Home

[kivah]

I owned several beautiful homes and in 1989 I stupidly purchased the "townhouse from hell." I lived there for 11 years and hated every day. Claustrophobic, I was attached on both sides (there were sets of 3 units attached); bad floor plan, small unit, 1200 sq. ft - 2 stories; house behind mine was too close; no sidewalks - just tar gutters to walk; surrounded by mountains - so when people in their backyards or outside spoke, I heard it. Also, there was a sewer a few feet out from my unit, when cars drove over it, it was a loud bang. Hated the homeowners fee - I'd rather use that to pay a gardener to take care of my front yard. There was a row of guest parking and a pool -- too close to my unit.

Also, townhomes/condos don't appreciate like homes do - so it was also a bad investment. 

I was going thru a stressful time - and my cousin talked me into this purchase. We no longer speak.

God helped me get out of there in 2001 - and I immediately bought a brand new house 45 minutes west. Love, Love, Love my house!!!!!

[Abrowneyegirl]

In our area, all the nice neighborhoods of homes (single-family) all have HOA's.  All of our homes have had HOA's.

Our current home is a condo 3550 sq ft with the same deal, it has an HOA but it is a private community where all the exterior is taken care of so in our state it is considered a condo.  We no longer want to deal with yard work, or shoveling driveways or walks.  

For us we prefer to relax and have fun, not be burdened with any more 'house tending' than we need to be. So Condo all the way!!

[sunshine45]

starting from my beginning, i have lived in a rowhouse, an apartment, a house, an apartment, a house, a house, an apartment, and a house.......in that order.

HOUSE......no question about it.

[FastDogWalker2]

We have lived in both.  Our condo was a second home that we used on weekends.  It was on a bay of the Atlantic.  It was well run but a lot of senior people lived there full time and were quite strict about people following EVERY SINGLE RULE to the letter.  It was a bit much.  We moved further from it and no longer wanted to make the trip so we sold it. I don't miss it.

[AnikaBrodie]

House ... We downsized to a one level retirement home a year ago.  We are in a wonderful cul-de-sac and have many amenities available to us for a modest fee.  We love our home which is a duplex with garages in the middle.  No noise from neighbors.

We had looked at several townhouses.  They were lovely but all of them had steps up and down and we soon vetoed that idea.  We did not want a basement.

[godi]

House all the way. I live in condo it's not bad well built. I don't hear my neighbors. But I just don't feel comfortable living like this. We don't have any fees here, we are responsible for our yard and snow removal or any upkeep. I would like this unit without the attachments on my own property. 

[Desert Lily]

Hi @deedledeedeedle  I always opted for a house ... until now. I'm planning on retiring this summer. I did the outside work myself most of the time; trimmed shrubs, trimmed tree branches, cleaned up leaves, painted trim, etc. About 5 years ago I hired a lawn service, but the sprinkler tubes get leaks, shrubs & trees need replacing, etc. Frankly, the outdoor maintenance stresses me out. I'm looking to downsize now that my child is on the opposite coast finishing a doctorate and I want to move from the area where I live. I don't want a big house to clean anymore. I want a condo with an extra bedroom or 2 for when family or friends visit.

[TheMemphisVette]

house, one level

minimum of 2 acres, most wooded/natural

no hoa

[kivah]

I never have yard work - my gardener comes here every week.

[kivah]

---

@scatcat wrote:

House

No HOA fees, rules, board.

No shared walls, no nosey people in your business.  

Maybe I'll change my mind when we get older and want to downsize 

---

I'm older and have a house - was sooooo claustrophobic in my previous townhome. If I still lived in that townhouse from hell - I wouldn't be able to survive staying home.