Townhomes come in all shapes and sizes. Aside from the commonalities such as the fact that they are always attached to at least one other home, townhomes can be expected to be just as unique as any other home style. They can be stacked or row, one or more levels, and come in a variety of floor plans and bedroom allocations. They may feature a full sized garage (attached or detached), have all the space and comfort of a single family home, and offer a true sense of community. Plus, you can find neighbourhoods with or without condo fees – whatever works for you! Not to mention that townhomes are super cute and economical.
Exterior units are at the end of the townhome building. The biggest benefit would be that you only have one neighbor and is pretty much the equivalent to living in a duplex. Because we’ve already talked about the awesomeness of duplex living, I’m going to skip ahead and talk about owning a interior unit, the one that people tend to be the most hesitant about. While it is true you will have two neighbours and both sides of your walls are shared with another household, there are many other factors to take into consideration that may make you think twice about writing off an interior townhome unit altogether.
First of all, most party-walls (industry speak for shared walls) are constructed nowadays to minimize sound transfer from your neighbours. There is an abundance of careful planning and new technology that goes into it, so as long as we’re not talking extreme cases of crazy parties every night or an aspiring heavy metal band practicing next door, day to day activities should happen without your notice and you will forget that you even have neighbours.
Secondly, the overall price of an interior unit generally tends to be significantly lower than that of an exterior one. For a home that is the same size, you’re paying way less and thus allowing extra savings for other things such as furniture, your awesome stamp collecting hobby or that trip to Australia you’ve been dreaming of for years. Calculate your future mortgage here.
Finally, and I think this has to be my favorite, is the money you can save on heating and energy bills! Living between two households who are probably cranking up the heat during those cold winter nights means that you might not have to. Plus being in such close proximity means that if your internet happens to fail and your neighbor didn’t think to put a password on their access, you can “borrow” theirs! Yes, I understand that this point may be in a moral gray area but I’m just saying. For emergencies.
Townhomes suit a variety of lifestyles. Whether you’re single, downsizing, or just starting out, take a look the vast amount of options available and maybe you’ll find one that’s perfect for you!
