Townhome or Condominium in Steamboat Springs, Colorado?
If you are thinking of buying a home in Steamboat Springs, you may be wondering what your style choices are. You can purchase a Single Family home, a Townhome, or a Condominium. A single family home is obvious; you own the land and building and maintenance is your responsibility. But in a townhome or condo, it’s not that easy. Not everyone knows the differences between a townhome and a condominium. Sometimes the assessor’s office doesn’t even know….
A Townhome is typically, but not always, a home built in a row where you share a common wall. Usually, townhomes are multi-story and there are no units above or below your unit. If you own a townhome, you also own the land your unit sits on. In Steamboat Springs we have a lot of duplexes too. Now a townhome is just half of the duplex. So they might look like a larger home but are often mirrored from one side to the next. Now a duplex typically might not have an HOA and thus each owner is responsible for their one yard care, snow removal, etc. Often a townhome/duplex lives much like a single family home.
A Condominium is usually a multi-story building where your unit may have other units above or below or possibly on both sides. The hallways, lawns, and amenities are owned by the collective group of owners. You own only the inside of your unit and have a share in the common areas. Unlike a townhome, you personally, do not own the land the building sits on. The land is referred to as a common parcel and is owned and managed by the HOA (Home Owners Association), which you are a member.
With both types of properties, there usually are HOA fees involved. For that carefree lifestyle, you need to pay the price. Since condominiums often have more common amenities, their HOA fees are typically higher. Sometimes some utilities are also included in the HOA fees. With condominiums the HOA fees often include a reserve of funds to pay for things like new roofs or new siding.
Townhome and condos are often used interchangeably and every HOA can be set up differently. What you really need to do is completely read all of your Common Interest Community documents, like the HOA bylaws, to know exactly what you are responsible for and what is considered common. In addition, you may look at your survey and see individual plots of land per unit, which will indicate it is a townhome. But, in the end, it is what the HOA decides as to how you manage your property.
If I can be of any help, please let me know.
Charlie
(970) 846-6435
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