I have no advice, but we have considered the same thing. The problem for us is that there are no condos or townhomes where we currently live so we'd have to move back to the city. I am eager to hear about your decision and how you adjust. We stay at condos when we go on vacation, and some of them are great, but some are so noisy I want to scream.

What is the difference in a condo or townhouse? The terms seem to be interchangeable here.

We almost considered a condo for our Florida home. We rented for a few seasons in a condo complex. What we realized was just what you mentioned. Lack of privacy. You hear the neighbors coming and going, sometimes you might hear a tv etc. Nothing terrible, but if i want to vacuum at 10;00 at night, I don't want to have to think about the neighbors.

We wound up buying a single level stand alone home that is still considered a condo. At this time we are renting it out, but when we decided to use it, I think it will meet our needs for many years of aging in place.

Here, a town home could mean two or more levels, If you are thinking about the future, you want one level.
If you have to go the condo route, I would look for an end unit, a unit that seems more private due to location etc.
I wouldn't want people above or below me. There are some condos that look like single family homes, but a few are strung together. Look at all your options.

What I have learned over the years in having a second home, is that it would never hurt to keep privacy in mind.
We had a country home for years and sold it when the neighbors changed. It was no longer enjoyable due to the loud parties and large groups of people that would come every weekend! If we had bought a different home in that area, we might still own it.

Since you own a second home that is quiet and private, you might not mind the hustle and bustle of people around you. And you might enjoy being closer to amenities that you don't have now.

Mother moved out of her single family home to a senior condo after dad died. It was an adjustment for her, but she grew to love her place. She was on the first floor, one floor which was great, but she did have a woman upstairs with a walker ....clump clump clump. But she got to know the woman and said she didn't mind the noise. When her grands visited though, it did sound like they were going to break through the ceiling any minute. There was the loss of the garage, which was OK as she wintered in FL. But if it were year round, it would be an issue. Beyond that, the biggest issue for her was storage. The place was so much smaller and downsizing all her stuff was a big challenge. Then there was Dan...a self-appointed busybody who had his good points...like noting that her hot water heater started leaking...but then his bad as when he was there every time she walked in the door or questioned her leaving he porch light on when she went out. Sometimes you run into people who are still useful, but don't have enough to do...

Friend of mine moved out of SF to a condo, but her arrangement is better. She is on an end unit and the units share a wall, but there's no one above. Instead she has a cathedral ceiling and a staircase that leads to an additional bed and bath upstairs. She was able to live on the first floor and save the upstairs for visiting children and grands. So she has a lot more privacy and feel of a SF home. She also has a full basement so storage is less of an issue.

I have lived in a variety of apartments, condos, townhouses and single family homes over the years. I think it comes down to the personality of the individual. The people who need privacy and control over their environment (strict adherence to property lines, etc.) seem to have more difficulty living in close proximity to their neighbors.

What I would look into is the financials of the condo association and the rules. And how strictly the rules are enforced. You want the rules enforced, but sometimes you get crazy people enforcing them who make life miserable for everyone.

You might also want to find out the age demographic and the income demographic of the condo to see where you fit in. Find out what the rental policy is. Ask if there are any Section 8 rentals.

You might also want to search the Buying and Selling Homes forum for discussions on condos.

Here in the DC area a townhouse is the same as a row home....kind of like narrow SF homes stuck together in a row, usually 2 or more levels. A condo is an apartment. In California what we call townhomes, they call condos.

The main things I would look for in a condo would be construction and demographics. You don't want paper thin walls where you can hear your neighbor coughing. You also don't want to live in a "young" complex where parties and so forth will keep you up at night.

For me, personally, I will always want a SF home if possible. I don't want to live in that close proximity with others. I don't want to have to worry about, as Ellendi pointed out, vacuuming at 10 pm. I also don't want to walk through the corridors and smell everyone else's food cooking. I don't want to have to schlep groceries, etc..through lobbys, up elevators, down hallways. I dont want to hear others' walkers, music, tv's. I currently live in a typical suburban, tract neighborhood, but I love pulling into my garage and being able to unload things easily. In fact, I like having a garage..many condos/apts. dont...and having just enough distance from surrounding neighbors that I don't hear them and they don't hear me.

What about single family dwellings in a community run like a condo? That way you have a garage, privacy but the benefits of no maintenance or yard care.
We have these here and they seem much better than a typical condo arrangement. The houses are close together though.

Thanks everyone - good food for thought. We are so early in this process but the particular units we are going to look at are on the top floor. I have a friend who lives in an apartment and she is always complaining about people and pets clomping around above so I would definitely want to be on top as long as there is an elevator. I do have two other friends who recently moved into urban condos. I've been to both of their places, one more than the other. From what I've experienced so far they are quiet places. I'm sure that has something to do with the construction as well as the nature of the neighbors.

I can't stop thinking about all the crap we'd have to get rid of (or move to our other house). I would LOVE to get rid of a bunch of junk but DH verges on hoarding. This might be a good way to get him to part with a bunch of useless stuff.

In the long run my current plan is to retire at 62. DHs plan is never to retire. He bought a business this year so he can work as long as he's able. So at that point I'd probably spend more of my time at the lake place and he'd spend more time at the condo. But I'd spend time there too when I want to do stuff in the city vs. the north woods. Who knows what will really happen. It's an interesting situation to ponder though.

Where I live a condo is typically a multi-level building with many units and a common entrance. A townhome is typically one to three units connected to each other with individual entrances from the outside. They could have one, two or three levels within each unit.

I just read a couple more responses that came in while I was typing above commentary. We are definitely considering all kinds of association maintained homes - free standing, townhomes, etc. The condo idea is somewhat new. I expanded my criteria since I wasn't finding anything suitable just looking for townhomes (which includes free standing association maintained). I think actually looking at the condos will be very helpful - might make us realize there's no way we could live in that environment.

When we were looking for an investment property, we toured a 'garden home'. It was actually a duplex, one floor. The walls the two houses shared were garage and big closets so the noise between the two homes was less.

The entrance to both homes were on opposite sides of the building so you really didn't hear the comings and goings of your neighbor.

The back patio faced a lake, and situated in the house plan so you had plenty of privacy.

The idea of no lawn maintenance looks better to us every year.

ML

I recently downsized to move to a single-level, single family home. Just last night I told a friend that I need to go through another big purge. There's just too much "stuff" .. now that I have packages etc arriving for holiday gifts, the delicate storage and space balance has tipped towards chaos. It's definitely a major effort to pare down.. or it has been for me.

There's a big trend in this area to build/rehab buildings for senior living in the cities. Philadelphia has been identified as a great city for seniors and Lancaster recently had a number of buildings redone for seniors. It seemed counter intuitive until I read the literature and realized it was all about easy access to restaurants, stores, services and cultural centers without a car. It makes sense.

I am just turning 50 so my downsize was more about reprioritizing than preparing for limited mobility, etc. I do know that when I do need to think about those things, I'd be much more comfortable in a city where I could be more self-sufficient. I absolutely would scout out a place that had good soundproofing. A top floor seems ideal when it comes to that.

DH and I have begun to purge 30 years worth of junk in preparation for a move...probably in a few years. I shudder at the thought of the kids having to go through all this stuff if something were to happen to us..so purging it now is a gift to all of us.

Funkyart--the idea of a space in the city to walk to restaurants, museums, etc...is intriguing. Would be fun to try out for 6 mos-year. I have a feeling we will end up in another state with a a lower cost of living in a SF home in an over 55 community.

I'm currently thinking about listing my property and buying a condo so have done a lot of research on the subject.

Condo is a legal term pertaining to ownership. A condo might be a development of single homes, duplexes, row houses, or an apartment complex. Where I live it can also be called âÂÂstrata titleâÂÂ. When one buys a condo one owns the interior of the space and the condo owner the exterior, landscaping, heating, elevator, and is responsible for maintaining those. Here in the north most condos have garages either adjacent to the unit or on the lower levels of the apartment style ones. The best condos have pools, hot tubs, fully equipped exercise rooms, hobby and party rooms. The condos for over 55's here that are all on one level are usually duplex style and are also often gated. These are found more in smaller cities or outlying areas as are much lower density, sometimes with extensive landscaping.

I would be very careful to ensure there is good sound insulation in a multi-unit condo. A friend of mine recently bought a condo in an apartment style building and one cannot hear the neighbors at all because it is high quality construction.

It's important before purchasing to check into the management of the Condo Association. One can look thru their minutes to see previous problems and how these have been solved.

Condo fees vary widely so it's an important part of one's research.

There are various allowance for pets, sometimes no pets, other times size and number restrictions. Other rules also apply and it's important to know the restrictions. Sometimes rental is allowed which might appeal to those with second homes or who travel seasonally.

I've found the newer condos are smaller, less likely to have pools and exercise rooms, but often have shopping facilities on the main level which could be handy as one ages.

My mother lives in a garden home. She originally thought she wanted to be in a condo diwntown as she he transitioned from a large multi story single family home. however she ultimately decided on a garden home in a village within walking distance to restaurants, shops and quick access to world class medical care.
her place is a 1600 sq ft single story garden home. The home shares walls with her neighbors garage or her own garage. Noise is never an issue in her home. Her living room opens to a private courtyard which includes a lap pool and patio. The courtayrds 6foot brick walls provide privacy from her neighbors on the left and right. A nature preserve with walking trails is to the rear. Every yard in the complex including those with pools are maintained by the association on a set two day a week schedule with specified times. At holidays residents can schedule additional maintenance to hang holiday decor. My mother is very liberal and despise the idea of an over zealous HOA. We must have lied at 18 different communities with unacceptable strict overbearing by laws.

When she was looking for an aging in place home we also looked at pocket communities like those inspired by Ross chapin. You may want to explore that option as well.

Iheart......I would LOVE a private courtyard with lap pool. Can you tell me the company that built your mother's home and do you know if they have developments in different parts of the country?

Gibby, we are in the process of a similar change, big house big property and private tooâ¦well, there is a story around that but we settled for a compromise as I was not ready to go. My husband is deep down more of a city dweller and I am a semi country gal as long as itâÂÂs not far from nice restaurants and such. I am not condo material as I must have some green space of my own. Husband would love condo living. A townhouse made no sense to us for aging. Since the sale of our house we are staying in sonâÂÂs townhouse while house hunting and we have discovered that we now know for sure we do not want a second floor with steps. Plus, I feel like strangling the gal whose townhome patio is across from sons patio. This is what I hearâ¦Bella, Bella, BEEELLLAAA, Bella come here, Bella stop that, bbbeeelllaaa, Bella, BEEELLLAAA NOOO, bella, Bella, beeelllaaa come, Bella, belllaaaaaaaaaaaa, Bella, Bella, Beelllaaa! Bella is a dog and will never be trained because its owner is an idiot. I also did not want a planned community with HOA fees. What we settled on in the compromise is a small 3/3/2 pool home with small yard in a planned community with HOA fees, the fees are low though. I think it will work out fine even though I feel sooo close to others homes. We are in an area we both really like though as its close to the beach, all of our favorite restaurants and not too far to I95. I have my own little yard so IâÂÂll be just fine and dandy.
P.S. I freaked out a bit at first!

Jterrilynn - you sound a lot like me. I have that feeling about my own little patch of green space too. That's why I had considered only town homes. Town homes here can be single level living which is what I want. Okay to have some extra room on another level for storage or guest room but I would want all of life's necessities on one level.

Our primary residence has two levels, garage and laundry on lower. Okay now but maybe not when we're older. Though DH has an 89 year old aunt who still lives in her own three level home and takes her laundry from upstairs bedroom to basement laundry.

Two other condo things to consider.

1. make sure a high percentage of the units are owner occupied. Rental units with long distance owners make for very frugal neighbors when it comes to sharing big ticket costs.

2. Elevator buildings - elevators with lots of users break often.

Iheart.. Sign me up..........your mother's garden home sounds wonderful. Is she in a climate where you can use the pool year round?

Like so many others have mentioned I know we're not cut out for an apartment lifestyle. We've lived in this house for 30 years and downsizing will be difficult. Our home is large, private and exceptionally quiet - now that the kids are gone it's downright soundproof. Over the years we've put on a 1000 sq ft addition, added an enclosed porch, a pool and wonderful landscaping. It really is our sanctum.

It's a shame none of our adult kids could afford to live here. We're in NJ - tied with NY for the highest taxes in the US. Even if we gave one of them our home they couldn't manage the maintenance and taxes. Which is one of the reasons we're looking to move when DH retires.

A townhouse is a possibility but still not that high on our priority list. We'd prefer a rancher or a Cape Cod so that we could live on one level. We might even look for a lot and build.

We don't plan on moving soon since the house is paid for and we can take our time to decide our next step. All 3 adult kids live in Philly and are less than 10 miles from us. It's wonderful that they can visit easily and I'm adamant that I don't want to move further away and I now have deep roots and close friends in this little town.

We have a home on 100 acres in the mountains and when DH retires we'll be able to split our time between the 2 homes. The kids love spending time there too.

I think in a few years we'll know when the time is right to downsize.

Joanie- I am not 100% certain--I believe the developer is only in the Louisville area. However I have seen similar developments in Colorado and FL.

Marie- no. Not year round. With the heater she makes use of the pool from Mid may - October? I believe.

I heart--thanks for the information...I will do some investigating

Maire-cat.....

it sounds like you love your house and location. Rather than downsize, can you make it so you have a MBR and bath on the main floor? This might be cheaper than buying elsewhere or bulding and you are still in the home you love with the pool, etc..with pleny of room for the kids and grands. Most of us move to either go to a state with a lower cost of living or because we want one-level living. I watched my parents, who loved to entertain, go from a 4 bedroom house to a small 2 bedroom SF home, which in reality was apartment size. It was a mistake because they had no room for dinner parties or guests. I dont necessarily want to lose square footage....just the stairs!

PS....you mentioned you are in NJ outside Philly. My parents were from northeast Philly and they lived in the Palmyra/Cinnaminson area just over the Tacony/Palmyra bridge when I was born....many moons ago! We moved away when I was 3 but I have been back several times to see the house and street.

I haven't read all of the replies yet but I thought I'd join in. My husband and I bought a condo 6 years ago and we love it!

We have a lot of privacy as ours is an ranch end unit and the only wall connecting us to one unit next door is the garage wall. We don't have any living spaces that connect to anyone else, no-one above or below us and we have a full basement. Our association is unusual in that it only contains 4 condo units.

We would not have been happy in with neighbors above or below us. My husband calls those types of buildings "hives" and would never have agreed to buy in a complex like that.

We are only in our 40s but we hope to be able to live here forever. It is so nice to have the yard mowed and the snow plowed and even the walkway to our door is shoveled for us.

joanie - Ah, small world. My first job was as a reference librarian at the Northeast Regional Library on Cottman Ave. When our children were old enough for school we moved over here for the great school system and small town atmosphere.

As for staying here - we could. When we put on the addition we added a study and full bath off the kitchen in case our parents needed to move in with us at some point. We turned it into a bedroom/sitting room for my Dad who lived with us for 4 years after my Mom died. But it's still a large home (5 BR, 4 1/2 baths) and at some point we'd like to downsize and reduce our footprint and all those associated expenses.

Ideally we'd like a home similar to the one we built in NE PA. We designed it for casual one floor living - it has a great room, a master bedroom and bath, a second BR and Bath, a den and then extra bedrooms on the second floor for the kids when they visit. DH is only working 3 days a week and we've discovered that we like to have our own individual spaces for our projects. He uses the den for his consulting and hobbies and I use the extra first floor bedroom for my mine - sewing, reading, genealogy, writing.

We feel fortunate that we can take our time in deciding the next stage and in the meantime I'm starting to clean out the attic, basement and closets. While there isn't a rush to finish these tasks I'm also aware that DH and I are both getting older. I had both knees replaced a year ago and both of us know that eliminating stairs and reducing the household work load would be helpful.