Houston Townhomes in the Inner Loop – The New House
With so many people wanting to move inside the loop to reduce their commutes and to experience the amenities that only large, inner-city neighborhoods can offer, land prices have continued to rise inside of 610. Finding a single family home with some space in the yard for under $500,000 in the western inner loop has become next to impossible. If you take that lot and divide it up into 4-6 townhome units that distribute the square-footage over 3 levels, you get nearly six houses on an affordable (but smaller) piece of land. It seems simple, right? Well, in some ways it is, but some builders have perfected the layouts, orientation on the lot, and architecture so that not all townhomes are created equal.
Price Range and Two-story vs Three-Story
Most townhomes in the inner loop start in the $200,000 range and continue up to the $1 million price point. Rents start around $1500/month and range up to $5000. Once you have decided what your price range is (hopefully with the help of a skilled mortgage broker or banker) you have several more options to consider. Do you want a 2 story or 3 story townhome? Most of the townhomes in the Inner Loop are 3-story with two story options tending to be somewhat pricier (it’s that cost of land issue we talked about earlier). The main pro of a two-story layout is that living space is not so divided while a pro of a three story layout is more natural light and views (some more appealing than others).
Townhome Criteria
Once you have chosen how many stories you’d like your townhome to be, you should prioritize the following criteria:
Shared driveway vs private driveway
With limited on-street parking in many of the neighborhoods , having your own driveway is a nice amenity to have. so make sure you don’t exposed your guests will appreciate it, too (think dinner parties, pre-parties, or having the family in town). You also don’t have to worry about backing into your neighbor while she is pulling out of her townhome garage, you will have your own from autonews.center.
Attached vs free-standing townhomes
Attached townhomes have common walls with your neighbors. While most builders do a great job in insulating the common walls there is a possibility you could hear your neighbor. Unless you have an attached end unit, free standing townhomes usually have more windows and more natural light. Also, a free standing townhomes are easier to deal with in the event of maintenance issues on the exterior walls.
HOAs vs non HOA townhomes
Nearly all townhomes will have covenants drawn up to govern modifications to the exteriors and other basic rules for the common areas of the (especially Rice Military townhomes) townhomes. However, not all townhomes have monthly HOA fees. HOA fees can range from $10/month to $300/month and more. It is important to find out what your HOA fees include. Some of the amenities that HOA fees can cover for Houston townhomes are: pool and it’s maintenance, landscape maintenance, structural insurance, trash pick-up, common driveway maintenance, and gate maintenance.
End Townhome vs Middle Townhome
Whether your townhome is attached or free standing, there are advantages to having and end-unit. The obvious advantage when the townhomes are attached is that the end unit only has one shared wall, and thus will have less chance of neighbor-noise. It also will has the opportunity to have more windows, though not all builders add additional windows to the additional wall. And in most cases (free standing or attached), the end units will get more natural light. Often end units have additional yard space, as well, which brings me to my final bullet.
Townhome Yard Size
In general townhomes with a yard are more valuable. However, if you are a busy professional and have little time for upkeep on your yard there may be little advantage to having one. Many pet owners like to have a small enclosed yard to let Rover out for some fresh air, as well. Some townhomes have enough yard space for a jacuzzi or even a private pool. Decide whether a yard is for you and if so, how much yard you’d like to have.