Townhouses
One of the most common questions a buyer asks is..."What is a townhouse?" or "What is the difference between a condo and a townhouse?”
It seems that most buyers can distinguish between a condominium and a single family home easily. The difficulty in categorizing them for most people may be due to the fact that they take on attributes of both condominiums and single family residences.
Townhouse are like condominiums because they are attached to another unit usually on at least on side and more often than not, have common areas that are owned in an undivided interest, such as a pool, spa, green belt, and maybe tennis courts. Townhouses are like single family residences because they own the land that they sit on individually unlike a condo. If the land is not owned individually then it is a condominium. Townhouses are not stacked and do not have another unit above. Some condominiums do not have units above either so don't assume a two story unit with an attached garage is always a townhouse.
Townhouses will have a Homeowners Association like condominiums but may not be responsible for as much of the repair work as a condominium project. The homeowners insurance may be the responsibility of the owner unlike the condominium. The owner of a townhouse may be responsible for repairing his own unit and at the same time an architectural committee may have an authority over what improvements can be made. Generally improvements and any change of the units style and appearance must have prior approval by the committee. Other Homeowner Associations will cover the exterior and roofs of the project much like condominiums. Therefore an investigation as to what responsibility the Homeowners Association has over the project is important to know prior to purchasing.