If the idea of living in a high-rise isn’t appealing to you, but you don’t necessarily want to have a large yard in your home, you may want to consider looking at townhouses in East Vancouver. Townhouses are a “middle ground” between single family homes and condominiums, offering buyers a “best of both worlds” scenario (i.e. space of a single-family home and the convenience of a condominium).
Evaluating townhouses for sale is slightly different than evaluating a condo or single-family home. If you believe a townhouse would suit your family’s preferences the best, here are a few questions you should ask to help you determine if the one you’re looking at is a good deal:
“What’s the homeowners’ association like?”
Just like a condo building, most townhouse communities are run by a homeowners’ association (HoA). With that in mind, you’ll want to learn as much as you can about the community’s HoA.
Ask how much the association dues cost and what maintenance work it covers. This is important because you will need to factor association dues into your budget to see if you can afford to live in that particular community. Similarly, you will want to know if your soon-to-be HoA cover maintenance projects like reroofing.
You’ll want to know how quickly the HoA responds to maintenance requests or complaints in the community. The best way to find out would be to ask your potential neighbours.
“Is the privacy of each townhouse okay?”
Townhouses have shared walls, so will be times when you may hear the goings-on in the neighbouring home. Ask about any existing soundproofing measures, as well as if you are allowed to install any.
“Have there been any repairs made to the townhouse?”
If there have been any repairs made, ask the reason why repairs were necessary. Trusted REALTORs®, such as the ones from Real East Van, should be able to provide you with the necessary info. You may also want to have your REALTOR® inspect the townhouse to check the quality of the repair work.
“Are there any pending offers for this townhouse?”
Your REALTOR® ought to be able to help figure out how many offers are on the table. This can help you evaluate if the townhouse is as good as advertised, as well as an idea of how much time you have left before you could potentially lose the townhouse to someone else.
This question can also be used to your advantage. If there is no bidding war on the home, or if it has been on the market for a while, stating that you are also looking at other homes for sale may actually help you negotiate a lower price.
SOURCES:
Advantages and Disadvantages of Buying a Townhouse
smartasset.com
Top 10 Tips for Buying Townhome Properties
enlightenme.com
5 Questions to Ask when Buying a Townhome
home.howstuffworks.com