Landed homes versus a condo

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It's may have been discussed in many places, but here's a summary of the pros and cons of landed housing vs a condo or other types of private housing.

(YMMV, and these are generalisations of course)

Landed pros

- it's yours and no one shares anything with you except the adjacent wall if you aren't in a bungalow
- the ultimately in exclusivity
(no shared elevators, your very own car park, porch and garden etc)
- if you love to brag, this will give you a significantly higher 'I've arrived' bragging rights (YMMV and some will have extremely exclusive condos too)
- you don't pay maintenance fees (but your conservancy charges eg clearing rubbish will be higher)
- if it's freehold or 999 yrs, it's your forever (yes, the government can reclaim anything)
- you can redo the place to any style you want
- space, the ability to do it as you like, and most landed places are larger than condos and great for multi-generation homes
- lower psf (especially if you measure the built up area)
- the ability to build and expand (somewhat)
- you can make noise and have more parties than in a shared community without worrying as much about neighbours, especially if you are far from the next home
- capital gains are higher
- the scarcity factor makes landed the preserve of only a few
- can be very quiet and exclusive, with few neighbours (however if the immediate neighbours are from hell, then it could be worse too)




Condos

- the privacy isn't too bad, but it can be potluck in choosing neighbours
- shared costs: 
you can get a pool, tennis court and other amenities for less cost by making your neighbours pay part of the costs
- you don't need to maintain these amenities yourself and the cost can be less if your condo is very large
- the view (some places are higher up and have a nicer view)
- the potential for en bloc
- rental yields are higher and it's easier to rent and to sell
- easier to find a unit that you like than a house
- more likely to be near amenities / trains / major roads
(which of course makes it less secluded and potentially less exclusive and quiet too) 
- more influenced by what kind of neighbours are next to you
- the next block could be really close by
- it's cheaper to install aircons and get quotes than landed sometimes (but still more than a HDB)
- less likely to have animals or infestations
- easier to find parking (most of the time) but the lot is not really yours
- better suited to the elderly where stairs climbing is not desired or wanted


Each type of home suits different buyers and there's no one answer or one size that fits all


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