Irrespective of the difference between a condo and a townhouse, a home is what no one would ever joke with. Having a shelter or a roof over one’s head is a priority. This is one of the basic and major necessities of man.
A well-built and furnished home will give you peace of mind. But a house not kept in order will turn out to be a form of disaster to its inhabitants and may extend to the environment.
But the question is, what is the difference between a condo and a townhouse.
The difference between a condo and a townhouse is:
- Townhouses have fewer amenities compared to condos
- Townhouses are more private than condos
- The rules of a condo are basically different from a townhouse
- The type of ownership between a condo and a townhouse differs
- Townhouses pay fewer fees in the HOA than condominium
What is a Condo?
A condo is also referred to as a condominium. It is a set of separately owned units of houses in one particular building which is quite different from an apartment that is on rental.
Having a condo makes you responsible for taking care of your monthly fee that is always been collected by a condo association.
What the condo association does is take care of all the exterior parts of the condo and certain common areas in it as well. Mind you living in a condo is expensive and not everyone can afford the bills and other charges attached to it.
When you rent a condo, you are directly renting from the owner of the condominium. In renting a condo, the condominium is not responsible for any form of repair in your condo, you are in charge of anything that needs maintenance in your condo.
In other words, as earlier stated, the cost of living in a condo can be very high compared to the cost of staying in a normal apartment. This is as a result of all the charges, bills, repaid, dues, and other challenges attached to the maintenance of a condo in any given environment.
What is a Townhouse?
A townhouse is a house built in one particular style or fashion, and they are multi-floor homes sharing one or two walls with close properties but each one of them has a separated entrance door or gate from the others.
This is to say that townhouses are set of homes that have multiple floors built in a particular style, and each of these buildings has other properties of some kind close to them but the difference here is that they have different entrances, but each of them is very close to each other’s and they mostly share same walls together.
All the houses seen in a townhouse are uniform in nature and most times you would see them situated in a community. In that community, there is most likely going to be a homeowner’s association which is a body in charge of all the townhouses in a particular community. So the question you should ask now is What Does HOA Cover for Townhouse?
When you see modern townhouses, they are well organized and their homeowner’s associations are structured in a very good way without much stress. But the reverse is the case when it comes to old townhouses, they are mostly not organized like the modern ones.
What is the Difference Between a Condo and a Townhouse?
The difference between a condo and a townhouse is:
1. Amenities Found in Each of Them
This is a huge difference between a condo and a townhouse. Amenities like gyms, parks, recreational centers are part of most buildings but in this case, townhouses have fewer amenities compared to condos. There are greater amenities seen on a condo than in a townhouse.
2. Privacy
Everyone seeks to have privacy when they get a house, but the issue is not the same when it comes to a condo and a townhouse. Townhouses are more private than condos. This is to say that if you wish to enjoy more privacy, it is better to be in a townhouse than in a condo.
3. Rules and Regulations
This is another distinguishing factor between a condo and a townhouse. The rules of a condo are basically different from the set of rules seen in a townhouse, this is because of how the two buildings are structured and patterned for their inhabitants.
4. Type of Ownership
This is another difference between a condo and a townhouse. If you have a condo, you are responsible for maintaining the interior part of your condo, while you must pay your dues for the exterior parts of the building to be maintained on daily basis.
On the other hand, a townhouse has two types of ownership: simple and condominium. If you go for this type, you are to take care of the inside while the outside is taken care of by your HOA fees.
5. Association Fee
Townhouses pay less fees in the HOA than seen in a condo.
These are basic differences seen between a condo and a townhouse.
Is a Townhouse Considered a Condo?
A townhouse is not considered a condo because of the clear difference between a condo and a townhouse such as the type of ownership, the set of rules in them, amenities found in them, etc.
Mere looking at the both of them, they may share some similarities but the fact remains that there are certain things that differentiate them from each other and this is the basic reason why a townhouse cannot be considered a condo.
Which is better Between a Condo and Townhouse?
Townhouses are better than condos because when you have a townhouse, you own the interior, exterior, back, and sides of the house unlike in condo which is cheaper but come with no land and all the exteriors are common areas shared by everyone in the condominium.
Which is Bigger a Townhouse or a Condo?
Townhouses are typically bigger than condos because of the exterior, backyard, side yards attached to a townhouse which cannot be found in a condo.
Conclusion
Both condos and townhouses are abodes for people to stay in, but there are some differences between them both.
Depending on what you want and the type of life you chose to live, you can decide to go for a condo if that is what suits you and your family or you can as well make up your mind to go for a townhouse if that is what would benefit you and your family the more.
But have it in mind that there are still pros and cons from each of them, so it is advised to have a good feasibility study between the two, consult some real estate managers and agencies before making up your mind to go for either a condo or a townhouse.
