{Did you tell me... tied or untied?? Go now!}
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Do you remember last week when I got on my soapbox about the ginormous houses out there and wondered who in the world is buying them? It was a great conversation and so many of you felt the same way. And even those of you who do have a bigger house said it works for you and you're definitely not in over your head! And that is good!
Now, the other thing I noticed, besides all the huge houses, is all the town houses. Lots of complexes with 6 houses together that all look the same.
Now, I realize that most townhouses are side by side, but can you hear the neighbors next to you?? Do you feel smooshed?
I just don't get it. Once we moved (yes, we moved in with my parents until our house sold, but after that...), we knew we wanted our own house. We looked at a couple duplexes and it took us 5 seconds to look each other in the eye and say "Never Again." I want my own house, my own yard, my own place to park, no worries about someone next door or upstairs or whatever.
So, convince me... (not that I'm in the market for a house right now) but tell me why there are sooooo many people out there who are buying these townhouses and condos!!! Whatever happened to having your own house?
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And here are your prompts for tomorrow's Working Mommy Wednesday!#1. Favorite Recipe! (Love getting new ideas)
#2. Hardest part about being a mom is....
8 comments:
About 22 years ago, we did actually rent a townhouse. Fortunately we were on the end, so only had 1 neighbor....nice, quiet guy, kept to himself.
We had a small, privacy-fenced yard so our toddler son could go outside and play. We felt like we were in a "home" as prior to this, we rented apartments. It really is more enjoyable to live in a townhome if you want more than apartment living.
As for getting one "now" AFTER owning a house? I don't think I could do it. I'm used to having more square footage, a huge yard, and a driveway instead of sharing those.
We considered town houses because we wanted a potential income stream. What we ended up with was finding a very cool house with a one bedroom apartment above the garage. We have been fortunate with our tenants so far.
Next summer, when the lease is up, I'm hoping to find a Nanny and let them live in the apartment for free in exchange for daycare. I had never even thought about that potential when we bought the house but I'm very glad to have the flexibility now.
Now, when we hit the yo yo years, we also have an apartment to stick the 19 year old in when she moves back home for the third time. ;)
we lived on the top floor of a condo complex and while we had our own entrance, we could hear everything below us, plus every time I made too much noise walking around the neighbor below knocked on our door.
NEVER again!!!!
Even if it's tiny, I would rather own my own self standing house!
We, like you, once lived in a duplex... and like you said, never again...
About townhouses-- most of the people I know who live in one do so because of the perks-- many of those communities have pools or clubhouses with meeting rooms and exercise facilities. And at least in our area, townhouses have someone ELSE who does all the yardwork-- they seem to attract younger folks right out of school who don't know HOW to do yardwork anymore, or retirees who simply don't WANT to!
~Elizabeth
Before we moved last year we did live in a townhome for 4 years. The reason was because we couldn't afford a stand alone home and we really didn't want to rent or live in an apartment.
We were on an end unit, but there was also someone behind us. You could hear them running up and down the stairs, loud music, etc. I hated it!
I really wanted a yard for us, the kids and the dog. I wanted to have my own space that wasn't shared and I really wanted a large garden, not just a pot.
I think a townhome would appeal to someone who doesn't want to bother with yard work. Maybe someone who travels a lot and doesn't have to worry about those types of things. I love having my home with my nice yard and my huge garden!
Here in MD? Part of the reason people buy these things is because stand-alone homes (that are not of the mobile variety) are ridiculously expensive. We moved 40 miles away from the city so we could "afford" a single-family home.
I refused to even look at townhomes. All the annoyance of both apartment living (with the neighbors, no yard, lack of privacy, etc) and the headache of home ownership (something breaks *I* fix it).
I'm a bit of a curmudgeon, so I don't really like sharing space. ;o)
I always thought townhouses were for people who lived in other places. I never even considered one when we were looking for a house. We wanted a yard. But there really aren't many townhouses around here.
My husband and I have lived in our townhome for over 13 years. It is small and can be cramped with 2 kids and 2 dogs, but we still like it. I would love to have a garage and a bigger backyard, but when I think about the fact that my husband is allergic to everything under the sun and that I would have to keep up with the yards, I'm happy to stay where I am. I can hear my kids wherever they are in the house and it doesn't take long to clean. We have people over and can spread out if we need to. We do have neighbors on both sides of us and they are both relatively quiet. But the best thing about our townhome is that everyone in our building of 6 units is very good friends. We look out for each other and each others kids, we keep our eyes on each others homes and vehicles, we frequently have bbqs in the greenbelt behind our homes. Most of us have lived here for eight years or more. It creates a nice community feeling.
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