townhouses might appear lower maintenance, but consider body corporate and losing power to whoever muscles their way into making the decisions, and maintenance expenses associated with common areas (gardens, pool, spa, gym, driveways, fences, gates, intercoms).
A block of 5 I am involved with currently have a gardener, a pool man, and a wheelie bin cleaner come in once a week 52 weeks a year. Real overkill IMHO, but that was passed at BC years ago. The other residents are PPORers and older, and don't like smellie bins....Suppose they think if they keep the overheads high, it will keep the investors away.....and ensure owner occupiers predominate...OOers don't like the uncertainty associated with a stream of tenant turnovers....
Another situation I have faced recently is trying to get a reverse cycle air con installed in an older unit. One of the other owners is an electrician and the BC paid him as a consult, and he ruled that the mains from the road couldn't support air con to all units, therefore no one could install it. We got another opinion that advised he was speaking through his b*m, but we had to argue heatedly against him in the BC meeting. All unnecessary stress...
and as mentioned on other threads recently, always pays to see the BC books, and a schdeule of all maintenance done in the last 5 or so years, sinking funds for future maintenance, and bank statement, and legal search for encumbrances on BC.
I have also experienced higher tenant turnover with units/townhouses then houses. And it is more likely that more new townhouses will be built then houses in teh future, thus satiating demand somewhat.
Other advantage of a house, esp if near the uni is you can get good rent from 3+ students who share.
