Townhomes are a Smart Option for Many Houston Buyers

Steve Bland, an agent for Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene's Inner Loop office, feels that townhomes are a smart option for many buyers, and are becoming a popular choice among buyers instead of single family homes. There has been an increase in the construction of townhomes in many Houston neighborhoods, as residents are increasingly looking for something with a smaller footprint.

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Bland says 'In the Houston Inner Loop area, townhouses are hot. My buyers this year have settled on townhomes 58% of the time, and half of those were new construction.'

Apparently many are attracted by the townhomes locations, as they tend to be close to the city and are ideal for people who want to live close to work or to their social life. The fact that they no longer have to struggle with highway traffic is an added bonus. Townhomes are more affordable than single family homes, especially in the Inner Loop when the cost of land is driving up the price of homes. Bland pointed out that whereas a typical single-family home lot is 5000 ft.² or even more, builders can place at least two townhomes on the same amount of land.

Bland went on to say 'The cost of that land is half of what it would be for the single-family home. Consequently, the home has a smaller footprint and has to build up rather than out to achieve the desired living space. If there's a yard at all, it's a fairly small-just what city dwellers want. Maybe they've had a house in the suburbs and realized they had an unintended second job taking care of the lawn and landscaping.'

In spite of the smaller yard space, Bland does believe most townhomes have adequate outdoor space pointing out they may have multiple patios or huge deck. In addition most have been built in a more sophisticated and contemporary style with a floor plan that tends to work for couples with no children or just one child. However he does concede that most of the floor plans the townhomes would not be so great if you had two children and wanted them to have their own room. However just recently he has seen a lot more traditional floor plans with three bedrooms on the second floor while the garage and public rooms are on the first floor.

Anyone thinking about buying a townhome can contact Steve Bland on the 832-350-9556 or can call by his office at 1939 W. Gray in Houston's Inner Loop Area.