Detach Condo - What are the cons??
- Thread starter mchow81
- Start date
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Since driveways take up most of the potential street parking, detached condos can actually have more street parking and residents are generally prohibited from using the garage for storage and required to park both vehicles in the garage.
Proximity to neighbors is very dependent on the specific detached condo you are looking at.
While the additional HOA is a cost, you save money on front landscaping if you are buying new.
Depending on the execution, detached condos have less street parking, absence of a driveway means even less available parking and with motorcourts, since there is no parking in front of the houses, parking is even more scarce.
I had a neighbor with 2 kids who drove and they took up both spaces in their driveway and in front of our house (they never parked in the garage). If they didn't have that driveway, it would be worse.
I think the big thing is... Its less than SFRs. Not like detached is more desirable but it mostly comes down to cost. Thats why they are popular in Irvine. Some say oh just save up more... That could be another 200k price tag. Obviously there are disadvantages but homes are pricey out here.
I asked this to the Irvine Pacific salesperson when I bought Jasmine @ Cypress Village. She said they are technically "single family detached condos" and you do own the land. Whether she's right or wrong who knows.
After living for a first time in a detached condo for about 8 months now I can give you my experience. Haven't had any issues with hearing noise from neighbors, although I'm probably the noisy one in the hood. My first party, one of my neighbors called the cops for noise at 8:30 pm on a Saturday. Although it was because my friends were in the backyard drinking and smoking. I'm guessing these neighbors would probably have complained if it was a regular SFR with a bigger backyard too. Since then I've thrown several parties and I don't let guests in the backyard and have had no complaints.
I was also worried before moving in that I'd get complaints because I have surround sound and a subwoofer. No complaints when I blast this. I've also gone to the backyard while playing a movie and you can't hear anything, insulation is good on these new homes. The air conditioner is much louder when it kicks on. Several noise complaints when playing movies at old apartment but none at detached condo.
Obviously main cons are no driveway and smaller backyard. However I think the detached condos are a better deal than the same sized attached condos they are selling. They are $75-100k cheaper but the HOA's are twice as much so you are only saving a couple hundred a month, doesn't make sense to me.
Would rather have an SFR but don't have $1 to 1.2 mil to spend on a house right now.
Most Sfrs are built real close so the difference is small.
When I shopped I could have bought SFRs for the same price as my detached condo but the detached condo was brand-new compared to older resale for the SFR. Plus even with newer products, buyers often over pay for detached condos.
Detached Condo 1,907 sqft, sold for $950K:https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/109-Windham-92620/unit-2/home/55629411
SFRs
1,950 sqft $890K:https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/74-Loganberry-92620/home/5958939
1,949 sqft $925K:https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/23-Waterspout-92620/home/5959387
Just look at Corte Bella
Residence 2
3 Bedroom, 2.5 Bathroom
1,922 Sq. Ft.
Low $900,000's
(949) 790-3017
2 Car Garage
Makes sense. But even last year 2,764sqft SFR Quinterra homes were in the 900s:http://www.talkirvine.com/index.php/topic,4027.60.html
Why pay the same price for a 1,950sqft detached Corte Bella condo?? Crazy. Orchard Hills isn't even a much better location than Portola Springs.
To be fair, corte Bella plan 2s started in the mid 800s. Quinterra was never really in the 900s. One may have gotten lucky and gotten a plan 1 for that price but there was probably only one (maybe two). More realistically, $1m. So $150k delta. Not insignificant. Yes we can all wait and save more money but some choose not to. And this was all last year. This year, you can't buy either for those prices.
Maybe I'm not as nice. I actually find the buyers that pay 900s for 1900-2200 detached condos annoying because they are encouraging the builders to offer more of these products...
ps99472
New member
- Appreciation is slower than SFRs, first to drop in a buyers market and last to rise in sellers market for detached homes
- Parking
- Curb appeal for the inner units of motorcourt
- Natural lighting for the unit stuck between two other units
- Even if you have a driveway and qualify for SFR status, you're not on paper because of you're HOA
- Cost more for a mortgage
- Refi is a pain in the butt because it more likely requires HOA stmt every single time
- Parking
- Curb appeal for the inner units of motorcourt
- Natural lighting for the unit stuck between two other units
- Even if you have a driveway and qualify for SFR status, you're not on paper because of you're HOA
- Cost more for a mortgage
- Refi is a pain in the butt because it more likely requires HOA stmt every single time
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
Not always... I think there are some in Woodbury East and LagAlt that don't have a sub.Irvinian81 said:
paperboyNC
New member
lnc said:
Since driveways take up most of the potential street parking, detached condos can actually have more street parking and residents are generally prohibited from using the garage for storage and required to park both vehicles in the garage.
Proximity to neighbors is very dependent on the specific detached condo you are looking at.
While the additional HOA is a cost, you save money on front landscaping if you are buying new.
irvinehomeowner
Well-known member
This doesn't make sense.paperboyNC said:
Depending on the execution, detached condos have less street parking, absence of a driveway means even less available parking and with motorcourts, since there is no parking in front of the houses, parking is even more scarce.
I had a neighbor with 2 kids who drove and they took up both spaces in their driveway and in front of our house (they never parked in the garage). If they didn't have that driveway, it would be worse.
J
jmoney74
Guest
ps9 said:
I think the big thing is... Its less than SFRs. Not like detached is more desirable but it mostly comes down to cost. Thats why they are popular in Irvine. Some say oh just save up more... That could be another 200k price tag. Obviously there are disadvantages but homes are pricey out here.
SubSolar
Active member
toady13 said:
I asked this to the Irvine Pacific salesperson when I bought Jasmine @ Cypress Village. She said they are technically "single family detached condos" and you do own the land. Whether she's right or wrong who knows.
After living for a first time in a detached condo for about 8 months now I can give you my experience. Haven't had any issues with hearing noise from neighbors, although I'm probably the noisy one in the hood. My first party, one of my neighbors called the cops for noise at 8:30 pm on a Saturday. Although it was because my friends were in the backyard drinking and smoking. I'm guessing these neighbors would probably have complained if it was a regular SFR with a bigger backyard too. Since then I've thrown several parties and I don't let guests in the backyard and have had no complaints.
I was also worried before moving in that I'd get complaints because I have surround sound and a subwoofer. No complaints when I blast this. I've also gone to the backyard while playing a movie and you can't hear anything, insulation is good on these new homes. The air conditioner is much louder when it kicks on. Several noise complaints when playing movies at old apartment but none at detached condo.
Obviously main cons are no driveway and smaller backyard. However I think the detached condos are a better deal than the same sized attached condos they are selling. They are $75-100k cheaper but the HOA's are twice as much so you are only saving a couple hundred a month, doesn't make sense to me.
Would rather have an SFR but don't have $1 to 1.2 mil to spend on a house right now.
J
jmoney74
Guest
SubSolar said:
Most Sfrs are built real close so the difference is small.
BruinRevolution
New member
Just bought and moved into a detached condo in Cypress Village/Jade Court in late March. In my view, many of the negative observations are correct with a detached condo:
a) closer to your neighbors
b) motorcourt creates some additional hassle
c) you don't owe the land outright, just a share of the entire community
d) no backyard for me since I bought a 3-story plan 2
e) since I'm in an inner unit, no curbside appeal
f) not entirely sure about resale value, but it's probably true that the detached condo hurts resale value
With that said, there are advantages I'm completely happy with:
a) got my place brand-new under $600K and saved quite a bit versus a SFR in Irvine
b) I've been fortunate to have great neighbors, one who I've become acquainted with and who I personally see as a great role model as a professional and person
c) with my neighbors being so close, it always feel super safe at any time of the day
d) no backyard for me since I bought a 3-story plan 2 (I don't have to pay to maintain a yard and if my dog needs the great outdoors, we are footsteps away from parks and the Jeffrey Open Space Trail
e) since I'm in an inner unit, it probably makes it that much harder should any nefarious elements try to pull shenanigans on my house
f) not entirely sure about resale value, but am not overly concerned because I'm enamored with the place and don't plan on moving anytime soon
The way I see it, many of Irvine's great homes are detached condos (Corte Bella in OH, Jasmine in CV, my aunt's place in Woodbridge), and I don't think any of those will be severely impacted should some awful stroke of fortune impact the real estate market.
Just my 2 cents...
a) closer to your neighbors
b) motorcourt creates some additional hassle
c) you don't owe the land outright, just a share of the entire community
d) no backyard for me since I bought a 3-story plan 2
e) since I'm in an inner unit, no curbside appeal
f) not entirely sure about resale value, but it's probably true that the detached condo hurts resale value
With that said, there are advantages I'm completely happy with:
a) got my place brand-new under $600K and saved quite a bit versus a SFR in Irvine
b) I've been fortunate to have great neighbors, one who I've become acquainted with and who I personally see as a great role model as a professional and person
c) with my neighbors being so close, it always feel super safe at any time of the day
d) no backyard for me since I bought a 3-story plan 2 (I don't have to pay to maintain a yard and if my dog needs the great outdoors, we are footsteps away from parks and the Jeffrey Open Space Trail
e) since I'm in an inner unit, it probably makes it that much harder should any nefarious elements try to pull shenanigans on my house
f) not entirely sure about resale value, but am not overly concerned because I'm enamored with the place and don't plan on moving anytime soon
The way I see it, many of Irvine's great homes are detached condos (Corte Bella in OH, Jasmine in CV, my aunt's place in Woodbridge), and I don't think any of those will be severely impacted should some awful stroke of fortune impact the real estate market.
Just my 2 cents...
irvinehomeshopper
Well-known member
Detached condo is no comparison to a true SFD home. Density between the two greatly affect the outcome of pricing. Detached condos yield about 14 units to one acre of land vs SFD home about 7. The land cost per home for the SFD homes is much higher to start with thus reflected on the price tag that is way more than the detached condos. The differential price margin between the two building type is huge.
Having said that one has to live with the compromises that come with a detached condo. The major difference between the two is setback. Detached condos are 6-1/2' between homes vs 10' for SFD homes. Will that 3-1/2' difference make a night and day difference in sound attenuation? Not really. Detached condos are designed as a pack as each home is strategically in a fixed positioned and designed to have as much privacy as possible by offsetting the windows and sheltering the patio yards away from neighbors. SFD homes on the other hands are designed separately then fitting them on to the site plan. This does not guarantee the window privacy because of the infinite variations and combination that could occur on the site. There is no guarantee that SFD will have greater privacy.
SFDs have front door identity but the curb side fronting each home is never long enough to allowing for a full stall parking. The driveways are always paired so the front yards are paired to create a continuous curb for a single parking fronting every pair of homes. The net effect is 2-1/2 available spaces for every home by counting the driveway parking.
Detached condos such as Cal Pacs are the best ones in the market today. Inside the motorcourt there are parking inserts. I believe there are 4 in the motorcourt for an 8-pack and 4 more curbside parking for each cluster. That is basically 1 guest parking for each home plus some along the end cap streets without the motor courts.
It is clearly that SFD homes have more guest parking than detached condos.
Maintenance cost and insurance cost are higher for SFD due to private front yard. All common areas in the detached condos are maintained by the sub-association. At the end I think it is a wash between the two.
Land ownership is clearly different between the two. One does not own the land for the detached condos. The disclosure purchase agreement defines the owners responsibilities for his property inside the dripline. Painting, termite eradication, plumbing, leaks and other repair to the home is the responsibility of the owner as well as the dedicated patio yard. Yard improvements must be agreeable by the HOA. Detached condo owner can't tear down his home even though he plans to rebuild another one just like it. SFD owner owns the land and must be responsible for the maintenance of the yards and everything inside and outside the home. The owner can tear down his home and build another one just like it or if the property is large enough the owner can build an addition as long it meets the HOA approval and governing city codes.
SFD homes usually are larger in footages than the detached condos thus the price tag is much more. The larger land and lower density adds cost premium to the selling price. Detached condos are much more cost effective. Detached condos will never be a substitute for SFD. They are a lifestyle alternative and priced competitively to attached town homes.
Resales are more tedious with detached condos because the transaction requires all the meeting minutes from the HOA. Most owners tossed their monthly minutes but the HOA keeps all transcripts. A class action pending lawsuit could delay one from selling their units immediately. I think in this case if the owner opt out on the lawsuit then he can sell it anytime without any hindrance.
Having said that one has to live with the compromises that come with a detached condo. The major difference between the two is setback. Detached condos are 6-1/2' between homes vs 10' for SFD homes. Will that 3-1/2' difference make a night and day difference in sound attenuation? Not really. Detached condos are designed as a pack as each home is strategically in a fixed positioned and designed to have as much privacy as possible by offsetting the windows and sheltering the patio yards away from neighbors. SFD homes on the other hands are designed separately then fitting them on to the site plan. This does not guarantee the window privacy because of the infinite variations and combination that could occur on the site. There is no guarantee that SFD will have greater privacy.
SFDs have front door identity but the curb side fronting each home is never long enough to allowing for a full stall parking. The driveways are always paired so the front yards are paired to create a continuous curb for a single parking fronting every pair of homes. The net effect is 2-1/2 available spaces for every home by counting the driveway parking.
Detached condos such as Cal Pacs are the best ones in the market today. Inside the motorcourt there are parking inserts. I believe there are 4 in the motorcourt for an 8-pack and 4 more curbside parking for each cluster. That is basically 1 guest parking for each home plus some along the end cap streets without the motor courts.
It is clearly that SFD homes have more guest parking than detached condos.
Maintenance cost and insurance cost are higher for SFD due to private front yard. All common areas in the detached condos are maintained by the sub-association. At the end I think it is a wash between the two.
Land ownership is clearly different between the two. One does not own the land for the detached condos. The disclosure purchase agreement defines the owners responsibilities for his property inside the dripline. Painting, termite eradication, plumbing, leaks and other repair to the home is the responsibility of the owner as well as the dedicated patio yard. Yard improvements must be agreeable by the HOA. Detached condo owner can't tear down his home even though he plans to rebuild another one just like it. SFD owner owns the land and must be responsible for the maintenance of the yards and everything inside and outside the home. The owner can tear down his home and build another one just like it or if the property is large enough the owner can build an addition as long it meets the HOA approval and governing city codes.
SFD homes usually are larger in footages than the detached condos thus the price tag is much more. The larger land and lower density adds cost premium to the selling price. Detached condos are much more cost effective. Detached condos will never be a substitute for SFD. They are a lifestyle alternative and priced competitively to attached town homes.
Resales are more tedious with detached condos because the transaction requires all the meeting minutes from the HOA. Most owners tossed their monthly minutes but the HOA keeps all transcripts. A class action pending lawsuit could delay one from selling their units immediately. I think in this case if the owner opt out on the lawsuit then he can sell it anytime without any hindrance.
paperboyNC
New member
No one buys a detached condo if you can afford a SFR regardless of any pro/con list (talking mainly about new construction here). Like j$ says, it's all comes down to cost. Unfortunately in irvine, a new construction starter home for most is likely a detached condo. Not a terrible buy. Hopefully you can sell when you need to and make a bit of money to upgrade to a SFR.
paperboyNC
New member
bones said:
When I shopped I could have bought SFRs for the same price as my detached condo but the detached condo was brand-new compared to older resale for the SFR. Plus even with newer products, buyers often over pay for detached condos.
Detached Condo 1,907 sqft, sold for $950K:https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/109-Windham-92620/unit-2/home/55629411
SFRs
1,950 sqft $890K:https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/74-Loganberry-92620/home/5958939
1,949 sqft $925K:https://www.redfin.com/CA/Irvine/23-Waterspout-92620/home/5959387
Just look at Corte Bella
Residence 2
3 Bedroom, 2.5 Bathroom
1,922 Sq. Ft.
Low $900,000's
(949) 790-3017
2 Car Garage
paperboyNC
New member
bones said:Like I said. Talking mainly about new construction. Can't compare new home smell to resale. People I know that bought in Corte Bella insisted on brand spanking new. Wouldn't even look at resale.
Edit: you quoted me before I finisehd typing
Makes sense. But even last year 2,764sqft SFR Quinterra homes were in the 900s:http://www.talkirvine.com/index.php/topic,4027.60.html
Why pay the same price for a 1,950sqft detached Corte Bella condo?? Crazy. Orchard Hills isn't even a much better location than Portola Springs.
paperboyNC said:bones said:Like I said. Talking mainly about new construction. Can't compare new home smell to resale. People I know that bought in Corte Bella insisted on brand spanking new. Wouldn't even look at resale.
Edit: you quoted me before I finisehd typing
Makes sense. But even last year 2,764sqft SFR Quinterra homes were in the 900s:http://www.talkirvine.com/index.php/topic,4027.60.html
Why pay the same price for a 1,950sqft detached Corte Bella condo?? Crazy. Orchard Hills isn't even a much better location than Portola Springs.
To be fair, corte Bella plan 2s started in the mid 800s. Quinterra was never really in the 900s. One may have gotten lucky and gotten a plan 1 for that price but there was probably only one (maybe two). More realistically, $1m. So $150k delta. Not insignificant. Yes we can all wait and save more money but some choose not to. And this was all last year. This year, you can't buy either for those prices.
paperboyNC
New member
bones said:
Maybe I'm not as nice. I actually find the buyers that pay 900s for 1900-2200 detached condos annoying because they are encouraging the builders to offer more of these products...