Who lives in a house like this

[stevewool]

Just wondering does any members live in or has rented or brought a house like this and if so what was it like.

[hk blues]

23 minutes ago, stevewool said:

Just wondering does any members live in or has rented or brought a house like this and if so what was it like.

I rented a similar townhouse whilst our house was being built. 

It was fine but we were only there for 3 -4 months and the neighbours on either side were never there so no noise issues.  If I'm being totally honest, It reminded me a bit like a holiday camp with the long lines of identical units and street after street of the same.  In terms of the units themselves, it would depend on the respective developers but they were cheaply made as you would expect but for £25k, or £100-200 a month rent you shouldn't expect too much.  After a few years, there were so many additions that the area looked very run-down.  

If that was my budget then I'd survive. 

 

 

[Kingpin]

46 minutes ago, stevewool said:

what was it like.

Tiny, and they're always the same with the kitchen on the bottom and the 2 rooms on top. You can kinda see how small the whole thing is by looking at the doors, but definitely view it in person before any big decisions.

[stevewool]

20 minutes ago, hk blues said:

I rented a similar townhouse whilst our house was being built. 

It was fine but we were only there for 3 -4 months and the neighbours on either side were never there so no noise issues.  If I'm being totally honest, It reminded me a bit like a holiday camp with the long lines of identical units and street after street of the same.  In terms of the units themselves, it would depend on the respective developers but they were cheaply made as you would expect but for £25k, or £100-200 a month rent you shouldn't expect too much.  After a few years, there were so many additions that the area looked very run-down.  

If that was my budget then I'd survive. 

 

 

Like you say poorly built ,but then again you could pay a lot more and still poorly built and years down the line a new slum area , just wondering as no feet on the ground yet 

[gbmmbg]

I would never buy a townhouse or condo in the Philippines. I don't want the maintenance dictated by a collective. Show me one building that is more then 20 years old that still looks good and I might change my mind.

[gbmmbg]

1 hour ago, stevewool said:

Just wondering does any members live in or has rented or brought a house like this and if so what was it like.

If you look at the front of the house it's cantilevered around 1 meter. If the overhang was 6 inches thick then OK, but it looks like 4.

Edited March 8, 2023 by gbmmbg

[Dave Hounddriver]

3 hours ago, stevewool said:

Just wondering does any members live in or has rented or brought a house like this and if so what was it like.

I bought one during the pre-construction phase.  I owned it and lived in it for just over 5 years.  Its nice because you can do what you want with the inside, limited mainly by how much money you want to spend.  I liked it when the subdivision was new.  By the time I left, it was getting bad.  Overcrowding, parking, and bureaucracy were my main hates.  But when I sold, I got my money back out of it.  Low cost housing holds its value.  Two years after I left, my neighbor two doors down let their house catch fire (electrical overload).  There was a lot of smoke damage to the unit I used to own but at least I know that the fire control in the area was not all that bad.  All concrete houses so the fire did not spread much from one house to its neighboring unit.

In short, a nice place to own and fix up for a short stay of a couple of years.  Renting one would suck as the landlord is not going to spend any money on it.

[Possum]

A developer I know is building similar "houses" close to where I live. I know one of the workers there and he refuses to walk on the canopy [over hang] above the entrance. He said there is almost no cement in the mix and just a little small steel. They look nice though. They don't last long but if you owned one with the idea that it was like paying rent, at least you can hang a picture on the wall, it might be OK as long as you sell it before the neighborhood goes down hill which it invariably does. This I know developer is selling his units for 1.5-2 million on a 80m2 lot. One toilet, small kitchen and two tiny bedrooms.

I am building a garage, storage workshop and walled in garden area. Thus far my cost is about 800,000php. This is about the same as his cost for building a completed house. But mine won't fall down in the event of a tremor.

[Mike J]

Just my opinion, but whenever I see one of these developments or advertisements I see a future slum area with run down buildings.  And quite possible the problems with drugs, crime, etc. that seem to go with housing developments on the decline.   May be  okay in the first five years or so, but after that the neighborhood will almost certainly begin to deteriorate.   I have not lived in one and I am basing my opinion on looking at one of the older developments.   Had to wake the guard up to get through the main gate, pool was dried up and full of garbage and a bit of stagnant water, litter and garbage everywhere, exteriors in poor condition, etc.  

[RBM]

12 hours ago, gbmmbg said:

I would never buy a townhouse or condo in the Philippines. I don't want the maintenance dictated by a collective. Show me one building that is more then 20 years old that still looks good and I might change my mind.

The condo I bought 6 years ago is well over 20 years, solidly constructed and still in great condition. I came from a brand new house which i built to here, best decision I ever made. No more maintenance or lawns to mow. While the latter  suits many I find having my time to pursue what I enjoy far more enjoyable.

Noise is a non issue as most condos have noise control, in fact the maids in the high end Sub Division where I built the house were a 100 times more noisy.

My complaint would be the power mad management and some of the stupid rules they implement, not a major how ever annoying.