Townhouse vs. Condo/Coop

The pros and cons all really relate to owning your own building versus owning a unit in a big building.

If the boiler goes out in a townhouse you pay the whole thing rather then a proportianate share if you were in a coop or condo. You shovel the sidewalk and take out the trash in a townhouse.

Upside is you own the entire free-standing building and can decorate/restore as you see fit. Often times you will have a small patch of a backyard, don't have to worry about a downstairs neighbor complaining about the amount of noise you are making etc.

and you don't have to worry about charming your way past a co-op board.

If you can afford a townhouse buy a townhouse.

It's very hard to recommend good townhouse neighborhoods without knowing your price range...

Nice Area -- Woody Allen is a neighbor . . . but starts to border on Spanish Harlem which trickles into the 96th street subway station, and does have an impact on the crime rate.

The only person in 15 years that I have known personally was mugged by three kids on 89th street / Lex and Madison. And he was a 6ft2 guy . . . I think there are much better neighborhoods for the price.

I would prefer an apartment. For size and space and owning a whole house, a townhouse is certainly nice. HOWEVER, I so much prefer what an apartmen can offer. If you have the money for a townhouse is a prime area, then you could get a really great apartment that has a great view and amenities. Plus having a doorman, not having so much frontage at or near street level, a super, conseirge, children's play room, etc. is really really nice and convenient.

Think hard about some of the points the previous posters made - You will be shoveling the snow and taking out the trash. All maintenance and upkeep is your responsibility as is finding someone competent to do it. (And you have to supervise any repairs.) I am facing a similar decision but despite the curb appeal and the "psychic income" of saying you own a townhouse in manhattan, I have decided on a co-op. A doorman is essential in the city - just getting luggage and groceries inside can be a huge hassle since you can't park your car out front. Further, unless you have full time staff on premises at all times, deliveries are difficult. I have young children and security crosses my mind as well. Bottom line for me was a townhouse sounds great but the reality is quite a different story.

Think hard about some of the points the previous posters made - You will be shoveling the snow and taking out the trash. All maintenance and upkeep is your responsibility as is finding someone competent to do it. (And you have to supervise any repairs.) I am facing a similar decision but despite the curb appeal and the "psychic income" of saying you own a townhouse in manhattan, I have decided on a co-op. A doorman is essential in the city - just getting luggage and groceries inside can be a huge hassle since you can't park your car out front. Further, unless you have full time staff on premises at all times, deliveries are difficult. I have young children and security crosses my mind as well. Bottom line for me was a townhouse sounds great but the reality is quite a different story.

the listing on94st is amazing. the neighborhood is excellent .

psychic income?

I love the idea of a townhouse & particularly if you have a garden at the back. As far as shovelling snow, which is a HUGE pain, could you not find someone to shovel? Easier said than done??

Package deliveries also suck . . .of course if you have the $ for full time staff, you are all set.

Not to state the obvious, but if you are looking at $12 million townhouses (which is the link above), you can afford to pay a service to coordinate clearing the snow 5 times a year and figuring out how to accept a package. No chance you live in that place without somebody there who cleans all day long, everyday of the week. Just buy them a shovel too.

why bother with all these chores and administration - REALLY, a snowblower in manhattan???
For $12 million you can get a really beautiful co-op on Fifth with a full staff to take care of you and your family - and to poster #15 - while you may not get 100's of deliveries everyday, I get packages or Fed Ex's that need to be signed for at least 2-3 times a week. Actually, I have the solution for you which would be the best of both worlds - take a look at the maisonette at 1158 Fifth - 5 bedroom duplex-private entrance on Fifth - am certain all the doormen service the maisonette as well - It would be a bargain for you at under
$6mil. I wanted to purchase but $2mil above my price range.

Let's not forget that if you buy a townhouse, there is no board approval (same with a condo obviously). So even though this person is looking at a $12 million townhouse, it does not mean they can get by a co-op board regardless of price. Have plenty of money to buy the place is only a small part of the battle in the fancy co-ops.

"Woody Allen is a neighbor"

Who cares...... whats a sales point, spent 12 million dollars so you might have a better chance of bumping into woody allen on the street.

Isn't Woody Allen a sexual predator, but for the fact that no one ever bothered to charge him? Wouldn't want him near my kids. I mean, the guy IS married to his daughter.

#1- If you have 12 million to spend I know someone who is having some financial difficulty and needs to sell a newly built estate in Greenwich (the difficulties are un related to the building of the home -- it is another business having trouble). The home is 22500 sqft and 95% complete, he may consider letting it go for a quick sale at 12 million (his costs were slightly more). When complete (another 600 to 750k worth of work) the house should be worth 20mm+. If you are interested let me know and I will post an email where you can contact me, or post one of your own.

#23 You're a moron, just because someone says they have 12 million to spend on a message board you believe them?

Hehhehehehehehehe...... #23 here..... no I am not ignorant of the fact people in the city have large amounts of money to spend......ehehehehehehehe....... I am just surpised they post here and people believe it so readily..... it's probably your husband's money and you're probably a bored housewife with nothing to do all day.

#23 - what do you do all day that you have time to post on these boards?????

#28, you sound seriously bitter. Just because someone is wealthy doesn't mean they solely seek out the opinions of other wealthy people or paid advisors.

"it's probably your husband's money and you're probably a bored housewife with nothing to do all day." What a ridiculous comment. bitter bitter.

Townhouses can have many upsides, as noted.

If you buy a townhouse for single-family use, you should be comfortable with having "help" in your living space a really lot (possibly as a live-in). Not everyone can deal with that. There are lots of things to clean, break, change, etc., especially because the house will likely be over 100 years old, and a full-time housekeeper can help deal with those people coming and going. Otherwise you (or a family member) become the housekeeper (for coordination, not just for cleaning). And yes, this will be more true in townhouse than in a suburban house.

As a separate issue, many people find a stack of small-footprint spaces (even with an elevator) to be a major nuisance.