Differences between villas and townhouses are plentiful and quite a fascinating topic to dwell upon. Below we put together some of the main differences and highlight the pros and cons of choosing a villa over a townhouse and vice versa.
Living inside a high-quality home is a dream and an ambition for many. Luxurious villas and townhouses bring comfort, privacy, and a great living experience. However, the main difference in how villas and townhouses differ from each other rests in their design and functionality. Furthermore, a villa compound is complete with private amenities while a townhouse complex features communal amenities. Villas focus on private compounds where residents benefit from more privacy and more space. Furthermore, villas showcase better design, smarter, open plan layouts that maximize space, and far more luxurious interiors. The residences sit on larger plots and come with landscaped gardens, private pools in many cases, and better views all around.
Know when and where to choose
Townhouses are a very practical choice for people with a lower budget from different class levels. Additionally, these homes highlight the terraced part and are usually built near suburbs of the city, within a built-in complex. These affordable complexes offer shared amenities and can accommodate a large number of families.
Back to villa characteristics, these form part of a very private compound where the highlight is on the gardens and full privacy. The area surrounding a villa often comes with amazing views and landscapes.
A townhouse is normally adjoined to another, on both sides. So, this results in the rear garden being accessed via the house itself. Furthermore, townhouses come in smaller sizes than villas and are narrower. That is why developers build upwards and the homes have two storeys. Nonetheless, townhouses are becoming very popular with Dubai residents, and are often the first step towards a villa living lifestyle. For instance, Mira, Townsquare or Arabian Ranches are perfect examples of townhouse communities. These offer three-to-four-bedroom homes with maid’s rooms, in various layouts.
Practicalities
Deciding on whether to settle for a villa or townhouse is a very personal matter. One will have to consider several factors for the selection process. For instance, an ideal residential community will balance work, leisure, and entertainment harmoniously. Budget and family size are also key factors in the decision making, along with access to education, public transport links, or traffic conditions. More importantly, if you buy as an investor, you need to make sure it will attract strong ROI – Return on investment
ROI
Investing in a villa usually brings less ROI but higher capital appreciation. Also, there has been a great demand on the market for independent villas as of late. Villa sector has gained high appreciation with renters as well. For instance, Greens Community is one of the top communities where you can invest in a four-bedroom villa for under AED 3,500,000. The ROI for villas in this community is as high as 5.61%.
The selling price for a three-bedroom villa in the Mudon community is around AED 1,800,000. Investors can expect ROI here to reach 5,41%. Similarly, Dubai South ranks top for high return on investment on purchased townhouses here, with an ROI of up to 5.87%.
Ultimately, the key to ROI success is knowing when to buy and when to sell.
Other important aspects factoring in your decision can revolve around maintenance costs, surrounding views, on-site construction, or parking space. Villas offer more privacy for outdoor living and captivating views over the water, golf course, swimming pool, or park. Generally speaking, townhouses offer views of the complex and the community, sometimes looking directly onto next-door neighbor’s garden. Very often a neighboring construction site can generate a lot of noise pollution, to the greater disadvantage of residents.
Parking is limited to two spaces in townhouses, while villas provide more ample parking slots and on-street visitors’ parking as well.
Similarly, furnishing or decorating a townhouse is far more manageable and cost-effective than a large size villa. Maintenance costs for fit-outs, garden landscaping, or refurbishing can skyrocket for a villa but will be more affordable for a townhouse.
Differences between villas and townhouses
Lifestyle
Lifestyle will greatly determine whether you are a villa enthusiast or a practical townhouse end-user
For instance, the younger audience and working professionals will prefer being close to leisure facilities, health clubs, and access to social interaction. For these reasons, they might favor choosing a townhouse.
Subsequently, the elite class, high net worth individuals, and large families will favor a high-end lifestyle. They are adventure seekers and luxury consumers choosing unparalleled amenities, ample space to entertain guests, and uncompromising quality. For these reasons, they will invest in large luxurious villas with privacy and customized features. Furthermore, the villas at District One in MBR City are the ultimate choice for extravagant living. District One villas bring the elite close to Downtown Dubai where they can indulge in a superlative shopping spree.
With regards to location and affordability, townhouses represent the affordable segment, comparing to villas. You will find affordable homes in developing areas such as AL Furjan or in highly attractive areas such as Arabian Ranches.
On the other side, villa buyers and tenants are looking for more than just aesthetics and exceptional amenities. They want to ensure their villa will firstly bring privacy and security for their families. Statistics indicate a rise in villa sales and villa rentals in the Palm Jumeirah community. Private villas in Palm Jumeirah ensure you are “living your dream” to the fullest. Furthermore, the record surge clearly indicates a change in living and working habits across Dubai.
