Do you know your real estate? Differences between a unmarried-family unit, condo and a multi-family property.

I'chiliad and so glad that I've finally got some desk time to write a post today.

It'south been at the dorsum of my mind for the by couple of weeks; this nagging feeling that I've got something to share on my web log and I'd just similar the world to LEAVE ME Solitary so that I could get down to it.

Alright… who am I fooling.

The fact is, if something was truly of import, I would accept prioritized it over annihilation else that pops upwards.

Lamentable, clients far outweigh blogging at this indicate.

That said, I was determined to end a post today so I woke upwards exceptionally early to exercise so.

Gonna get this weight off my shoulders now!

Do you know your real manor?

Allow me just put it out in that location - I honey working with start-time homebuyers.

Information technology's actually one of the most rewarding parts of my job to be able to share my knowledge and see my buyers grow and come to share my excitement in this too. A honey client (now friend) of mine once told me that she now notices chimney flashings whenever she passes by homes! Ha! Little things like that thrill me to no terminate.

Forth the way, I have come to realize that many of whom I speak with aren't quite familiar with the classifications of real estate out in that location. It has go a reoccurring theme for me to explain the differences betwixt a single-family home, a condo and a multi-family holding.

Not everything is as straightforward as information technology looks, of form. Worse, if I've to explain it over the phone.

I'll give you an example. This house - this mannerly, Greek style house with its very telling ionic columns.

Is this a single-family, multi-family, or condo?

Photo taken from Bostoncondoloft.com.

Photograph taken from Bostoncondoloft.com.

The answer is, I tin't tell for sure.

It's probably a single-family unit, but theoretically, information technology tin can be either of the three. I'll take to look up the town'south records to ostend the classification.

Dislocated nevertheless?

Read on. I hope the haze will exist lifted.

In my previous chore, my former CEO would tell united states that one needs to write in order to crystalize knowledge and be coherent nearly a topic.

So, here goes my mail on identifying the common types of existent estate. I've got pictures and illustrations, heck, I've even come up with a VENN DIAGRAM to categorize these homes!

Concluding time I did a venn was… probably fifteen years ago.

I'll be writing about single-family homes, multi-family homes and condos. I won't exist touching on on co-ops, mixed-apply properties, commercial or mobile homes today.

Enjoy!

What is a unmarried-family home

To be fair, no i really asks "what is a single-family home".

Information technology seems pretty obvious, like the business firm on the left, simply do you know that single-family homes come up fastened likewise?

Discrete means that ane neighbor's house is not touching another's. Attached homes are less common, and ofttimes get mistaken to be condos.

What makes a unmarried-family is the land that runs with the title to the property.

If yous pull out the human action of the property, it would read "A certain parcel of land with the buildings thereon bounded and described as follows…"

Ownership of state, is the reason that single-families – or for that affair, multi-families – capeesh at a greater charge per unit than condos.

Detached single-family. Credit-free image from Pexels.

Discrete unmarried-family. Credit-free epitome from Pexels.

Attached single-family. 36 Joyce Lane, Boxborough MA. Photo credits to Jason Jeon of Premier Realty Group.

Fastened single-family. 36 Joyce Lane, Boxborough MA. Photo credits to Jason Jeon of Premier Realty Grouping.

what is a multi-family unit dwelling house

One of my earliest memories of Buyer education is having a conversation with my customer who told me that she would like to get a split dwelling.

"Why split?", I asked. Split-level homes are typical of the 50s, and have not been a common asking these days.

"Oh, then I could live in one side and rent out the other."

"Ah, yous're not talking about a split up-level dwelling house then! That's a blazon of pattern for a single-family house. You're talking about a 2-family."

A multi-family home consists of multiple, splitlegal housing units in a single construction. There are 2-families, iii-families, 4-families… the list goes on.

Legal is underlined because yes buddy, in that location are rules. :)

Your installation of an additional kitchen, heating, rooms and baths do not make your basement/cranium/garage a second unit in your habitation and allow you to telephone call it a 2-family unit.

In fact, if y'all do that, yous violate boondocks zoning codes. If not already made to remove them and revert to a conforming construction, y'all'd most definitely exist required to remove and revert prior to selling your property.

Multi-families, like unmarried-families, come with state. The visible difference between this and a single-family, is the legal presence of a second (or more) set of essential living areas like the kitchen, bath etc. Imagine having 2 families live in the same building - they could essentially live their lives apart without sharing or infringing on another family's space.

Multi-families can often be spotted from on their pattern - in that location'south a certain symmetry or division that is telling of the number of units in the property.

2-Family at 127 Elm St Somerville. Photo credits to LAER Realty Partners / iBremis Realty.

2-Family at 127 Elm St Somerville. Photo credits to LAER Realty Partners / iBremis Realty.

3-Family at 275 Minot Street, Boston. Photo credits to Beth Materna, Boom Realty.

iii-Family at 275 Minot Street, Boston. Photo credits to Beth Materna, Boom Realty.

4+ Units multi-family at 46 South St, Somerville. Photo credits to Dennis Kelleher of Horvath & Tremblay.

iv+ Units multi-family unit at 46 South St, Somerville. Photo credits to Dennis Kelleher of Horvath & Tremblay.

However, at times, visual observations practise not tell the full story. I has to check the boondocks's records to see if the owner still maintains ownership of the entire building AND country, or if the structure has been converted intocondominiums.

More than on that below.

What is a condominium (condo)

Condominium ownership exist in many forms of residential living. It could exist in a high-density apartment building - what about people think of when they think "condo" - or a lower density one, similar a Townhouse (explained below).

What makes a condo, is shared buying of common areas. A condo possessor does not own land in its entirety.

In fact, the merely true ownership is with the fixtures and whatsoever that resides IN the unit. Everything else outside is taken to be common space; the maintenance of which, a common expense shared by all unit of measurement owners of the condo.

Imagine having a cube filled with water. You own the areas that the water makes contact.

Condos are a pretty obvious spot when they exist within a development. You'd notice the mutual areas like a shared parking lot, garden or lawn, or shared facilities similar a gym, pool or tennis court.

Johnson Woods Condominiums. Photo credits to Rick Nazzaro of Colonial Manor Realty.

Johnson Woods Condominiums. Photograph credits to Rick Nazzaro of Colonial Estate Realty.


Condos get a little tricky to identify when they exist from a conversion.

In any zoning that allows multi-families to exist, homeowners/investors may choose to convert the belongings into separate condos so that they could sell each unit separately (ofttimes at a college $/sqf). Conversion isn't that challenging because multi-families already exist with carve up residential areas.

And then basically y'all need 2 things:

  1. Physical separation of utilities, as well equally archway and egress.

  2. Legal separation of buying from one to two (or more than) owners. A well-versed real estate attorney would be able to hands handle that. There would be condo docs - the Master Deed, identification of units' interest in common areas and formation of a Condo Trust.

When that happens, state becomes a common area and no longer belongs to one entity (the possessor) but multiple entities.

My listing at 527 Bennington St in Due east Boston is a classic example; as with this beautifully symmetrical home in Lexington.

2-family, condo converted. 24 Sherman Street, Lexington MA. Photo credits to Elizabeth P. Crampton of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Lexington.

ii-family, condo converted. 24 Sherman Street, Lexington MA. Photo credits to Elizabeth P. Crampton of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Lexington.

The part where it gets grayness: Townhouse, ROWHOUSE & Single-family homes that pay HOA fees

Townhouse

Townhouses are a pretty common sight in up and coming suburban towns. They are a overnice solution to increasing the density of available housing, and at the aforementioned time allowing more distance and privacy for owners as compared to being in an apartment condo.

Townhouse. 15 Railroad Ave, North Reading. Photo credits to Anthony DiCesare of JR Associates.

Townhouse. 15 Railroad Ave, North Reading. Photo credits to Anthony DiCesare of JR Assembly.

Townhouse. 88 Worcester Ln, Waltham. Photo credits to The Madden Team of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Commonwealth Real Estate.

Townhouse. 88 Worcester Ln, Waltham. Photograph credits to The Madden Team of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Democracy Real Estate.

People often fault Townhouses to be some other word for condos. While Townhouses do – and oftentimes – exist as condos, the fact is, Townhouses are just a description of architectural design.

A townhouse is defined as an fastened, privately owned unmarried-family abode unit which is a part of and adjacent to other similarly owned unmarried-family domicile units that are connected to but separated from i another by a common party wall having no doors, windows, or other provisions for human passage or visibility.

Remember, a property exists as a condo just if there are shared areas/facilities, and no single ownership of land. You could have a Townhouse AND yet ain the state that your holding sits on. It'll just exist called a unmarried-family unit townhouse.

Rowhouse

It took me a while to wrap my head around a Rowhouse. Somewhen I learnt that information technology's a similar concept to a Townhouse, except the latter tends to be clustered in a development, whereas Rowhouses line the street.

15 Keswick St, Boston. Photo credits to The Jared Wilk Group of Benoit Mizner Simon & Co. - Wellesley - Central St.

15 Keswick St, Boston. Photo credits to The Jared Wilk Group of Benoit Mizner Simon & Co. - Wellesley - Primal St.

23 Pinckney Street, Boston. Photo credits to Bernadine Tsung Megason of Compass.

23 Pinckney Street, Boston. Photo credits to Bernadine Tsung Megason of Compass.

Once again, a description of design rather than blazon of ownership. In a more than densely populated area similar San Francisco, you'll even go rowhouses that exist as multi-family properties.

Multi-family rowhouses. Photo self taken at the Richmond District.

Multi-family rowhouses. Photograph self taken at the Richmond District.

Single-family unit homes that take a Homeowner'south Association (HOA)

Having a HOA does not make a holding a condo. It just ways that there's an association that takes intendance of shared areas and amenities.

They are pretty common in suburban towns where single-family homes in a development cluster would 90% of the time share a common septic, forth with common walkways and landscaping. Sometimes there'southward a shared clubhouse too.

Owners of Acorn Park Condominium Association in Acton pay a monthly HOA fee for shared septic and common area landscaping.

Owners of Acorn Park Condominium Association in Acton pay a monthly HOA fee for shared septic and mutual area landscaping.

Owners of Harvard Estates in Boxborough pay a monthly HOA fee for a tennis court and common area maintenance.

Owners of Harvard Estates in Boxborough pay a monthly HOA fee for a lawn tennis court and common area maintenance.

Single-family home. 39 Steele Lane, Boxborough. Photo credits Anne Marie DeCesar of Keller Williams Realty Boston Northwest.

Single-family habitation. 39 Steele Lane, Boxborough. Photo credits Anne Marie DeCesar of Keller Williams Realty Boston Northwest.

Single-family home. 9 Steele Lane, Boxborough. Photo credits to Kristin B. Hilberg of Keller Williams Realty Boston Northwest.

Single-family dwelling. 9 Steele Lane, Boxborough. Photo credits to Kristin B. Hilberg of Keller Williams Realty Boston Northwest.

 Unless you lot're familiar with that neighborhood, you probably tin can't tell from looking at these homes that they have shared civilities.

Having an HOA does non change the fact that these areall the same single-family unit homes that own land with championship. Information technology'south just often the instance in suburban towns that it'south a better – more economic – determination to develop a tract of land and take 20 homes share one master septic organization, than take 20 septic systems peppered throughout people's backyards.

Summary

That's all! Have a look at my venn diagram below and see if it makes sense to you!