Photo by Aubrey Odom

Originally Posted On: 3 Questions to Ask Before Buying a Townhouse in North Ridge Rosement LizLuke Real Estate Team

Thinking of buying a townhouse in North Ridge Rosemont? It’s a beautiful local housing market with tons of options for savvy home buyers.

However, not all townhouses are created equal, which is why it’s important to ask questions before you buy.

Here are three of the big questions you need to ask when looking into a potential new townhouse.

Covenants, conditions, and restrictions, or CC&Rs, are sets of rules governing how real estate is used. Typically, these are rules placed on a home or housing complex by a builder, a homeowner’s association, or a neighborhood association.

Essentially, homeowners agree to give up a certain amount of autonomy in exchange for being able to live in the community. Many townhomes have CC&Rs.

The tricky thing about CC&Rs is that they apply to features of your home that neighbors may not be able to see. In fact, they can place almost any kind of restriction, as long as participating members of the group agree to it.

For example, a CC&R may state that you’re only allowed to paint your house certain colors. Space limitations are more common, but there are CC&Rs that may leave you scratching your head. Many CC&Rs place breed restrictions on pets and disallow livestock, chickens, and rabbits.

Some CC&Rs will even go so far as to specify who’s allowed to live in your home.

That said, the goal of CC&Rs is to maintain a safe, clean, good-looking neighborhood. Just make sure to read the fine print of your CC&R carefully.

Privacy is a particularly important question for townhomes compared to regular houses. Unlike condos, you won’t have neighbors all around, but unlike a suburban house, you will have neighbors sharing walls with you on either side.

For this reason, it’s important to investigate various elements of privacy. For example, how well does sound travel? Just because your neighbor is having a party doesn’t mean you want to be invited, especially if you’re trying to have a quiet dinner in your dining room.

A good way to find this out is with a bit of early relationship-building with your would-be neighbors. Ask about the level of noise pollution; you might be surprised by the response.

Last but not least, don’t forget to ask about the homeowner’s association or HOA.

The HOA is responsible for setting rules for the community. If you buy a property in a community that has an HOA, you automatically become a member and agree to participate in the rules set by the HOA and pay your HOA dues.

This is why it’s extremely important to read the fine print before signing on the dotted line. Some HOAs are more restrictive than others. As long as you’re fine with the terms set by the HOA, you won’t have any issues moving into that neighborhood.

We know that buying a townhouse is no small undertaking. That’s why we’re here to help guide you through the process with an expert real estate team and deep knowledge of the local market.

If you’re on the hunt for your forever home, get in touch today to let us know how we can help.