Want a home without all the work? Choose a condo or a townhouse

Due to increased prices of single family homes and changes in lifestyle, many people (young and old)  are choosing to buy condos and townhomes. But what is the difference? What are the advantages?

To begin, prices are generally lower, upkeep, maintenance and yard work  is  kept to a minimum and the cost-of-ownership is often much less than a traditional, single-family home. Although condos & townhomes often get lumped together in discussions of multifamily, low-maintenance communities, there are a few main differences between condos and townhomes.

A condo is a house where you own the interior of the structure, however the outside is owned and maintained by a condo association. There is no ownership of the land, per se.

A townhouse is one of several attached structures, similar to duplex. Yet, generally, there are more than two. Also, townhomes usually belong to an HOA (homeowners association). Also similar to duplex, the land and structure are one deed.

There is a legal difference in ownership as well. A townhome is usually owned in fee simple. In other words, the owner of a townhome has property rights that extend to the yard around the townhome and the air above it. By contrast, a condominium owner's property rights only extend to the walls of the structure. For that reason, condominium ownership is often accompanied by association fees which cover shared maintenance of extra amenities like pools and tennis courts as well as providing for general upkeep of shared property such as the roofs of buildings or the walkways between buildings.

 A great example of the two can be found in Cranberry Township in Bellevue Park. This new community is located directly adjacent to the new Dick's Sporting Goods Sportsplex at Graham Park. It features The Villas at Isleworth townhomes and condos.  This unique location offers a touch of country within Cranberry Township with exceptional convenience to shopping, entertainment, and medical services and  the new Dick's Sporting Goods Sportsplex at Graham Park.