Three-bedroom townhouses in Oakville

A freehold townhouse in Oakville means you own the structure and the ground under it, and you look after your own roof, windows and driveway. Where the townhouse is a condominium, the exterior and common areas belong to the corporation, and your monthly fee covers them, which suits owners who do not want to manage repairs. The third form, common in the newer northern subdivisions, is the POTL, with the dwelling and its lot in your name outright while a monthly fee pays for a private road, visitor parking and sometimes a shared amenity. The listing shows whether a fee exists and what it covers, but the wording can be loose, so ask to see the condominium or POTL documents and the last budget before you settle on a monthly number.

The classic Oakville townhouse from the nineties puts three bedrooms upstairs, a living and dining room on the main floor, a kitchen at the back and an unfinished basement below. Many now have a finished basement with a fourth room or a second living space. Three-storey plans from Glenorchy and Joshua Meadows shift the living area to the second floor, with the garage and a small room at grade and bedrooms above, and stacked townhouses put two homes on top of each other with the upper unit reached by an inside stair. Walk each type before deciding. Look at parking, since some newer rows allow one car on the driveway and some allow none, and confirm the school assignments by address.