Houston - Housing typology

Condominium or town houses - Condominium can be either garden type or high rise. They are usually built in clusters of few or many homes. The floor plans are very similar to apartments with appliances and wall to wall carpeting. Residents pay all the utility bills.

Individuals seeking minimal maintenance and convenient location find town houses very attractive, but be aware that those townhouses are usually very narrow and have many stairs.

Home Owner’s Association dues are common to cover expenses such as garbage collection, water, ground maintenance, insurance etc.

Apartments - Standard features in most units are wall to wall carpeting, central air conditioning and heating, dishwasher, refrigerator, stove end oven and recreational facilities.
Apartment in sky-scrapers are becoming more common in Houston, they are called high-rise and are mostly located around the Galleria Area.  
Deposits are generally required with additional fees in complexes that allow pets. Try to avoid old apartment complexes (this means 8-10 years old apartments).

Houses - 80% of the population lives in a house. The single family home is usually surrounded by a garden.
New homes come complete with built in kitchen appliances, wall to wall carpeting and a utility room.

There are different styles to chose from:
- custom homes have a personalized design
- model homes have a standard design
- patio homes have small or no garden, ideal for people who don’t like garden maintenance