What Kind Of Home Suits Your Needs

Published on the

Once you’ve decided where you want your new home to be located, it’s time to decide what kind of home you want. The three major choices are condos, townhouses and detached houses. Each has its benefits and drawbacks, and entails a significantly different lifestyle and set of responsibilities.

Condo
If you get along well with others, don’t mind apartment life and don’t mind paying homeowners’ association fees every month for as long as you live in the condo, a condo might be the right choice for you. The main advantages of living in a condo over a house are that you don’t have to worry about maintaining a yard or the exterior structure. In addition, you may feel an increased sense of security if you live alone. Condos also tend to be more affordable than purchasing a house. The drawback is you’ll still have shared walls, a shared parking garage and shared common areas. You won’t have complete control over your property, because you’ll be subject to syndicate rules that may control minute details of your life, such as what kind of Christmas lights you can put up or what kind of doormat you can lay out.

Townhouse
A townhouse is sort of a hybrid between a condo and a house. These are often two stories, meaning that you don’t have downstairs or upstairs neighbors and therefore can have a bit more privacy and peace and quiet (especially if you can get an end unit, which will only have one set of neighbors). Townhouses also often have attached garages on the ground level, providing greater convenience and privacy than a condo parking garage, and there may be fewer townhouses in a development than there would be units in a condo building.
Like condos, townhouses have syndicates (and their attendant monthly fees) and you won’t have to worry about maintaining the building’s exterior. Townhouses are often priced similarly to equally sized condos but if you’re looking for something with absolute entry-level pricing, you may not find it in a townhouse because they’re generally larger than condos, and may even have small yards.

House

A house can be the most expensive option in terms of both total purchase price and ongoing maintenance, but it also gives you the most independence and privacy. You won’t have any shared walls, floors or ceilings, and you’ll even have a yard and perhaps a fence to act as a further buffer between you and your neighbors. A yard is also great for children, pets, barbecues, private pools, hot tubs and relaxing in the fresh air. Houses are also generally larger than condos, so you’ll probably have more space.

However, whatever goes wrong with the structure (and things will go wrong from time to time), you’ll have to pay to fix it and you’ll also be responsible for maintaining the yard (or paying someone to maintain it). Houses typically have the best investment value and because a house is all yours, if you outgrow it, you will have the option of adding on, whereas if you have a condo or townhouse, the only way to get a bigger living space is to move.

Size
Regardless of which type of housing you prefer (and can afford), you’ll also have to decide on size. How many bedrooms and bathrooms do you and/or your family need to live comfortably? Is the amount of space you need now the same amount of space you’ll need in the future (e.g., are you planning to have kids, take in an elderly parent or start a home business that will require an office)? Do you want an extra space to rent out to help pay your mortgage? Do you want to use the property as an investment property one day, and if so, what size would be best for that purpose? Be aware that the bigger the property, the higher the purchase price, the higher the ongoing maintenance costs, utility bills and insurance, and the more you may need to spend for things like furniture and upgrades when you move in.

The Great Outdoors

Finally, consider what kind of outdoor space comes with the property. If it’s a condo or townhouse, does it have any private balconies or decks or a little patch of lawn to call your own? Is there any common green space, a play area for kids, a pool or a hot tub? Do you plan to make use of these things, or will your Syndicate fees just be wasted on their upkeep? Are you willing to share these facilities with other people or do you want the private ownership and use of them that may only come with a house? Do you have pets and what kind of indoor and/or outdoor space do you need for them? Will the syndicate allow you to have the pets you want? Do you want to be able to entertain outdoors? All the above questions need to be answered.

Once you’ve considered in detail what kind of home best suits your needs, you’re ready to calculate how much home you can afford, on MCB LOAN CALCULATOR.

So happy home searching !!! After all it is the best investment of your life.

  1. What Kind Of Home Suits Your Needs
  2. Buying a property in Mauritius in 5 steps
  3. Estimate the right selling price of your house
  4. Our tips and Advices for Property Acquisition
  5. The role of the Notary in Mauritius
  6. Obtaining a home loan in Mauritius
  7. Selling your property: not without the help of an agent!

More Articles in : Accommodation

Our Files

Buying in Mauritius

Buying a property is a lifetime investment, especially when it comes to buying a home. You must have all the necessary and useful information to (...)

Rent: Tenants

Property rental is a market which is gaining momentum in Mauritius. The ever-rising demand for houses, apartments, studios and villas rental is (...)

Construction

Choose your land location, draft your construction plan, apply for your Building and Land-use Permit, choose your building materials, carry out (...)

Rent: Landlords

Buying a real estate property provides some advantages: fiscal incentives, warranties, energy saving, rental income in case of property rental. (...)

Moving to Mauritius

Thinking about moving and settling in Mauritius? You have obtained all the required permits and it is now time to seriously consider your (...)