Planned unit developments (PUDs) typically are detached homes with small yards or patios. Sometimes only a few feet separate the homes. Though privacy is at a premium, their biggest selling feature is their competitive pricing.

Simply put, the developer can fit more homes on an acre of land, so the price per home is lower. Common areas such as a clubhouse, swimming pool, and golf course are offered as lures, and often the yard care is included in the monthly fee for upkeep of the neighborhood and the amenities.

Twin homes can be a single part of a duplex where you own only one side or a unit of a PUD with clusters of twin homes. Depending on the size of the development and the number of its amenities, you will have a large HOA to manage all the affairs or a minimal one that is responsible only for street maintenance, snow removal, and perhaps a small park.