I was asked last week during a viewing, “Which townhouse is the best in the development?”
I hesitated for a moment then answered,
“Whichever unit you like the most.”
The truth is, there’s no such thing as the ‘best’ townhouse.
That’s because what’s important to me in a home is different from what is important to you.
So the right question isn’t:
“Which townhouse is the best?”
It’s:
“Which townhouse is the best for us?”
Here’s five factors to consider in order to find your perfect match.
Location
Most people's first choice is to look for a home in a central location.
But for others, they may:
- Like being closer to their weekend activity locations, like the excellent mountain bike trails in Wainuiomata.
- Are wanting to enroll children in a particular school or daycare.
- Want to be closer to family or friends who live less centrally.
What’s important to you?
That’s a good place to start looking.
Corner/middle unit
Like me, you might think it’s a no-brainer.
If you had the choice:
Corner units usually get more sun
Have a larger outdoor area
May have more floor area inside
But many of our purchasers opt for a middle unit:
The configuration of the kitchen/dining space
Less outdoor maintenance
More affordable pricing
Sun
Depending on what direction your townhouse is facing you’ll normally get the choice between predominantly: Morning sun vs afternoon sun.
Occasionally, some corner units get the best of both worlds.
Some of our purchasers who work shifts opt for afternoon sun as they leave for work before the sun is up anyway.
Some of our purchasers work from home or have stay at home parents so having morning sun gives them a great boost to start the day.
Parking
There’s two options when it comes to parking:
Off street
On street
When you purchase a townhouse that comes with a carpark, you have your own exclusive off street car park. When you purchase a townhouse without a car park, you will need to find an on street park
When we choose a site to build townhouses at Faisandier Group, accessibility to public transport is front of mind.
That’s because many of our purchasers rely on buses & trains to get to work.
If you only need a car for weekends, Uber might be a more affordable option.
Price
Price is understandably on everyone’s list.
Factors 1 - 4 heavily influence pricing.
For example:
Townhouse A - $699k
Location: Epuni, Lower Hutt
Corner/middle: Corner
Sun: All day sun
Parking: Off street
Townhouse B - $579k
Location: Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt
Corner/middle: Middle
Sun: Afternoon sun
Parking: On street
(as of 17/03/23 those units are actually available)
If you can afford it and it ticks the other 4 boxes, that’s the perfect townhouse for you!!
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Hi I’m Hausia,
I help first home buyers make better buying decisions.
If you want access to arguably the best off-the-plans mortgage advisor in Lower Hutt, click ‘contact us’ below or head straight to his website here.
If you have any questions about something you've read in the blog, email hausia@faisandier.group.