Single Family Home

What is single-family living?

Shopping for a home is never easy.

Not only is the Boise market boisterously active, it’s also filled with jargon and trends that can be tough but necessary to follow. Knowing the right terms will be essential during your home search.

One of the most common terms tossed around is single-family dwelling or property. What does it mean? What differentiates it from the rest?

A single-family home is just that: a single structure or property for one family. A duplex or an apartment complex it is not. A single-family property is instead an independent and freestanding home that is considered one property.

In most cases, it includes just one kitchen, no shared walls with neighbors and independent utilities. Another way to look at is to consider the definition provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. It describes a single-family home as detached, semidetached or among a row of townhouse. Yet, each unit is independent from its neighbor. When “attached” to another home, the property is a single-family home only if it is separated from the other unit by a ground-to-roof wall or barrier.

Multifamily home

In contrast, a multifamily home cannot be considered a single-family home, even if it’s just two adjoining units or separate living quarters upstairs.

Per federal guidelines, a brick structure on a single lot with two apartments or multiple units is not a single-family home. The main reason why is that a single-family home cannot include more than one unit with a shared living wall or shared utilities.

Advantages to single-home living

Living in close quarters with other families isn’t always a priority for homebuyers. In fact, living in single-family dwellings hand homeowners a number of benefits and advantages they’ll experience every day.

Privacy is a big one. Single-family homes sit on private property meant for just single-family ownership. This means the property itself does not share any living walls with a neighbor, which will also reduce noise levels that can emanate from next door. Generally speaking, since a single-family home encompasses the property boundary alone, there’s also an overall reduction to noise pollution.

More space to live is an obvious perk. But single-family dwellings also have more storage space, compared to condos or other properties with shared walls. In addition to extra space inside the home to keep all your belongings such as furniture, a single-family home also features extra space in the garage and other exterior areas of the home. You never have to worry about clutter and can store and bring things out of storage seasonally and as needed.

Personalization is also within reach when living in a single-family home. If you love to add a personal touch and have a hand in the landscaping of the home, then living in a single-family home gives you greater flexibility and freedom to do so. You are also given more reign to modify the structure of the home to your liking. The extra space will also prep you to think outside the box to create the ultimate home-improvement project.

Who should live in single-family home?

This question will be answered by the homebuyer. Everyone has different needs and dreams of what the perfect home will look like. A single-family home gives everyone more room to spread out, with larger yards, living spaces, communal areas and storage.

A single-family home can check off a lot of boxes to meet the needs of the entire family. And as the family grows and moves away, there’s always an option to repurpose rooms for hobbies and office space or create an inviting guest room for visiting family and friends.

The perfect home will change over time. A single-family home is the type of property that is flexible and accommodating as the family grows and changes over time.