single person or a young couple just starting out. They may want to be close to the action, as it were. That same location may not be optimal for a couple with kids who want to keep as much space between their home and the office in the city where they work. Location is essential when deciding between a townhome and a single-family home, but that critical decision is up to the individuals making it.
The townhouse finds the origins of its name back in early England. Back then, a townhouse referred to a family dwelling, usually royalty of some sort, that was “in town,” meaning London. This home was the opposite of the regular residence in the country, a spacious mansion of sorts atop acres and acres of land.
So, even today, a townhome is usually situated near a larger city in urban areas. This location puts the owners close to nightlife, museums and restaurants, and other activity areas found in and around cities. A townhouse is usually closer to where the owner works if they work in the big city. For that reason, a townhome location can be considered convenient to that lifestyle.
A single-family home, often called a detached home, can be located anywhere. There are beautiful communities of homes that you can see on Revere Home’s website. However, a single-family home can be anywhere; a quaint neighborhood accessible to the city via the highway or even a relatively remote, sparsely populated, rural area surrounded by land and forest, fields, and wildlife. A detached house means it is freestanding, not attached to a neighbor’s wall; it can also mean it is detached from everything else.
Both of these locations have merits; where you decide to purchase depends on what you’re looking for in a dwelling that will best complement your lifestyle.
As our lives get more and more spread out and work and socializing seem to take place more and more online, a sense of real community, actual, in-person interaction, has become more and more important for people. A community has different definitions for different individuals. Both a townhome and a single-family dwelling offer you a choice of community style; again, the bottom line is what is suitable for you and your desires.
In some ways, single-family homes make it easier for owners to keep to themselves. They can decide how much interaction they want, as the distance between houses, the size of yards, fences, etc., can help them remain as isolated or as open as they desire. With a freestanding home, the owner has a better chance of staying private.
However, specific setups, such as the communities built by Revere Homes, allow and even encourage a strong sense of community and more interaction. Still, it is the choice of the individual homeowner, and a detached home does make keeping to yourself a little easier.
In a townhome situation, due to the proximity of the homes and the shared walls, there is more chance for a community to build. A townhome neighbor may be more apt to look out for one another. The simple logistics of a townhome do open the opportunity for a togetherness feeling.
However, this is not a hard and fast rule. If you’re buying a townhome, you do not necessarily have to be a part of the community, and not all townhome situations have that kind of atmosphere. Again, it depends on the individual, the community, and the general vibe. Talk to the folks at Revere Homes about their townhouses, the feel of the community, and decide how you might fit in.
A townhome is often newer than a single-family home unless you’re having a new home built for you by Revere Homes. A newer townhouse means you’re more apt to get modern, energy-efficient design and features that often go beyond what you’re going to find in a pre-owned, single-family home.
These features can include things such as a garage, more storage space, and even high-end appliances. It is important to note that these features may already be part of your single-family home if you buy or build with Revere Homes.
If you’re purchasing a single-family home on your own, not with Revere Homes, then you may be buying an older home, one that has been lived in for a while and is being sold by the owners or for them by a real estate agent. There are pluses to this situation to consider as well. The neighborhood may be perfect for you in relation to family and friends, work, or school. An older home does have history to it, and that can be appealing to some people. Also, an older home can be an opportunity for fixing up to add to or reconfigure to make a good home even better for your personal tastes.
Whether you’re buying a townhome or a single-family home, you may encounter an HOA, a homeowners association. These are more prevalent in a townhome situation and a constructed community situation and less so in a pre-owned older house in an established neighborhood.
An HOA will oversee a lot of what goes on in the neighborhood in terms of operations and order. Their purview can include maintenance, trash removal, and oversight of common areas; however, it could extend further depending on the association. It can also dictate colors of exterior walls, mailbox size and style, holiday decorations, and even pet breed and size restrictions. In senior townhome communities, the HOA may even set a minimum age limit for residents.
When you purchase a townhome or a single-family home under the auspices of an HOA, you agree to follow the HOA’s covenants, conditions, and restrictions, CC&Rs. Those will not change if you don’t like them or find that you simply cannot comply. With that in mind, it is imperative that you talk to the HOA, or the builder, or the developer and find out precisely what is involved in living in that community. If you cannot abide by the written CC&Rs, you shouldn’t buy in that subdivision or community. The HOA governing body as a whole is going to make decisions, and those will affect the community as a whole.
Due to logistics, an HOA is essential for a townhome community to keep the community running smoothly and make sure all occupants are happy. This is less of an issue with older, neighborhood single-family homes and even some development.s However, if you’re building a new home in a subdivision, chances are you’ll be working with an HOA.
HOAs are not evil, and they are not set up to make your life miserable. They set rules that are easy to follow and make sense. The wise move is to find out what is involved with the HOA and then make an informed decision as to whether you can abide by the rules or not. Revere Homes has HOA-managed properties and some that are not affiliated with an HOA, contact them, and they will help you find the perfect townhome or single-family home that fits you best.
A townhome is not necessarily less expensive than a freestanding home. However, a townhome owner may pay fees that a single-family homeowner does not have to think about. Depending on the development, a single-family homeowner might not have to pay HOA fees, but a townhome owner will most likely have to. A townhome owner also pays for any additional assessments required for the home, for example, a new roof or roof repair. A single-family homeowner would also be responsible for those repair or replacement fees. However, they wouldn’t be paying HOA fees on top of that.
Townhome owners will also pay real estate taxes which the local tax assessor determines. Single-family homeowners pay property tax as well.
However, the price of a townhome is usually less than that of a single-family, freestanding home in the same location.
Townhomes do make good starter homes for first-time buyers. They are also suitable for those who have a limited budget and are looking for a place to live compared to freestanding single-family homes.
Statewide in Utah, the median home price for a single-family home is $471,000 in 2021. This is a jump of 30% from 2020. The median townhouse price statewide is $286,900, which is a 15.46% jump from 2020. It’s important to note that the housing market in Utah is seeing prices on the rise, and this trend is predicted to continue into the future.
Like so many choices we encounter in this life, townhouse vs. Single-family home is a subjective question. You have to do a little digging, ask the tough questions and decide which one best fits the life you want to lead now and in the future.
Where you want to live, who you want to be near, do you like HOA, do you need to be close to the city, do you want to be in a more rural place? All these factors are going to be part of the answer. One thing we do know for sure is that before you make any decision about your new single-family home or townhome, talk to the experienced professionals at Revere Homes. With their decades of knowledge and experience, they will be able to help you sort things out and get you into the home that is just right for your needs.
Imagine a pristine home, never before dwelt in, where you create all the memories, all the pencil marks on the walls, all the laughter, and life that fills the rooms is yours alone. At Revere Homes, we pride ourselves on being experienced, creative, detail-driven home builders that listen and care about the people we’re building a new home for. From floor plans to finishes, you get to personalize and customize your home to suit you and your family. Ready to make your dream home a reality? Contact us today to get started.
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