What part of the country do you live in? Does it snow or ice over there, and you'd be scraping off the car a lot? Would you be ok with letting your car sit outside?

If you're planning to live there any length of time, I'd probably go with the 3 bedroom. If you want the garage I'd room with one of the kids - two twin beds or a bunk bed that's full size on the bottom, twin size on top.

Sleeping in the living room all the time would not make me a happy camper. YMMV.

I live in the chicago area so there is a lot of snow.

Ramrice, strictly for resale value, the 2 bdrm with the garage would be better for you. The majority of people looking for a townhome are either starting out or downsizing. The 3 bedroom "family unit" is really geared for "families" and would have the least amount of buyers looking when its time to sell. Two bedrooms suit, first time buyers, singles, (they like to have a computer room)and empty nesters. The garage would be a bonus people would be willing to pay for, the 3rd bedroom would be wasted space to the majority of buyers looking at a townhouse.

First, I'm sorry to hear about your divorce, especially given the age of your children. They say you shouldn't make any big decisions, like buying real estate, immediately after a life changing event, which this is.

If you wait, you may find a 3-bedroom place with a garage.

But to answer your question, I wouldn't even consider not having my own room, so my vote would be 3 bedrooms.

Could you and your daughter share a bedroom until she gets older? That may work for a number of years if you don't see yourself staying in this place forever and you really want a garage.

Find yourself a 3br with a garage, and if not, take the 3br without garage..Forget about resale, because who knows how long it may be before you even consider moving/selling.And in the interim sleeping in the living room on a pullout is NOT very practical.Bunking with your daughter is not a solution either.best of luck

I'd definitley hold out for a 3 bedroom, if you can find one with a garage so much the better. If not, take the three bedroom without the garage. You each need your own space, this is especially true in a small town home or condo, space is at a premium. Sleeping on a pull out couch in the living room will get old fast, it's only meant for very short term and if you're going to be there very short term (i'm talking a year or two) then don't buy at all, rent.

Stupid question... can you stand the idea of renting for a while? I agree with the aforementioned poster who said that high-stress, major-life-changing-events times like divorces are not the best times to make major decisions like purchasing real estate. Depending on the rents in your area it might be a good plan to rent while you save up or move up in your work environment in order to afford a 3br with a garage (or one might pop up when you least expect it).

The pullout couch is a real drag even if you buy a top end (expensive!) pullout - BTDT in my Chicago studio, ended up cramming a single bed in the corner just to get off the d@mn pullout couch. Does your town/city not permit children of different genders sharing a bedroom? A room can be "subdivided" with cleverly hung curtains, and if one child goes to bed much earlier than the other, the one who is awake can play quietly in the living room until it's time for bed. When I was a kid (I'm 36, so it's not like I'm a total geezer) a lot of my friends shared rooms with siblings and it didn't kill 'em, now I guess it's not even to be thought of these days. Personally I think Mama needs privacy a LOT more than a 3 and 7 year old do - if Mama ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy!

Scraping snow and ice sucks too... very few of the houses in our price range have a garage (and rents are ludicrous if you have a dog bigger than the average handbag, so renting and saving isn't much of an option for us) and we've gotten spoiled by a 2-car garage. I expect I'll pick up a couple of these windshield covers and see how well they work. They'll probably get stolen within the month but what the heck. :-)

Have to agree with the 3 bedroom, everyone needs their own space. If you have a basement, stuff can get stored there, so you won't need the garage as storage. If you really need the garage to park the car and if the kids will be going to their fathers every other weekend & maybe some nights during the week, then I would say settle for the 2 bedroom. If anything, is it possible to room the 2 kids together?

Sorry about the divorce, I know it isn't easy. You need to stop and figure out what meets your needs and what will meet your needs for the next few years. You're probably not thinking of dating but what if you do? Are you handy? Can you look for something that may need some cosmetic repairs that you can live with for now but change gradually that may be cheaper that will have the 3 bedrooms w/ garage? How much time do you have to find a place?

Thanks everyone for the advice, it's appreciated. I think I will probably go for the 3 BR option when I look next year. Renting is not an option at this time because I don't want to uproot the kids 2 times. Besides, the rents are high in this area and even with 5-10% down, I'll be better off buying.

I would suggest trying to get a garage since you live in Chicago. And a townhouse which either has 3 bedrooms, or 2 bedrooms that has enough space to put up a wall and divide it up into two small bedrooms for the kids. Or a townhouse which has an extra den to convert to a bedroom. Or an eat-in kitchen where the dining room could be turned into a bedroom for you. As others have said, try to avoid a 2 bedroom scenario with you on the couch.

Thinking about it, the only way I'd go with 2 bedrooms w/ garage would be to buy one with a usable basement that can eventually be finished to include a bedroom for one of the kids

I think you should think about safety too. If you have a garage to pull right into at night it will be safer for you and for your children. Just a thought.

I've lived in winter climates. Warming the car is a pain, but sleeping on a couch bed would be a bigger pain. The kids grow up quickly and you needing the living room for sleep won't be a good solution for long.

3 bedrooms, no garage would be my choice.

Gloria

I'd pick the two bedroom with the garage and figure out a way to divide the biggest bedroom so the kids would each have a separate space. You could take the smaller bedroom. I wouldn't want anyone sleeping in the living room.

If your children were the same sex, you probably wouldn't worry about different bedrooms. You'd have them share. I think with a little creativity you could come up with some sharing options for a bedroom that would allow each child privacy when they get older. Bunk beds are one solution. The kids could still have an area in the room that was their own. You could paint two walls blue for one child and two walls pink (or whatever colors)for the other. Another option would be beds on opposite walls and a room divider or some sort of furniture such as bookshelves in the middle. Or a third option would be to have some sort of changing area set up in a corner of the room for when the kids get older. THe living room dining room area could have a personal area for each person if need be. The garage would allow you to store some of the seasonal items that could have been stored in the third bedroom.

IMO, kids bedrooms should be used for sleeping and not much else. Too much privacy and free time in there leads to bigger problems later when the kids become teens.

Thanks everyone, you've given me a lot to think about. Now I'm leaning back towards the 2 br w/garage. The 2 br w/garages in this area seem to be in better areas. I am also looking at duplexes which seem to be over my price range, but the benefit of no assessments really pays off. The assessments around here go from anywhere from $150-300. I was also considering dividing a master bedroom like some of you have suggested..there are some websites which sell room dividers so that could be an option.

Do they have basements?

No, the one on the market now does not have a basement. The ones w/basements are at least 15-25 grand more.

As somebody else suggested, do they have a separate dining room and space in the kitchen for a breakfast table? So the dining could be turned into a bedroom?

Yes, a lot of them do have separate dining areas, but they can't be turned into a bedroom because they are usually between the kitchen and the patio sliding door to the backyard.

What price range are you in? If you are looking above 250, I would pay the extra 15k for a basement or more room or a duplex or whatever. As for parking, it would depend how plentiful and safe street parking was

I imagine if she had an extra 15K to spend, she wouldn't be agonizing over the number of bedrooms.

which is why I asked about price. If you are looking at a house priced at 150 then yes you are right. At 300, an extra 15k may be worth the splurge or saving for if it adds so much value

I was looking at a price range about 160,000-180,000, but the duplex without assessments runs about 214,000.

That is a big jump