Would you rather live in a brownstone/townhouse or a condo in a full service building?

I have a townhouse and I love it.

Tell me more about it, r1.

If money weren't a problem, I'd buy a luxury condo in a really nice location - by the sea or the bay.

I'm single and I'm getting older, and my impossible dream is to spend the rest of my life never DIY-ing, gardening, or worrying about repairs again.

Brownstones are gloomy.

I have had the best of both worlds.

I inherited a townhouse in the east 50's when I was in my 30's. It was left to me by my elderly childless aunt who loved her gay nephew. I lived there for a little over 20 years. A lot of work, but less than an actual house I would think...no lawn or backyard to take care of, etc...never having lived in a house I have no real frame of reference. I converted the top floor to a rentable apartment and had a lovely, problem-free tenant.

I sold the townhouse and bought a condo in a newish full-service building and I love it. Been here for about four years and everything is convenient and easy.

I, too, love my little gay nephew, and he will get this condo one day.

A house. No shared wall housing.

My husband and I currently own a 2-family townhouse in Brooklyn and a 2 bedroom condo in Hawaii. We split our time between both locations. I'd prefer to sell the townhouse and spend 100% of our time in Hawaii. It's a much better and easier life style. The big BUT is that the value of the townhouse keeps growing and growing, and the income from the tenant offsets any expense we might have. It's our de facto retirement fund. So, we will probably hold onto the townhouse as long as we can.

It all depends on a lot of things. Take everything into consideration and make the best choice. Then enjoy it.

Are you handy and/or have the means for repairs for a brownstone? Not only will you be able to keep it up, but will you be able to include updates/improvements over time?

What factors into appreciation, condo vs. brownstone?

What is your lifestyle? (entertaining, overnight guests, family needs, etc.)

Are you into a new home for quite a while or will you be moving on fairly shortly?

Think it through. Is either in an established area, is it up and coming or on the decline?

When you buy any residence keep in mind, you are also buying your neighbors, neighborhood, convenience, safety, etc.

A brownstone on East 68th St. owned by this nice couple named the Mertzes, with neighbors like Mrs. Trumbull, Grace Foster and the Ricardos.

What does the Darfur Orphan think about this dilemma this privileged gay man is having, especially when 'money isn't an issue'?

A co-op. UWS. I hate stairs and even the smallest amount of yard work. I rented a house for a year once, and I hated the landlord every time I had to clip her roses.

Oh, how I don't get roses.

Another UWS co-op for me. I wish I'd bought two back in 1998.

Bump

R7 Sure, Jan...

neither.

A Townhouse is a home you own, but you share walls on both sides.

A Condo is an apartment that you own, but you do not have control over the building. Worst still, you do not own the land.

I like both, but would favor an old, established co-op.

Townhouses are great but from my perspective are better suited for the shorter term - 10-15 years at most. A smaller, compact townhouse offers a lot more flexibity than a big one with multiple public rooms and 4, 5 or more bedrooms. My household is two and the occasional house guest, so the idea of two upper floors devoted to bedrooms has some appeal but ultimately it's more burden than useful. I don't want to run a hotel for visiting friends, or need multiple rooms set up as guest rooms.

In an old co-op, with one level (2 if money is really if no concern), you can have a guest room or two and use the other "bedrooms" as you like; the more horizontal style of living makes the space more accessible and adaptable.

A townhouse is a different level of maintenance. Finding a plumber, someone to paint a cornice, a maid, a roofer, someone to keep the sidewalks and entrance looking occupied when you're away, the alarm system...you're on your own to find these things and manage the property. In a co-op a neighbor will recommend the plumber that knows the building inside out, or a maid; the front desk will keep your mail and packages received while you're away, the roof and sidewalks are taken care of; traveling and being away are much easier.

If I had a family, if I had lots of big parties, if I wanted an apartment for an in-law or an assistant, a townhouse would be great.

For me, though, a co-op offers the luxury of not having to worry about things, being able to go away and easily arrange for a couple small things like a perfect, telling the front desk - done. I don't have to arrange for someone to be there when the roof gutter cleaners arrive, or the guy with the giant ladder to replace the bulbs in the lighting above the main stair.

A good old co-op is quiet as a tomb, privacy and calm and respect are valued, the space is more efficiently arranged and everything doesn't involve a trip up or down stairs. It's much less complicated to look after.

It doesn’t matter how nice of a condo it is, if there is a COA it will be hell. I don’t need other people arbitrarily telling me what I can and cannot do (curtains can be only a specific shade of cream, no dogs over 20 lbs, you get a lien if you are 3 hours late on your dues, etc). Fuck off!! At least in a townhome you can do as you please and no one can stop you. I happen to live in a twin home in a second rate city, and my other options were condos, but the thought of cow tailing to a COA/HOA makes my skin crawl.

I'd go with the brownstone/townhouse, but I'm English so renovating and maintaining older houses is in our blood.

Not R7, but I’ll be R14’s Jan.

Husband and I own both: well located in town townhouse for 20 years and good size ocean front condo for nearly as long. We split time 2/3 vs 1/3. We’re lucky. Paid for both before prices skyrocketed; so taxes and upkeep are the primary expense and we can afford to hire others.

Neither is perfect.

Townhouse often has something needing attending to, either inside or out. Waiting till several things go wrong is [bold] not [/bold] a good strategy. Stairs, increasingly are an irritant - but at some age, everything is. Still, when we could entertain, pre-covid, a townhouse’s many spaces/levels is wonderful. (Still use the garden with close friends.)

Condo is a breeze. Lock it and forget it for travel. Concierge does the rest. But there are always unexpected demands (for assessments), noise, and rules (pets yes; pets no; what size/type pet?) that, unless you want to serve on the board are frustrating.

What a first world gay queen thread. As if it means anything to the real world.

Like most Dataloungers, I also own a fabulous 4 story townhouse in the village that I inherited, but I only spend summers there. The rest of the time is split between my historic BB house in PTown and my penthouse condo in South Beach. I have full time staff that looks after the places when I'm not there (and I kept them on salary even during Covid, so I'm very caring and compassionate).

What's the deal with townhouses in places like NYC - do you always have to park on the street? Or do they each have private garages. Leaving my vehicle out on the street all the time, especially during harsh winter months, would be a deal breaker for me.

At least condos have parking garages or private garages.

Thanks for this thread. I am looking to buy either a condo, a townhouse or a small house in the summer.

I am moving from the NYC area, though.

I have cats who run around at night and annoy the elderly cunt below me.

I am trying to decide which option is best for me, so I appreciate all of your insight.

I own a small townhouse and I love it. It's perfect for me. I'm single aka alone. It's a co-op so the upkeep isn't even that bad.

In NYC? A condo. They offer better security than townhouses which are just begging to be burgled.

A townhouse is great when you're younger. Usually has plenty of stairs (great exercise!) and maybe a garden out back to putz around in. Townhouses often have smaller floor plates on each level which can inhibit entertaining (once we get back to that).

A condo in a full service building is perfect when you're older and perhaps want to travel. No stairs. All your space is on one level. Someone is there to fix the faucet, empty the trash, deliver packages, shovel the walk and put fresh flowers out in the lobby. And you just lock it and leave when you want to go away. I have had none of the issues R17 referenced.

I've been fortunate to have lived in a townhouse (and before that a single family home) when I was younger and now in a condo in a lovely old pre-war building.

Good thing brownstones and townhouses are so cheap and affordable in large cities, otherwise this question may have been ridiculous.

I know OP mentions "money is no object" but there would be a big difference in property taxes between a townhome and a condo, assuming same neighborhood and equal square footage. The property taxes for my condo are $8000 (12 story, 36 unit building), whereas they're $37,000 for the 3-storey townhouse across the street with same square footage.

R28 wow, that’s crazy.

R25 what about alarm systems? Aren't they pretty reliable these days?

A beautiful historic townhouse is the real deal.

But if money were no object I'd want a place in one of the Robert Stern buildings. Call me crass, but 432 Park Ave. would be fine too.

R30 Doesn’t it have an awful KAWS monstrosity out front?

R30 Nevermind, was thinking of the Seagrams building.

R27 I confess I am puzzled that some posters are apparently in disbelief that a large tranche of older gay men might have significant financial resources.

R33 Yes. A lot of us don’t have kids and I would think kids are a huge income drain.

R32 Oh dear. The impeccable Seagrams now has that out front? Is it permanent?

Full-service building makes receiving packages much easier; I frequently see Amazon and UPS packages left on the stoops of multi-million dollar townhouses in my home city. On the other hand I didn't care for building staff knowing my comings and goings (or those of my tricks) and having to constantly do the "Hi! How are you? Any holiday plans?" dance. I'm not sure who wins the security battle, 24 hr doorman vs some kind of alarm system. In my experience most burglar alarms just makes lots of unnecessary noise and the overwhelming majority of them are false, so most police forces don't prioritize them. Surveillance cameras/video doorbells seem to offer the best chance of catching criminals.

R35 I HOPE not!