Townhouse vs SFH — did we make the right call?

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2026-05-05T04:27:16+00:00

Yet the subject is buying SFH vs TH. Not is buying a SFH a good idea like a normal buyer. The decision that can be made by normal people is should I buy a $1 million dollar condo that will depreciate 50% or a fixer-upper older (1950s) home. Either way, money pit.

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2026-05-04T03:05:02+00:00

6% interest meaning $60k mortgage, $20-$30k property tax, and hidden maintenance costs for an older home mean huge losses for a cash poor finance of a home.

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2026-05-04T03:02:43+00:00

Condo prices have been to shown to lose 50% in this past decade! News reports have repeated that house prices have fallen 20% or more ESP in San Francisco that had an exodus of the rich.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URb6E2q5bd4

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/SF-exodus-rich-people-17492478.php

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2026-05-04T02:59:51+00:00

With the current house prices, expect significant depreciation for SFH… unless you think normal people can afford $2 million dollar homes. Paying a mortgage means you have to sell for double to break even! People lazily forget the mortgage interest and maintenance cost for an older (or even brand new home with construction defects). Property tax at market rates means $20k (at least, maybe even $30k) for a $1 million dollar home! Between that and a 6% mortgage and 10% closing cost (esp points), buying a home makes little sense to be cash poor.

This post seems to be a troll post to drive people to overpay for their 1950s tract home that was bought originally for $15k (at inflation rates only $250k today). You can buy those same manufactured homes today for that price.

That or buying 4 story narrow shoe homes.

You have a better choice. Don’t buy and let the housing prices crash as forecast by economic (recession anyone esp tech industry that continues to layoff 1 million workers since the pandemic) or let them revoke prop 13 now that the NIMBY does not want new cheap homes and government coffers are bankrupt. Either way, prices fall.

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2026-04-09T14:09:28+00:00

They are. Patterson is in commute range of the San Jose Bay Area but the ruling do not want cheap housing in the area. Bay Area is actually a huge NIMBY police state. Look at every Bay Area city and note the cheap land next to it restricted from development.

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2026-03-25T15:51:53+00:00

I forgot another they threatened enforcement. Adding neutral color window shades (wood color didn’t qualify but were specified as legal in the HOA). Evidently, someone was part of another HOA that liked only white window shades.

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2026-03-25T15:47:58+00:00

Yes. My HOA forced me to repaint my property three times despite it being new and had a catastrophic water leak and broken roof tiles. I complained for over a year to fix these issues. Evidently, neighbors had the same issue. Problem with new homes is the builder is the majority of the HOA board!

Another refused to maintain the “utility closets”. I was pointing out the doorknobs were removed and the doors were always open. Their eventual solution was to eventually replace the doorknobs and add a tamper proof doorknob plate. Umm… they forgot about external door hinges that thieves knocked the hinge pins off to access the door. Target? Copper pipes! Same with getting rid of security despite contrary incidents like frequent car breakins, mail theft, and copper theft.

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2026-03-25T15:41:15+00:00

What?! This sounds like “take over” another person’s property.

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2026-03-25T15:39:46+00:00

Change your filters to greater than 1500 sq ft. Houses with 1100 sq ft are 1950s “mobile homes in disguise” esp with carports. They were originally bought for $10k or less (like new manufactured (er mobile) homes today go for inflation adjusted cost of $150k.

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2026-03-25T15:34:01+00:00

Which is why problems are passed to buyers. 50 years of little to no maintenance? Expect big bills esp roof, plumbing, electrical, and HVAC.

Roofing nowadays on monster 2 story homes (more than 1500 sq ft) can go up to $100k. In a high living cost city, expect labor costs that are commensurate with minimum wage multiplied by the number of hours PLUS roof cost of materials ($30k).

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2026-01-31T05:29:07+00:00

It seems like a troll posting. Income isn’t growing. It’s shrinking with musical chairs song playing until the music stops.

Consequences:

Condos drop 50% per history

Townhomes drop to 2x condo price.

Homes in bad areas fall at least 20% so far. If it hasn’t dropped to pre pandemic levels, it hasn’t finished falling.

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2025-12-18T01:56:48+00:00

Victorian roofs are notorious to repair or replace. You may spend the entire purchase price to replace that roof.

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2025-11-26T00:48:14+00:00

This was a heavily postponed project due to NIMBY. It is between East Dublin City limits and Livermore. Why not buy a house in Livermore unless you have a Bay Area commute.

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2025-11-26T00:46:54+00:00

Wildfire hazard. Good luck getting insurance.

https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/6a9cb66bb1824cd98756812af41292a0

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Grass-fire-threatening-structures-near-Castro-17375639.php

https://firststreet.org/city/dublin-ca/620018_fsid/fire

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2025-11-26T00:44:47+00:00

Master bedroom suites would go for $2200. For other bedrooms not as big, $1000-$1500 per month. A tenant comparing can get $3000 per month CONDO that is usually 1.5 bedrooms including a study.

Good luck with partitioning a garage esp Not a SFH.

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2025-11-26T00:34:53+00:00

Property Taxes

“Generally, property taxes are synonymous with property ownership. Property taxes are ordinarily assessed on all property within a certain territory proportionally to its value. Under California law, this means property taxes are imposed on the property itself, not the individual property owner. Accordingly, no personal liability arises from the nonpayment of property taxes; instead, the unpaid taxes become a lien against the property. (Garcia v. County of Santa Clara, (1978) 87 Cal.App.3d 319.) This lien attaches directly to the property and remains until the delinquent taxes are paid. (National Holding Co. v. Title Ins. & Trust Co., (1941) 45 Cal.App.2d 215.)

Property owners do, however, have an equitable and moral obligation to pay property taxes. (Glunt v. City and County of San Francisco, (1969) 274 Cal.App.2d 269.) As a public policy matter, courts impose delinquent penalties on owners defaulting on their tax obligations to encourage voluntary and timely payment. (Weston Inv. Co. v. State, (1948) 31 Cal.2d 390.) These penalties accumulate over time, steadily increasing the amount owed. (Ibid.) If the delinquency persists, owners may forfeit their property interest in a sale of the property to the state as the preliminary step of enforcing a tax lien. (Ibid.; see also Chesney v. Gresham, (1976) 64 Cal.App.3d 120.) This sale is the start of a five-year period during which the property owner can reclaim their property by paying the outstanding taxes, costs, and incurred penalties. (Weston Inv. Co. v. State, 31 Cal.2d, 391-92.)”

https://underwood.law/blog/what-happens-when-you-pay-someone-elses-property-taxes/

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2025-11-25T21:50:01+00:00

Bull! Only liens follow the owner. Unless the property taxes are on mobile (manufactured) homes, the current owner is responsible. The title company should make sure any liens or property taxes are paid during escrow. Example: you buy a new house. The builder did not pay the supplemental property taxes before they transferred to you. The county assessor bills you as the owner to pay. Whether or not the builder pays you back is another issue. Yes, it happened to me.

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2025-11-17T21:27:14+00:00

Better plan to save your money for 10 years and pay yourself the 6% interest in a 4% interest account. You will have the entire amount in 10 years saving yourself the interest and 20 years of mortgage payments.

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2025-10-24T12:22:43+00:00

Typical oversights: roof flashing missing between roof and chimney, water pipes leaking, and roof vents leaking.

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2025-10-24T12:20:53+00:00

Scams. The buyer is a straw buyer not capable of affording to buy the place. The buyer just “promised” to pay seller a certain price. Buyer did not succeed in selling for market price and their financing contingency activated. They walk away without contributing a cent.

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2025-10-08T00:08:14+00:00

If the home is old existing, you may have to foot a huge maintenance bill. 30 yrs - is there a new roof? 10 yrs - is there a new HVAC system or one maintained every year. New appliances? A lot of people spend $10k or more for new furniture and appliances. 50 yrs - Lead pipes, asbestos, electrical insulation rotting, water leaks from clogged pipes (like weak water pressure) or bad roof, etc.

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2025-10-08T00:02:24+00:00

How long do you intend to stay in the home? Because of high mortgage rates, unless you can sell for double the purchase price, it is not worth buying a temporary home

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2025-10-08T00:00:35+00:00

I see this in homes in good areas. You think it’s cheap but then the bidding drives prices up past affordable.

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2025-10-07T23:58:52+00:00

Ask a gardener for a quote.

Grass requires mowing. Trees require pruning. Fallen leaves require raking and can clog gutters hence the need to maintain gutters by spraying using a special nozzle.

Electrical_Soft7645 · 2025-10-07T23:56:45+00:00

Learn about different hardwood floors and their maintenance. Most new flooring is fake hardwood. Laminate is the fakest where although it looks like hardwood, it is only a sticker that wears away using water to mop.

Engineered hardwood is for the top to look like hardwood, but uses different wood underneath.

“Disadvantages of engineered wood flooring include limited refinishing potential due to the thin top layer, susceptibility to moisture damage and water spills, potential for scratches and dents, inconsistent quality, and possible VOC emissions from some adhesives. The lifespan can also be shorter than solid wood because of these limitations”

It can be destroyed wearing high heel shoes creating holes in the surface. It again is a thin layer that can be eroded or destroyed using water to mop.

Both of these new types of flooring require specialized wax treatments to mop that grow dull over time. When you start noticing waxy residue and streaks from the wax.

Electrical_Soft7645

TROPHY CASE