Pros and Cons of Cincinnati Patio Homes
Cincinnati area patio homes are a specialty of ours. We've spent years scouring the area to identify these pocket communities that offer low maintenance lifestyles! What's not to like about having someone else mow your lawn when it's 95 degrees outside? Or clear the snow off your driveway and sidewalk when it's 20 degrees and blustery?
But we'll have to admit, there are trade offs when choosing Cincinnati patio homes as your residence.
Typically patio homes are on smaller lots than a "regular" single family home. That means that SOMETIMES the view is like this:
But often, when you look out your back window you're looking right over at a neighbor's back window. It all depends on the community. Some have done a great job of using green space for buffer, or using larger lots. But most often there's not going to be much clearance, especially side to side.
HOA fees will be higher than a regular single family home, but they don't mow the lawn and shovel the snow for free! Just think of it as an advance contracted lawn service with group rates! And have you ever tried to find someone to plow your drive if you're not already on their client list? Good luck with that!
Your responsibilities vary. Some communities have very low HOA fees because they just provide the very basics, mow the lawn, shovel the snow. Others fertilize, add mulch, replace shrubs, etc. And others (landominium category) are MUCH higher, but they also include exterior maintenance of the home (siding, roof, etc.).
Amenities vary by community. For example, Four Bridges patio home have Social Memberships that include pool and tennis access, and you can join the golf club if you've got the desire to hit the links. Other communities, what you see is what you get: no frills, but that probably means a lower HOA fee.
Patio home availability is limited. At any given moment there are about 100 patio homes available for sale in Cincinnati MLS. That's from Mt. Lookout all the way up to Springboro and beyond. MOST patio homes are outside the Cincinnati I275 loop. When you start narrowing down to 2 or 3 communities and a certain price range we may quickly find the number of patio homes for sale that fit your needs are just a few, and in the worst case, none. 
Patio homes communities tend to be smaller, anywhere from less than a dozen to more typically a 30 home subsection of a larger community. However, some communities such as Walden Ponds in Fairfield Township are much more plentiful with their patio homes.
New construction patio homes are available, but rare is the offering below $300,000. And builders don't always call them patio homes, using terms such as lifestyle homes and villa homes. And the patio home market gets further confused by that mix of terminology because the terms aren't consistently used, e.g. lifestyle ranches don't always equate to patio homes.
Most patio homes are newer, but some are just old enough where brass fixtures were still in vogue when built!
Most patio homes are ranch style, but a few communities do offer two story patio homes, and in those cases the master suite is USUALLY on the first floor.
As a patio home owner, you may find selling your patio home may take a bit longer than a regular single family home. The buyer pool is more narrow than for a regular home, and frankly many potential buyers (and their agents) don't understand the niche and where to find Cincinnati patio homes. That gap in the market is among the reasons we've turned our team's attention to serving patio home buyers and sellers.
We provide specialty information and patio home searches, but we'll admit we don't place ALL we know about patio homes on our websites. We don't publish all we know, reserving that full expertise for our clients.
Have questions about patio homes? Thinking about buying or selling? Just email us Liz@LizSpear.com or call 513-520-5305. We're no hassle, no pressure.
Take a look at Warren County and Cincinnati area patio home information on our website where you can search for patio homes for sale in Cincinnati MLS.
Serving Cincinnati patio home buyers and sellers,
Liz and Bill aka BLiz
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