Anonymous wrote:We lived in a townhouse and then bought a single family house. We tremendously dislike yard work so we outsourced that. We prefer the SFH-less stairs, you don't hear your neighbors, etc. However, I highly recommend that you evaluate the yard carefully before buying a SFH. The house we bought was in fairly good condition, most of the work we had to do was cosmetic. However, the yard needed work and we didn't realize the cost involved. There was a drainage problem in the yard which we did not discover until about 9 months living in the house. We had to get the yard graded, we had to cut down some old trees that weren't stable; we had to do a couple of other projects. It was expensive. So evaluate the yard, make sure there isn't major problems. We added a few low-maintenance plants and trees, and outsourced the yard work. That's been a big help. But again, definately spent more on the yard that we anticipated.

wow good advice! what's a good way to evaluate the yard for these problems prior to purchase?

We lived in a townhouse and then bought a single family house. We tremendously dislike yard work so we outsourced that. We prefer the SFH-less stairs, you don't hear your neighbors, etc. However, I highly recommend that you evaluate the yard carefully before buying a SFH. The house we bought was in fairly good condition, most of the work we had to do was cosmetic. However, the yard needed work and we didn't realize the cost involved. There was a drainage problem in the yard which we did not discover until about 9 months living in the house. We had to get the yard graded, we had to cut down some old trees that weren't stable; we had to do a couple of other projects. It was expensive. So evaluate the yard, make sure there isn't major problems. We added a few low-maintenance plants and trees, and outsourced the yard work. That's been a big help. But again, definately spent more on the yard that we anticipated.

We live in a smaller, older charming SFH in Arlington. I love it. We have a nice yard but not too much yard. I feel like we have so many more options than with a townhouse. We have lots of windows and the house is filled with light. It is easier to clean a smaller place. We're about a mile from metro so its a nice 20 min walk in good weather , or can catch a bus that runs very frequently, so that is a plus too.

I like having a yard for our dog, and more autonomy that you get with a SFH. The SFH also holds its value and appreciates more than a TH.

Another thing I like is that the SFH neighborhood turns over - new builds, renos, etc - omore than a TH neighborhood, which can start to look dated.

We live in an upscale sought after town home community in Arlington...everything about is wonderful. Or I should say WAS wonderful until we got new next-door neighbors about a year ago. They have screaming banshee sex and screaming banshee fights....other neighbors have called the cops on them at least twice. One time, the woman, a drunk was hauled off somewhere.

We feel like we live in an episode of cops and are looking for a single family home because of it.

I traded in a 1970's townhouse (3BR/2.5BA on 3 levels) for a 1940's single family cape cod.

Townhouse pluses: appreciate that there was less outdoor maintenance, and that things were generally cheaper to replace or maintain. (Siding, roofing, etc.) The newer plumbing and electric were a huge plus. I probably used my deck more than I use my current one because it was bigger and right off of the dining room, so we often ate there.

Neutrals: The stairs weren't a big issue because our house now has the same number of stairs too. We had assigned parking; now we have a driveway.

Downsides: My SFH has more charm and character - hardwoods, crown moldings, random angles. And I found the neighbors more annoying in my TH. There were more renters and they were closer to us. There was constant turnover, more noise, and when they'd smoke on their deck, it came in my back door. That was annoying. And to be honest, I never felt like my TH was my forever home, but more of a transition between renting apartments and buying a "real" house. I think that is a factor for a lot of people.

I was closer to metro - walking distance - at my TH. In my current house, we're on buslines but can't walk to metro. I do miss walking to metro, so if the townhouse gets you that kind of tradeoff, it's worth considering.