A townhome is preferable if you don’t want to deal with petty neighbors or a condo board, and you’re comfortable with managing a building. A condo is a better idea if you don’t wish to deal with building maintenance and repairs, and prefer a more passive approach to ownership.
No Interference When Selling Your Townhome
If someone wants to buy your property, they won’t have to fill out a condo purchase application and wait for the board to give their right of first refusal. In fact, the buyer won’t have to deal with anyone except yourself and your listing agent if you decide to sell your home with a broker.
No Condo Board to Deal with on a Daily Basis
One of the main benefits of buying a townhome vs condo is that you’ll be the sole owner of the entire building and lot. As a result, you’ll be the sole decision maker when it comes to your property and you won’t have to get the board’s permission to do renovations and you won’t get fined for leaving your stuff in the hallways.
No Surprise Assessments by Your Condo Board
If you have a townhome, you won’t be surprised by special assessments levied by your condo board to do mandatory upgrades that some may consider optional.
No Board Politics and Stressful Elections
Buying a townhome vs condo means you’ll save lots of time from playing building politics and dealing with stressful board elections. After all, whoever gets elected to the board will ultimately control the building and many aspects of all the residents’ lives.
Ideally, the people who get elected to your condo board are responsible, honest individuals who are volunteering their time in good faith for the good of everyone in the building. However, many times the only reason people campaign to get elected to their condo board is to secure advantage for themselves.
No Petty Neighbors
Buying a townhome vs condo means you won’t have to deal with any petty neighbors on your floor or in your building. In a condo, petty neighbors can be more than a nuisance if they are on the condo board and like to hold grudges.
Condos are inherently easier to manage and maintain than a townhome or house because all of the common elements are not your responsibility. In fact, as a condo owner all you’ll have to worry about is the interior of your apartment. Everything else, including the hallways, exterior walls, elevators, roof, boilers, water tank etc. are the responsibility of the building and its professional building management company.
Condo Buildings Have More Amenities
Condos in larger buildings will usually have a plethora of amenities for residents from swimming pools, lounges, parking, doormen, gyms, saunas, steam rooms, roof decks to laundry rooms. Even smaller buildings might have private storage and a laundry room, and sometimes a small gym.
A Condo Is More Affordable Than a Townhome
Buying a condo is more within reach for most New Yorkers than buying a townhome. A townhome will typically have significantly greater square footage than your typical condo, and as a result will cost much more. Furthermore, townhomes in hyper gentrified areas like the Meatpacking District will command a greater pricing premium.
Condos Have More Accessible Layouts
Condo apartments will usually be spread out on a single floor vs a townhome which may consist of three or floor relatively cramped floors connected by a narrow staircase. Many people will prefer the open, single floor layout of your typical condo vs having to climb stairs constantly in a brownstone.
