Which townhouse to buy in Philadelphia? New construction

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where will your husband WFH in this two bedroom townhouse? Is there even room for a desk in the master bedroom?

It's a tiny little townhouse with hardly any storage or closets. I would think you would be happier with more room for the kids to play and more space. I think you can do better.

Right now, we’re doing just fine in our 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment. He works from the bedroom.

How does the square footage compare?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I am a Philadelphian now in the DMV and was all prepared to give my home grown advice, especially regarding schools etc, but now you say this is in Hatboro…whoa. That is not Philly, at all.

So at this point, all I can say is do you want to live in a 2bedroom with 2 small children? For 300K out in the hinderlands surely you can find 3 bedrooms. Those children will not be that small for long.

OP here. Um okay. We live in greater Philadelphia I guess. Why do you have to be a snob? It’s a mile from the train station. People commute into the city from my area. Doubt many people from here know all of the suburbs of Philadelphia. I’ve only been here for 2 months and there are millions of towns everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where will your husband WFH in this two bedroom townhouse? Is there even room for a desk in the master bedroom?

It's a tiny little townhouse with hardly any storage or closets. I would think you would be happier with more room for the kids to play and more space. I think you can do better.

Right now, we’re doing just fine in our 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment. He works from the bedroom.

How does the square footage compare?

Almost the same

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where will your husband WFH in this two bedroom townhouse? Is there even room for a desk in the master bedroom?

It's a tiny little townhouse with hardly any storage or closets. I would think you would be happier with more room for the kids to play and more space. I think you can do better.

Right now, we’re doing just fine in our 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment. He works from the bedroom.

How does the square footage compare?

Almost the same

But you'll lose some of that space to the staircases (assuming your apartment now is all on one floor). I am looking at the floorplan and the master bedroom looks super tight.

FWIW, I am living temporarily in a 1100 sq ft townhouse. It's totally fine, but it has a ton of closets and that makes a huge difference. It's also only two floors, so each of my floors is bigger than each of yours will be (because you also have sq footage on the basement). They're a fine size, but not roomy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where will your husband WFH in this two-bedroom townhouse? Is there even room for a desk in the master bedroom?

It's a tiny little townhouse with hardly any storage or closets. I would think you would be happier with more room for the kids to play and more space. I think you can do better.

Right now, we’re doing just fine in our 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment. He works from the bedroom.

How does the square footage compare?

Almost the same

But you'll lose some of that space to the staircases (assuming your apartment now is all on one floor). I am looking at the floorplan and the master bedroom looks super tight.

FWIW, I am living temporarily in a 1100 sq ft townhouse. It's totally fine, but it has a ton of closets and that makes a huge difference. It's also only two floors, so each of my floors is bigger than each of yours will be (because you also have sq footage on the basement). They're a fine size, but not roomy.

Op here. I think we would rather go under our budget. It will give us more freedom to save for retirement, college, etc. We buy used cars.

[Anonymous]

DP. What's in question then, are you trying to decide between the 309 and the 367? Or something else? Is only the 309 under your budget? (Don't mean to be rude, in case it comes across that way in text.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where will your husband WFH in this two-bedroom townhouse? Is there even room for a desk in the master bedroom?

It's a tiny little townhouse with hardly any storage or closets. I would think you would be happier with more room for the kids to play and more space. I think you can do better.

Right now, we’re doing just fine in our 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment. He works from the bedroom.

How does the square footage compare?

Almost the same

But you'll lose some of that space to the staircases (assuming your apartment now is all on one floor). I am looking at the floorplan and the master bedroom looks super tight.

FWIW, I am living temporarily in a 1100 sq ft townhouse. It's totally fine, but it has a ton of closets and that makes a huge difference. It's also only two floors, so each of my floors is bigger than each of yours will be (because you also have sq footage on the basement). They're a fine size, but not roomy.

Op here. I think we would rather go under our budget. It will give us more freedom to save for retirement, college, etc. We buy used cars.

That’s fair. I’d consider if these are worth buying vs renting. There has not typically been a lot of appreciation in the Philly suburbs (This last yr was an exception). Once these are no longer new, will they be worth as much as you paid? Don’t know, just something to consider.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DP. What's in question then, are you trying to decide between the 309 and the 367? Or something else? Is only the 309 under your budget? (Don't mean to be rude, in case it comes across that way in text.)

Yes. We're trying to divide between the two.

[Anonymous]

What about an older townhouse like these? It's not brand new but it's a lot more space than the one you're considering:

https://www.redfin.com/PA/Ambler/2402-Honey-Run-Rd-19002/home/38897263

https://www.redfin.com/PA/Maple-Glen/712-Manchester-Dr-19002/unit-18/home/38905955

Keep in mind that with new construction base price is only the beginning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about an older townhouse like these? It's not brand new, but it's a lot more space than the one you're considering:

https://www.redfin.com/PA/Ambler/2402-Honey-Run-Rd-19002/home/38897263

https://www.redfin.com/PA/Maple-Glen/712-Manchester-Dr-19002/unit-18/home/38905955

Keep in mind that with new construction base price is only the beginning.

I like the first one, but DH wants a newer house. That's why I think the 309k is our best bet, even if it's only two bedrooms. He's a pain in the ass to work with.

[Anonymous]

I’d go with whichever one is closer to Jim's Steaks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about an older townhouse like these? It's not brand new, but it's a lot more space than the one you're considering:

https://www.redfin.com/PA/Ambler/2402-Honey-Run-Rd-19002/home/38897263

https://www.redfin.com/PA/Maple-Glen/712-Manchester-Dr-19002/unit-18/home/38905955

Keep in mind that with new construction base price is only the beginning.

I like the first one, but DH wants a newer house. That's why I think the 309k is our best bet, even if it's only two bedrooms. He's a pain in the ass to work with.

Eh, sorry he's being a pain but I kinda get it. We just bought a 60s house and I love it but it definitely has some of umm unique issues related to the age.

For the 309 would there any storage space in the garage? I just moved from a very similar place, the top 2 floors only though, and I cannot emphasize enough how cramped and annoying it felt with so little closet/storage space.


But,maybe I just have too much stuff.

[Anonymous]

OP, your husband is being unrealistic with his fears over an older house. Brand new houses come with all sorts of problems too. Especially cheaply built, builder grade new builds where the developer cuts as many corners to eke out as much of a profit.

The new houses you're looking at are very small, very cramped, badly thought out (why waste room on a garage in such a small square footage?). You will quickly outgrow this space. And it's a classic example of a property that loses value sooner rather than later. As a PP pointed out above, appreciation is historically very slow in the Philadelphia region. It's only this past year that you've had a hot market. This is a property that you could struggle to sell and recoup your money in a slow market, and yes, one day the market will be slow. This time next year it could be sluggish. It looks like the kind of property that is quickly converted into rentals with unpredictable neighbors. And here's a nasty surprise you'll discover, it cost a lot of money just to buy and sell a house. Closing costs, agent fees and all that adds up. In 2-3 years time when you'll want to sell the townhouse because your kids need more space and a third bedroom, you'll be shocked at how much money you'll need to spend to sell the house, plus buy another house. That's why it's fairly useful to try to get it "right" the first time.

"Older" properties can be easy to maintain as long as they've been maintained well. The link to the SFH on the first page shows a 1950s rambler but looks like it's been updated. It has a full basement and a big property, which means a lot more breathing space for your family. This townhouse offers no breathing space whatsoever. Any potential repair costs will be standard for any house, and if there's anything else beyond that, just keep in mind it'll be a lot cheaper than having to sell and buy another house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, your husband is being unrealistic with his fears over an older house. Brand new houses come with all sorts of problems too. Incredibly cheaply built, builder grade new builds where the developer cuts as many corners to eke out as much of a profit.

The new houses you're looking at are very small, very cramped, badly thought out (why waste room on a garage in such a small square footage?). You will quickly outgrow this space. And it's a classic example of a property that loses value sooner rather than later. As a PP pointed out above, appreciation is historically very slow in the Philadelphia region. It's only this past year that you've had a hot market. This is a property that you could struggle to sell and recoup your money in a slow market, and yes, one day the market will be slow. This time next year it could be sluggish. It looks like the kind of property that is quickly converted into rentals with unpredictable neighbors. And here's a nasty surprise you'll discover, it cost a lot of money just to buy and sell a house. Closing costs, agent fees and all that adds up. In 2-3 years time when you'll want to sell the townhouse because your kids need more space and a third bedroom, you'll be shocked at how much money you'll need to spend to sell the house, plus buy another house. That's why it's fairly useful to try to get it "right" the first time.

"Older" properties can be easy to maintain as long as they've been maintained well. The link to the SFH on the first page shows a 1950s rambler but looks like it's been updated. It has a full basement and a big property, which means a lot more breathing space for your family. This townhouse offers no breathing space whatsoever. Any potential repair costs will be standard for any house, and if there's anything else beyond that, just keep in mind it'll be a lot cheaper than having to sell and buy another home.

DH isn't going to buy an older house. He's not okay with that. We could do this one, but we would compromise on the space. We'll be in a closer location to gyms, a mosque, the mall, etc. We could buy a 20-year-old townhome further away, but it's in a more isolated area. My husband wants to be 5 minutes from a mosque. I am not kidding. Hrs very hard to work with. He likes to go there every evening to pray. Unfortunately, there aren't as many mosques as church's, so we're limited on where we can live. It's important to him. It's where he connects with people who are from similar backgrounds. Our kids will go to Arabic classes at this community center twice a week. Maybe if we end up moving, we can turn it into a rental. There aren't many new houses around, so perhaps it will be attractive to others later.

[Anonymous]

I would do the 2bedroom + den or wait and save more money for something else. A straight two bedroom is going to get old as your kids. Been there done that!