My parents did this years ago, but the town house wasn't that much smaller than their single family house. What they eliminated with a condo town house was all the outside maintenance, yard work and snow shoveling.

They then moved to Florida to another single family house, but a bit smaller and with an HOA that includes exterior maintenance and landscaping. The benefits of a condo/HOA without having to share walls with any neighbors.

When you are sharing walls with other units, your neighbors become very important. The contruction of the units and possible noise transmission needs to be looked at carefully before you make an offer.

We moved from a duplex to a single family to a townhouse to a townhouse to a single family. Noise was the biggest issue for us with shared walls but truthfully we had noise problems in one of the single families as well--adjacent backyard was a group rental with a bunch of young singles who continued their partying in the yard after the bars closed. Mostly we had very good experiences with shared wall neighbors.

One thing to consider is the form of ownership and responsibility for maintenance. Each half of our duplex was separately owned so getting a new roof on it would have been complicated with uncooperative neighbors.

My parents also went from a home to a large townhome condo - the noise from neighbors was not an issue inside but that's dependent on construction. On their completely privacy fenced patio, conversations from neighbors could be heard and of course, visa versa. That would bother me.

Good insights - thank you. It would definitely be an adjustment to be in such close proximity to the neighbors. At least we can escape to our other place on weekends. We really aren't around much during the week - work and often other activities in the evening.

We went from a city coop to our house (rural) 4 years ago. We were there 25 years. Neither of us liked the direction the building was taking or how it was being managed. We didn't find the board financially responsible. And as the demographics of the neighborhood (and our building) changed it was more for less. So we sold and moved to our house. Previously, we had been going weekends then testing longer periods to see how we liked it. After we stayed for a 4-month stretch we knew it would be fine.

The main difference is support staff and maintenance. We don't miss a majority of the neighbors there though I have heard some stories about what has continued to go on and how the staff is doing.

Here, it's all on me. There it was included. That was the benefit and the big difference.

An old friend of mine moved from a city condo to a downtown high rise with a hotel quality dining room provided and a huge support staff. it's one of those very high end assisted living situations. If you visited that would not be apparent. She loves it, loves the people in the building which is very social. If I was looking to move to a different state, I could easily go for that type of set up. It is super convenient. But not for everyone.

When I'm out trapping ground hogs or have to do any outdoor maintenance, I think how nice it would be. F.ex. my house is cedar shingles, 2 story and it needs a special type of power wash. Tracking someone down to do that is time consuming and will be expensive. It's maintenance. I could let it go but it's difficult.

Of course, a lot depends on where you are and where you go. Hard to make generalizations/ comparisons without knowing the place, interests, people. YKWIM,

Mom moved from a house to a condo...she still had the house in FL. While there was no noise between units to the side, she was on the 1st floor (excellent for mobility reasons) but you could hear the lady upstairs, esp with her walker clumping and when her grandkids visited, I expected to see a foot break through the ceiling. The other issue she had, which she dealt with was "Dan" who was the self-appointed "caretaker" who watched her coming and going like a hawk, told her if her light was on overnight, reprimanded her for leaving her keys in the door (she just got in with an armful of groceries) and would find excuses to go past her window all the time (envelope in hand like he was going to the mailbox, but it was still out of his way). She took his antics with a sense of humor and figured when she was in FL, there was no way anyone would be able to break into the place.

The other factor was storage. Simply letting stuff go and paring down to what you really need to fit into the place is a huge adjustment.

We sold our acreage home and moved into our sons townhome while looking for another place. My husband loved living in a townhome and I hated it. I like to spend time outdoors. The patio and the tiny bit of grass was fenced in. Due to the two story nature of a townhouse the patio/outdoor area could be viewed from the upstairs of all nearby neighbors. I knew everything about everyone just by sitting on the patio. It seems a lot of personal phone conversations are conducted on patio's. I even knew about doctors appointments and the reason. The people behind had their mother in-law living with them and I heard everything from both sides of that spat. I also started to think that absolutely no one cleaned their patio door tracks. That alone was loud and annoying. On weekends it was sort of festive with the (not too loud) range of music choices and laughter from parties. On the flip side there were some very nice people living in the development and if one chose they could add to their social life with convenience.

Poor Terrilynn! I bet you learned alot about the neighbors! LOL

My in-laws did this a few years back. Moved from their home to a condo. It was a good size condo, guest bedrooms/bath upstairs - which they could pretty much close off unless needed. They had issues with the HOA association, what was allowed, what wasn't - and the dues/costs kept rising. The didn't have any issues with sounds or neighbors. They were there just a few years, then bought another home. My FIL passed away several years ago and my MIL is still in the home. We've thought it might be best for her to down-size, but she is very happy and comfortable in the home, and for now can handle things (she has someone to do yardwork/mowing).

I can't imagine it for us. We love our privacy and space. I have to have my outdoor space. My private outdoor space LOL. I often take the dog out in the mornings in my nightie - with no worries. Our back outdoor living space is totally private from any neighbors. We do have neighbors, just not too close. We have a little over an acre. We built about 20 years ago - 1 level, manageable yard, etc. We have no "staff" or "help" at this point, but could hire out the yard, etc. if need be as we get older. For now, besides have the space and outdoor areas, my hubby needs a workshop to "tinker" in. I suspect he will need that as long as he is able to get around! LOL

l need to add that moving off acreage is an adjustment what ever you decide. I am now in a detached single family home in an HOA neighborhood. In the left back corner of my property there is a two story home. I've taken to wearing cheap comfy sundresses as nightgowns lately as we have a new rescue pup that I have to take out during early mornings. Noway I'm changing clothes before my caffeine. That house has a loud side pool area door that they SLAM a hundred times a day. I also had to figure out a few things...if you are coming and going do you acknowledge other neighbors who are out front or do you pretend they aren't there some of the time. Is it invading their privacy to wave every single time?

That's a good point. Our single family homes have still been in fairly dense neighborhoods. So the difference from single family to town house isn't that huge for us. If you are used to acres between you and your neighbors that will be part of the adjustment. (I'm a huge fan of walkable neighborhoods and knowing my neighbors so I consider the closer quarters to be an overall plus, but you may feel very differently).

One thing we always do when we buy is to visit the house we are considering at different times of day and different days of the week and walk around the neighborhood. The goal is to try to find out of there are noise issues or parking problems and so on.

I have lived in a highrise condo and single family in an urban neighbourhood. I asked my husband to move out of our condo for the following reasons:

1. Hated the nitpicky rules and endless memos slipped under the door (no using your deck after 9pm!!, no barbequing after 6, etc).

2. Wanted gardening space

3. Wanted a place to have a family (three years later, no luck in having kids, life is a #$% sometimes)

He misses the condo because

1. Hates shoveling

2. Hates lawn work

3. Hates general home maintenance

4. Had no problems ignoring the memos whereas it made me feel guilty.

We had a well built condo with concrete walls and floors and heard NO noise from our neighbours, which was amazing. Friends who have moved into shoddily built condos found builder defects to be quite a source of stress.

Now that we have a lake house I am softening on going back to condo living because maintaining two yards and structures seems daunting. But I still need a little outdoor space to call my own in the city! I have told my husband if he finds me a nice townhouse with a bit of a yard I'd be happy to make the move.

I have always preferred to live in downtown areas of cities so proximity of neighbours doesn't bother me. My neighbours can see our lawn from their deck and vice versa. Honestly most people spend so much time indoors these days it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. I kind of enjoy my over the fence chats on the rare occasions they happen.

I downsized from my old house into a townhouse a year ago. I’m
very happy with my move, but I’m single, so it’s just me, and my old house was
in town and not on acres, so I’m used to living close to other people. My utility expenses are far lower than they were in my
house, and so are my mortgage payment and taxes and I love that I reduced my
possessions and have only my favorite things with me – no more junk in the
attic! I have a small patio space outside which has a fence on each side, but
it’s open to the common grass area, so it’s not completely private, but where
my life is right now is more about being out and not at home as much. I used to
love gardening but I don’t miss it at all – now I have time to go on garden
tours on weekends instead of doing yardwork. My neighbors are all nice (so far,
lol) and it’s much quieter than my old house because I’m not living on a street
with traffic.

When you’re looking for a townhouse, keep in mind that there
are different types -- my place is two-story but it is still considered a
condo, which means that I own it from the walls in, and not the outside. I have
friends that own a townhouse that is not a condo and they are responsible for
the exterior maintenance of the building so they have to work with their
neighbors when it’s time to replace the roof or paint, etc. and it’s a
nightmare! They also have to clear the snow on their own driveway and sidewalk, so
be sure to look at those kinds of things. I have an HOA payment that includes a
pool and tennis courts that I use, and of course this fee could go up, but that can happen no matter where you live if there’s
storm clean-up or too much snow. Be sure to check the HOA’s reserve funds that
they have enough cash to handle emergencies or big deferred maintenance jobs.

"Honestly most people spend so much time indoors these days it doesn't
seem to make much of a difference. I kind of enjoy my over the fence
chats on the rare occasions they happen."

They do??? I think I would just wither up if I did not have my space outdoors. We spend alot of time outdoors - granted we do live in a climate that permits that for a majority of the year. Our winters are usually short and somewhat mild. I NEED fresh air and grass. I need trees and flowers and bunnies, squirrels, birds, etc. LOL!! There is maintenance, but thankfully my hubby likes the outdoors and having our own space too, so he is fine with that. We neither mind keeping up the yard/plants, etc. We are able to have help if needed. Even though we are spaced out, we are fortunate to have good neighbors - neighbors who have been there for years. We watch out for each other and our homes.

I guess I could say it is in our blood. We grew up this way - I have never lived in a city, always out a ways. We each have 1 remaining parent who still live in their own homes - my dad even with acreage.

In the area where my mom lived duplex condos were common. She lived in a single story unit with a loft (that she never used). We added a screened porch so she could enjoy the outdoors and interact with neighbors. There was only one common wall. All lawn maintenance and snow removal was the responsibility of the HOA. It was basically single family living without any of the hassles.

I think all the key points were stated. My DH always wanted a second home in Florida. we rented a condo for a few seasons and realized that apartment living was not for us. We wound up buying a single family condo. We are using it as an income property, with the same tenants signing on for a third year.

For me, it's the privacy issues and then the noise issue. Ideally, if you can get a condo that only shares one wall, or a single family with some space around you, that would be the ticket! It's great to not have to worry about the grounds, the roof, the overall outside of the home. At the same time, you need to read your HOA rules to know what you are getting into. For example, in ours, cars are not allowed to stay overnight in your driveway! All garages are two car. Our tenants had to give up one car because they have their camper stored on one side. There is public parking that has rules attached too.

When we stayed at our house right after purchasing, a neighbor mentioned that outside lights go off when you are home. We just laughed, as we always keep our lights our front door and lamp post during the night. But, if we lived there, that is one of the "rules."

The nice part is that all the homes looked pristine. One home was for sale and horrible on the inside from neglect. But, you wouldn't know it by the exterior. One renter had a motorcycle. He was not allowed to renew unless he got rid of it. People didn't want to hear the varoom start up every time he left the neighborhood.

The bottom line is for you to set up your priorities. What are your deal breakers? What can you live with even though it's a bit quirky and odd to you? A development with mostly older folks would be quieter than one with young families etc.

When we stayed at our house right after purchasing, a neighbor mentioned that outside lights go off when you are home.

What was the reasoning? Typically you're advised to turn on outside lights to deter crime.

Reasons I can think of to turn outdoor lights off at night are saving electricity and to help protect wildlife.

Brochure from organization promoting dark skies.

Cindy, exactly. I might have to call our tenants and ask about it! Crl, that's interesting!

If your place is near the beaches, lights off at night during sea turtle nesting season. When turtles hatch they have to quickly travel to the water, having lights on confuses them.

Robo - you sound a lot like us. DH has no interest in any home or yard maintenance whatsoever. Since I want a little green space and an attached garage right next to the home we are looking at town homes vs condo buildings. It seems common here that the HOA covers exterior and lawn and snow and homeowner is responsible for the inside. The place we're looking at next week is detached so no common wall but still very close proximity to the neighbors. We'll see......