Choosing the type of home you want is a life-style decision. You should consider what your life style is now, and what it will be like for the next several years, and then review the different types of homes and what owning those homes will mean to your lifestyle.

The classic "American Dream" has often been represented by the media as a single family detached home with a yard, garage, and several bedrooms, often located in the "suburbs" wherever that is! Honestly, if you look past that description and focus in on the responsibilties of maintaining that type of home, you'll understand the lifestyle impacts you are about to assume. In an SFD, the owner is responsible for all the upkeep to keep it pretty (yard mowing; bush trimming; taking the trash can out to the street, and back again; planting for color in the flower beds; pulling weeds; raking leaves; repainting at regular intervals; keeping the gutters clean; and so on. It's a lot of work, and you can choose to do it yourself or pay someone to do it for you, but it must get done, or your dream home ends up becoming an eyesore to your neighbors and lowers your property value. In an SFD, you can tear down exterior walls, build additions, outbuildings etc. You own the land and the structures on it, subject to any community rules and regulations (see CCRs below).

        A townhome is usually semi-detached, meaning you have a common wall with your neighbors, and it is usually on more than one level (a garden townhome by comparison is on one level only). Ownership is usually "fee Simple" meaning you have title to the property and walls, and are responsible for exterior maintenance and upkeep. Most of the duties are the same as for an SFD home. Some townhome communities offer to take care of the yards and exterior maintenance of the buildings, but in return you do not have title to those things and must pay a monthly fee for that service. You cannot usually change anything outside in a townhouse, but have complete freedom inside.

        Condominiums are similar to townhomes, however they usualy restrict the owners more in their use of the facility. It's like living in an apartment that you actually own. Condos often offer more freedom from those upkeep chores we talked about. Additionally ownership is different than townhomes, since the costs of the entire condominium complex are shared by the owners collectively. Monthly fees are usually higher, but provide more amenities in return. Each community is different and each has it's own rules and restrictions contained in the "Condo Docs" or Codes Covenants and Restirctions (CCRs) for the community. Usually you cannot change any external physical aspect of a condo, but have total decorating freedom within your own unit.

        In all of these styles of homes, there are usually some sort of overlying set of rules, say for a homeowners assocation, condo association, or townhome community, which specify monthly or yearly dues, what you can and cannot do to the property or within the community, sometimes as specific as to what color your front door can be or what type of grass you can or cannot plant. Some samples of community docs are on our website in the reports section for your review.