10 Reasons Why a Townhome Is the Perfect Home for You

Gallery wall with shelves to add more storage to the room. Photo credit: Getty Images

When it comes to findingthe right home, bigger doesn’t always mean better. And millennials and baby boomers — two large demographic cohorts with a lot of purchasing power — areleading the charge. They are requesting smaller, affordable, family-friendlyhomes in walkable, centrally located neighborhoods. In real estate terms, thatmeans townhomes and condos.

Townhomes and condos each have their benefits, but let’s take a closer look at townhomes and the particular benefits they offer to new home buyers. Here are 10 reasons why a townhome might be the perfect fit for you.

1. You Like Your Free Time

Everyone likes free time, and yet how many of usactually protect that time? Time sucks like cleaning, commuting and so on keepus from doing what we really want to do with our time. With a smaller home, you’ll do less cleaning and you won’t need to hire someone to clean for you(well, unless you want to).

2. You Want a Shorter Commute

Brett Graff of The Home Economist points out that, “Commuters have higher levels of cortisol, which is the stress hormone.” No doubt about it, driving is a hassle. If commuting to and from work or being a chauffeur for your kids to school and everywhere else are not your preferred activities, then a townhome is perfect for you. Townhomes are generally closer to where you need to go or often near public transportation, saving you valuable driving time.

3. You Want Less Debt

A townhomeis almost always less expensivethan a single-family home, and we’re not just talking about the cost of thehome itself. Upkeep and taxes on a larger home are more, too.

4. You Want to Invest

Townhomes are a great investment. They are often preferred by renters if you should decide to rent your townhome out. If you decide to sell, there are plenty of potential buyers for townhomes, especially ones that are well located. According to Bill Rice, a mortgage loan officer in Detroit, Michigan: “Median market-priced homes tend to provide the most consistent and stable occupancies and rental revenues.”

5. You Want Minimal Yard Work

Townhomes generally have mini yards, if any yardat all. This means you can actually enjoy the bit of gardening involved, ratherthan view it as yet another task you don’t have time for. Or, considering manytownhome communities have landscape maintenance included in the homeowners’association fees, you can feel free to put your feet up and just enjoy the view.

6. You Want to Downsize

Granted, townhomes may have less space for stuff than a single-family home, but doyou want a glorified storage unit or do you want a home? If you don’t want orneed a lot of stuff, then why exactly do you need more space? Life is so muchmore than your stuff, and holding on to too much can even result in stress andanxiety.

7. You Want More Time With Loved Ones

If you’re not cleaning or driving or gardeningor tidying your stuff all the time, what might you do with your time? Perhapsyou’d spend more of that quality time you’re always talking about and deepenyour relationships with your friends and loved ones. Play table tennis, go iceskating, play board games, ride bikes, cook together, enjoy a movie … Perhapsyou already do all of these things, but with more time at your disposal, youcan do more of what you want.

8. You Like Being Part of a Community

A big house in the burbs has its perks, butneighbors and community aren’t really among them. Many of those houses sit onbig lots, with nary a neighbor in sight. Not only can neighbors help out whenyou need it, but people living in close proximity to their neighbors feel asense of security due to their social connection.

9. You Want an Active Lifestyle

Adriana Zuniga-Teran, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Arizona, recently published a paper on how neighborhoods affect health and wellness. She found that people who live in neighborhoods that have a combination of residential and accessible commercial areas do the most walking.

10. You Like Urban Environments

Living in a townhome community often means that you are closer to the heart of the city. You live fairly close — perhaps even within walking distance — to work, school, the grocery and other stores. This also means you live close to all of the fun —event venues, night clubs, bars, restaurants, museums, theaters and much more! You would no longer have to factor in a long drive to and from your night on the town, because home would be just around the corner.