What You Need to Know About Townhomes in Orleans, Ontario

Buying a home is an exciting milestone. But if you’re buying a home in Orleans, Ontario, you may be wondering: Should I buy a freehold or condo townhome? To make the best decision for your family, it helps to understand the differences between these two types of housing. Additionally, if you are considering buying a condo townhome, you need to know what the condos fees are or a HOA fee is and what it covers. Let’s take a look at the differences between freehold and condo townhomes as well as what an HOA fee is.

Freehold vs Condo Townhomes

First, let’s discuss the differences between freehold and condo townhomes. A freehold townhome is one that is owned outright by the homeowner. This means that the owner has complete control over any changes that they want to make to their property as well as any decisions about how it will be maintained or managed. On the other hand, a condo townhome is owned by multiple people who form an association called the Condo Association. Each homeowner has partial ownership of all common areas of the property such as hallways, courtyards and playgrounds which are maintained by members of the condo.

What Is An HOA Fee?

The main difference between owning a freehold or a condo townhome is that when you own a condo townhome there are additional fees associated with living in this type of community and these fees are typically referred to as Homeowners Association (HOA) or Condo Fees. These fees cover expenses such as maintenance costs for common areas like hallways and courtyards, pools, tennis courts, additional visitor parking, landscaping expenses for lawns and flower beds, snow removal services during winter months, etc. The amount of money that each homeowner pays depends on their share of ownership in the common areas plus any additional amenities offered by their particular Condo Association.

Specific to Orleans, Ontario

The newer neighbourhoods, such as Mer Bleu, Avalon, Nottinghill and Cardinal Creek typically offer freehold townhomes. These are great starter homes for first time home buyers, downsizers, or for someone upgrading from a terrace home or condo. A yard might or might not be included depending on the type of townhome. Older neighbourhoods such as Queenswood heights, Convent Glen, Chatelaine Village offer condo townhomes which the barrier of entry, purchase price, is significantly lower than a freehold townhome, but they include condo fees. There is less maintenance of your property, as the condos are normally responsible for the exterior of your home, but special assessments and levies can sometimes arise.
There are a few pockets in Orleans, that offer HOA townhomes, which are on private streets, and the owner is only responsible for paying a fee for snow removal and landscaping, which is much lower than your standard condo fee.

When deciding whether to buy a freehold or condo townhome in Orleans Ontario it’s important that you have all necessary information at hand so that you can make an informed decision about which option works best for your family’s needs. Understanding what a condo fee covers makes it much easier to decide if buying into one of these communities is right for you since they do come with additional costs associated with them compared to purchasing a regular freehold townhome. Ultimately both options offer unique advantages depending on your individual situation so take some time to research both before making your final decision!

Reach out to Marc-Andre to find out more information and to answer any questions that you might have regarding these types of townhomes in Orleans.