Is a town home a good investment.?

Looking to possibly purchase town house because it is 50,000 dollars cheaper than a house same size.
I am looking to only stay 3-5 years then once have some equity I want to sell for a single family home.
Will Town house go up in value like a house and sell easy when market comes back?
Also I am in Florida and 1,500 square foot is 150,000

I'm answering this question based on my experience on this matter.
First dollar for dollar compared to a house a townhouse is cheaper. No outside maintenance. Unless you like sweating to the outside temp then a townhouse is another advantage.
Insurance is cheaper because your pooled with other homeowners. Disregard what the previous poster said he doesn't know what he's talking about.
Also if your townhouse maintenance fee includes the insurance you don't have to get any for your loan. But you might want to have a policy for your personal items but this will not keep you from buying it. As Florida insurance is high already. Also no separate flood if your covered under the maintenance fee (pooled fee is cheaper among many )
Some things you do have to watch for....
Did the company who built the townhouse go bankrupt ??? Because if they did they probably have issues with there building ethics. And they probably filed bankruptcy so as they wouldn't be responsible for there shoty work. But there still building under another name. Gota love Florida gov. for this one. As far as return on investment this all depends on location and or demand for the area. As i move about every 4 years or so i have had houses not appreciate as much as my townhouse did. But this all comes down to location and demand . Also check to see if they have alot of money in escrow so as you aren't whacked with an asstement to cover it. But if your builder was reputable and there not to old there'sa good chance you'll be fine.
Also if this unit is in with units that are along a waterway check how the seawall is. There very expensive to replace.
Even if you don't live on the seawall all the units are subject to paying for the upkeep. If it;s not then this is another good sign you'll like it here. Some maintenance fee's include water,cable,sewage. You''ll have to check and see what yours covers. Sorry this is long and hope it helps as i have done both.Oh and i'm buying a townhouse again in 2 months.

Town homes are condominium ownership and have a monthly fee and controls on the real estate. It may go up or it may not go up. If the roof burns then the increase in insurance goes to all the owners.

In a vacation destination like Florida, townhomes may do alot better than in other parts of the country. Potential buyers may prefer a townhome over the single family detached house for the ease of maintenance, especially if the home isn't their primary residence.

I would compare the numbers of townhomes to single family homes in your area and see what there is a lesser supply of. When considering selling, you will not want to have alot of competition, so choose the lesser of the 2 as your investment choice.

You may also want to do the math and see what percentage the townhomes are selling below their list price as well as the single family homes. Also, check to see the average days on market for both dwelling type. With a little bit of research, you should be able to see which homes are more desirable in your area.

One thing is for sure, we can't predict the future, but you can logically try to plan for it.

Good luck,

-James

I bought mine in 1993, with in the first year I lost over 10 thousand dollars in value. The following years were the same up until 1999/2000 when they were selling for what I paid for. So buy something that you plan to stay in for a long time. I finally sold mine 14 years later with a nice profit.
If it wasn't for shaddy lending practices that pushed this market up, I probably might have still been living in there.