Why do you prefer living in a house or an apartment?

[Anonymous]

no more Condo, TH

I hate foot step, base sound, loud music and .....

SFH +1

[Anonymous]

there are pros and cons to any of them. I lived in a condo as a single person and then for a few months as a married couple. We then bought a small TH, which worked for a while, but by the time our child was 2, we wanted more space to spread out AND a yard. We moved into a SFH right as she started K, and now that we have a dog, too - we would NEVER go back. Being able to set the kid and dog free in the fenced backyard is a lifesaver.

[Anonymous]

I live in a condo with a lot of amenities (on site maintenance staff, staff to recieve packages - great for signing for on-line wine purchases! - delivery dry cleaning, nice gardens, cable and internet included in HOA). It really makes life a lot easier - I spend more time enjoying where I live and times when I've had a heavy travel schedule, it's been a godsend. That said, it doesn't get you a lawn and it's kind of hard to put on an addition and add space, so, somewhat reluctantly, I'm shopping for a single family home right now.

[Anonymous]

I think both have pros and con's. We were in a condo for 5 years and recently bought a SFH.

Condo:
Pro: low maintenance, no wasting time on yard work, weekends are purely for relaxing, amenities: having a pool and tennis courts you don’t have to maintain is pretty nice. Low responsibility: roof leaks you call the condo and so forth, snow removal: other than digging out my own car they do all the other work

Cons: special assessments: we paid a hefty assessment for a major project/repair that did not benefit us/our unit in any way, rules: they have rules for everything we need to get permission for any changes we wanted to do like installing an above the range microwave, new windows, hardwood floors, Neighbors: you hear and smell everything your neighbors cook and do

Cond fees: I don’t know that they are a total waste of money or just throwing money away, there are no more and in many cases less than what you would be spending on house maintenance. When stuff goes wrong in a SFH is isn’t cheap.

SFH
Pro: yard, no rules, more space, better for older kids (lived in condo until son was 2), for us we outgrew the condo a lot sooner than we had planned
Cons: lots of work, always something to do, spending money on maintenance, when things break you have to find a contractor to fix it and spend the money

So I have likes and dislikes with both. I like the space and freedom of a SFH, but the maintenance is exhausting at times. I often miss the carefree weekends in the condo where we didn’t have to worry about doing any “house” work.

[Anonymous]

I think the Original Poster already answered her own question - she grew up in a multifamily residence and prefers to continue that.

My friends from Hong Kong, Manhattan and other even denser cities consider that the only way to go. Others are accustomed to gardens, lawns, driveways, etc.

To each her own, but even better, might be good for you to try each and then actually decide for yourself. The great thing here is, (s/t budget) you have a choice!!

[Anonymous]

Dh and I love lofts and condos but like to grill. Condo didn't permit grills on balconies. We have wondered if penthouses permit them. (We grill 4 times a week year round.)

[Anonymous]

We cannot stand outdoor upkeep and maintenance (lawns, gardens) but we like having access to the outdoors for grilling. So, a townhouse has been the best compromise for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think both have pros and con's. We were in a condo for 5 years and recently bought a SFH.

Condo:
Pro: low maintenance, no wasting time on yard work, weekends are purely for relaxing, amenities: having a pool and tennis courts you don’t have to maintain is pretty nice. Low responsibility: roof leaks you call the condo and so forth, snow removal: other than digging out my own car they do all the other work

Cons: special assessments: we paid a hefty assessment for a major project/repair that did not benefit us/our unit in any way, rules: they have rules for everything we need to get permission for any changes we wanted to do like installing an above the range microwave, new windows, hardwood floors, Neighbors: you hear and smell everything your neighbors cook and do

Cond fees: I don’t know that they are a total waste of money or just throwing money away, there are no more and in many cases less than what you would be spending on house maintenance. When stuff goes wrong in a SFH is isn’t cheap.

SFH
Pro: yard, no rules, more space, better for older kids (lived in condo until son was 2), for us we outgrew the condo a lot sooner than we had planned
Cons: lots of work, always something to do, spending money on maintenance, when things break you have to find a contractor to fix it and spend the money

So I have likes and dislikes with both. I like the space and freedom of a SFH, but the maintenance is exhausting at times. I often miss the carefree weekends in the condo where we didn’t have to worry about doing any “house” work.

If you purchase a SFH in PUD. You will still have a chance to enjoy amenities. you will need to pay HOA fee, but it is cheaper than condo. The new SFH and newer SFH has a little yard to maintain right now if you are not a yard person like me.

as far as maintenance, unless you rent it otherwise if you own the condo, you will still pay anything by your own if something break inside of your unit. Condo fee is only cover exterior of your condo. If you do not need a yard space, I will vote for new SFH.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dh and I love lofts and condos but like to grill. Condo didn't permit grills on balconies. We have wondered if penthouses permit them. (We grill 4 times a week year round.)

A lot of buildings have rooftop decks with tables, chairs, and grills. Some even have pretty nice "outdoor kitchens".

[Anonymous]

DH and I currently live in a 5000 sq. foot house. No kids yet. Previous to buying the house we rented for years, and lived in a one-bedroom apartment in an urban high rise, a two bedroom rental condo in a third floor walk up buidling in Dupont, a three level rental townhouse in Bethesda, and finally our current single family house.

Out of all of these, I liked the rental townhouse and the single family house best. I hated living in apartments. I didn't like communal living, the way you could smell your neighbors' cigarette smoke coming under your front door, hear their music and noise from your walls, and were subjected to having to endure improvements on the building (such as painting the walls of your floor, having to endure the paint smell for weeks, etc.). I also didn't like being cramped in an apartment and having no storage space.

The townhouse was nice (rental) because it was more space and because we didn't have to deal with smells or noise from interior units on a common hallway. Though we still heard noise from the unit next door but it wasn't as bad. I just didn't like the communal living aspect of the townhouse.

So when we decided to buy our first place, we wanted to buy a big house on a huge yard. We wanted a huge yard (2 acres) so that we wouldn't have to be bothered by neighbors. Though the downside of a house is the expense when something breaks and all the maintenance and upkeep on a larger property.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH and I currently live in a 5000 sq. foot house. No kids yet. Previous to buying the house we rented for years, and lived in a one-bedroom apartment in an urban high rise, a two bedroom rental condo in a third floor walk up buidling in Dupont, a three level rental townhouse in Bethesda, and finally our current single family house.

Out of all of these, I liked the rental townhouse and the single family house best. I hated living in apartments. I didn't like communal living, the way you could smell your neighbors' cigarette smoke coming under your front door, hear their music and noise from your walls, and were subjected to having to endure improvements on the building (such as painting the walls of your floor, having to endure the paint smell for weeks, etc.). I also didn't like being cramped in an apartment and having no storage space.

The townhouse was nice (rental) because it was more space and because we didn't have to deal with smells or noise from interior units on a common hallway. Though we still heard noise from the unit next door but it wasn't as bad. I just didn't like the communal living aspect of the townhouse.

So when we decided to buy our first place, we wanted to buy a big house on a huge yard. We wanted a huge yard (2 acres) so that we wouldn't have to be bothered by neighbors. Though the downside of a house is the expense when something breaks and all the maintenance and upkeep on a larger property.

Are you Knick-Knack/Curio Cabinet Lady?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you plan to have a family, buy a house NOW while interest rates are low and have not sky-rocketed back to the 80s levels. otherwise, by the time you decide to move, rates might be too high already and you might be majorly priced out of a lot of places you can afford now.

are you a real estate agent?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH and I currently live in a 5000 sq. foot house. No kids yet. Previous to buying the house we rented for years, and lived in a one-bedroom apartment in an urban high rise, a two bedroom rental condo in a third floor walk up buidling in Dupont, a three level rental townhouse in Bethesda, and finally our current single family house.

Out of all of these, I liked the rental townhouse and the single family house best. I hated living in apartments. I didn't like communal living, the way you could smell your neighbors' cigarette smoke coming under your front door, hear their music and noise from your walls, and were subjected to having to endure improvements on the building (such as painting the walls of your floor, having to endure the paint smell for weeks, etc.). I also didn't like being cramped in an apartment and having no storage space.

The townhouse was nice (rental) because it was more space and because we didn't have to deal with smells or noise from interior units on a common hallway. Though we still heard noise from the unit next door but it wasn't as bad. I just didn't like the communal living aspect of the townhouse.

So when we decided to buy our first place, we wanted to buy a big house on a huge yard. We wanted a huge yard (2 acres) so that we wouldn't have to be bothered by neighbors. Though the downside of a house is the expense when something breaks and all the maintenance and upkeep on a larger property.

where do you live?

[Anonymous]

We wanted a SFH. We don't like shared walls for several reasons already mentioned by other PPs (noise, smoke, etc). We are both musicians and we both have instruments. We like that we can practice, rehearse or just play when we feel like it and not worry about shared walls. My partner has severe allergies and shared ventilation is horrific. I also like having more space especially not having to double up on so many spaces. In our last smaller home, our office was the guest room and that meant that it was harder to work at night when we had houseguests...I ended up parking in the dining room with a laptop instead of having my home office which is much more functional. We like having the increased storage because we both have a number of family heirlooms/hand-me-downs and things of only occasional functionality (holiday decorations, less often used appliances, etc) or sentimentality that we don't want to get rid of. And now that we have kids soon to be walking, I like having outdoor space that is outside my door where I can be inside and watch them through my wall of windows without having to be outside with them (like taking them to the park or playground and having to wait there while they played).

[Anonymous]

I think I am a odd person. I don't like shared wall, either. (noise). I like to have a SFH, but it did not need to have a yard. I am not a yard person. We don't have a dog to walk. I think as long as my house did not attache to neighbor's wall. I am cool.