Housing Types

I've realized that the more I talk about houses with people that the more they get confused. What do you mean "Side-Split" and what is the difference between town and row house?

I thought I'd clean up some of the confusion for everyone.
Detached - this house will stand alone and have at least four walls that are not attached to any other house
Attached Dwellings - Separate residences that are attached side by side

For single family you can have a multitude of ways they built - here are some popular ways a house could be built.

Bungalow - single storey house
Two storey - straight forward, house has two storey's stacked on top of each other
Side split - house is built lengthwise, with one half of the house appearing to be a bungalow and the other half split into two stories.
Back split - house is split front and back and the back appears to be a two storey front a bungalow
Front split - the front of the house appears to be two storeys and the back a bungalow

Attached dwellings can be built many ways and here are some that we find in our area:

Semi-Detached/Duplex - two houses are connected together
Rowhouse - three or more houses are connected by the garage walls only - with space between the houses to access the back yard
Townhouse - three or more houses that are connected by the inside walls

Many times when you are looking into attached dwellings, they may or may not be a condominium. Condominiums are broken into two groups - your typical condo means that they are maintained all at the same time in both your front and back yards and all common areas such as parking lots, etc. In the case of Freehold Condominiums, you own the property and are responsible for your back yard maintenance, but your condo fees will cover the front yard and common areas. You own your building much more and must take care of your own unit's maintenance.

With so many options, you really need to look at what works for you - but it doesn't hurt to do a little bit more research before deciding to buy.