As a first time home buyer, you may love the thought of hosting backyard dessert parties all summer long, with twinkle lights and citronella candles casting a shimmer over your friends’ faces. Then you remember how freshly-cut grass makes you sneeze, and just as vivid in your imagination as your dessert party is the vision of living in a walkable neighborhood with restaurants and public transportation always a few steps away.
How do you decide which type of home is right when you’re making your first purchase? Here are a few things every first time home buyer should consider:
Think about your lifestyle. Do you love to garden and landscape on a large scale, or is the hum of a close-knit community more important to you? Living in a single family home is often the default option when buyers start looking for a house, but it’s not the only option and may not be the best for you.
Think about the level of privacy or solitude you desire. While it can be fun to say hello to your neighbors in a condo or townhouse community, noisy neighbors can add a soundtrack to your days that you never wanted, like kids yelling while you’re relaxing in a bubble bath or an upstairs neighbor that absentmindedly bounces a ball anytime he’s deep in conversation on the phone. Dani Beyer Real Estate can help you think through some of your preferences when it comes to the community you’ll ultimately choose.
How much do you want to be responsible for? When you’re a single family home owner, that invoice for your new roof is coming to you, and only you. When you live in a condominium, you share your roof with other residents, and you’ll share the bill. You’ll also have the benefit of a homeowners’ association (HOA) that handles all the grass-cutting, landscaping and maintenance by hiring someone else to do it.
If you’re a young professional, living in a condo may seem like a good fit, because you may have more access to shops, restaurants and entertainment, as well as public transportation options. What you’ll also have is an HOA fee on top of your mortgage, so be sure to factor that in when you’re creating your budget for your new home.
You also might end up with more fees than you anticipated, if you have a neighbor who is unable to pay for their share of a necessary repair. You’ll likely get reimbursed later, but it’s important to be aware that these situations can happen before choosing a condo.
Is a townhouse the perfect solution? A townhouse does seem to check off some of the benefits of both single family home ownership and living in a condominium community. You still get that close-knit feel with a townhouse, yet many offer lawn and landscaping maintenance. You share fewer walls with other residents in a townhouse, so you may have less chance of a noisy neighbor.
As a first time home buyer, you have a lot of options for shaping your leisure time. If your picture-perfect Saturday doesn’t include you puffing away behind a lawnmower or spreading mulch, then enjoy a time in your life when you have options! Contact us at Dani Beyer Real Estate to get started finding your perfect community!