those who live in condos/townhouses...

How do you like it...especially your community. DH and I are thinking that we may be more interested in a condo than a house (I know that condo prices are high also). We really have no interest in a house and the upkeep right now. Any thoughts?
We are starting to look in suffolk.

Re: those who live in condos/townhouses...

We have a condo in Ronkonkoma. It is perfect for us for now (no kids). We don't have to mow, but we do have a garden area and porch to plant flowers and entertain. There is a gym, a pool, tennis courts, basketball courts, and a swingset/playground, which is really great. Tonight we our babysitting our nephew and will bring him to the pool and playground. For us I love that there are fewer unexpected costs--don't have to worry about roof, boiler, etc., though we did have to do some indoor plumbing and electrical work. Our condo was completely redone before we moved in.

Minuses: Our monthly condo payments and mortgage make the costs nearly as much as a home, with less storage space and not as much room to entertain. Neighbors are extremely important--we had a noisy neighbor that made our lives miserable for a while, doing laundry that shook the walls at 2AM, etc. Some older neighbors blast the TV because I think they are deaf. We rarely see our neighbors at all, so nosey gossipy neighbors aren't a problem, but the noise occasionally is. We are lucky now and have a quiet single woman as our closest neighbor.

I think it was a good way for us to transition to a home, but most of the prices now are comparable to homes. Not worrying about upkeep of the outside is definitely the best, along with a pool that we don't have to maintain.

Eventually I do want a home to have more room and storage and more room to entertain.

We looked at I think every townhouse and condo complex in Suffolk, so let me know if you have any questions!

Message edited 8/7/2006 9:57:40 AM.

Re: those who live in condos/townhouses...

We just moved out of a townhouse community. I think it has its ups and downs. It is great having all the maintenance provided for you - we dont like to work outdoors - and if there are community features such as a pool and tennis courts.... However, our neighbors were so in our business it was terrible. And they all gossiped like crazy. in that regard - I was so happy to be out of there.

Re: those who live in condos/townhouses...

We will be moving to a townhouse next year. My sister and aunt already live in the community, and we love it. I can't imagine being newly married with a baby and having to take care of the outside of the house. It would just be too much for us. If I never live in a house, I'll be no worse for the wear. I lived in a house the first 24 years of my life, and my parents' weekends were always spent weeding and mowing the lawn and staining the deck, etc. I don't really find that stuff to be worth it when I could be doing better stuff with my family.
Where in Suffolk are you looking?

Re: those who live in condos/townhouses...

We were thinking Nesconset, maybe even east of there. We would love to stay in smithtown but the taxes alone are outrageous

Re: those who live in condos/townhouses...

We own a townhouse in a community in Smithtown and love it....it's just the right speed for us.....

Re: those who live in condos/townhouses...

DH and I live in a townhouse (in NJ) and love it! We were not ready for the responsibilities of a house just yet. We moved from NYC so this was enough of a transition! Our townhouse is pretty big so it really feels like a house. We are an end unit as well so we only have neighbors on one side. Maybe it is just the way our community was constructed but we only hear our neighbors when they have a party and are on their deck. Everyone in our cul-de-sak is wonderful as well so we are very lucky.

Re: those who live in condos/townhouses...

We live in a townhouse in Manorville. We love our Townhouse and our community is great, the neighbors are friendly and are always willing to lend a hand when you need it. But other then that everyone minds their own business. It is great that we never have to worry about maintenance and we do have our own little garden area but I enjoy gardening. We are in the process of selling our townhouse now, because we are in need of a mother daughter so my MIL can come and live with us. We are very sad to be leaving our little community and our townhouse but it is something that needs to be done. Everyone who comes and visits us love our community and some have even moved into the community because of who well kept and all the community has to offer.