Recently, someone reached out for advice. They were contemplating whether to maintain their current single-family home in Irving or move to a townhome, making a list of items to compare. The items can be summarized into three main categories: monthly HOA fees, cooling costs, and property taxes.

First, let's check the HOA fees. HOA is similar to apartment management fees in Korea, covering the maintenance of common facilities and the exterior of buildings. In the Dallas-Fort Worth area where Irving is located, single-family home communities typically charge between $55 and $160 per month, while master-planned communities with pools and clubhouses range from $200 to $400 per month. Townhomes average between $200 and $300 per month, and condos often exceed $400 per month (based on data from Bay Management Group Texas and dustinpitts.com. Since specific statistics for Irving are not available, we use the Dallas-Fort Worth metro data instead).

The second item to check is cooling costs. The average electric bill in Irving is $222 per month, with a rate of about 14 cents per kilowatt-hour (according to EnergySage). Single-family homes have larger areas and can vary significantly based on roof and wall insulation, but townhomes and condos share walls with neighboring units, which often reduces cooling costs under similar conditions.

The third item is property taxes. The effective property tax rate in Dallas County, where Irving is located, is 1.41% (according to SmartAsset). For those over 65, a general homestead exemption of $140,000 and an over-65 exemption of $60,000 combine to exclude $200,000 from the school property tax assessment, and the school property tax is frozen based on the year they turn 65 (as of the passage of SB23 in November 2025). This benefit applies equally to single-family homes, townhomes, and condos, which is reassuring.

When considering these three factors together, the picture becomes clearer. While the HOA fees may seem lowest for single-family homes, one must also account for the costs of lawn care, roof, and equipment repairs that they would have to handle themselves. Townhomes and condos may have higher monthly HOA fees, but a significant portion of external maintenance is included, making expenses more predictable.

Once you've reviewed these factors, the final consideration should be your current lifestyle. Assess whether climbing stairs is a burden, if you want to continue spending time and energy on yard maintenance, and which is more burdensome: increasing fixed monthly expenses or sudden large expenditures.

Additionally, there's one more item worth checking. It's important to verify through the contract documents what the HOA actually manages for each property. Even among the same type of townhome, the roof replacement cycle and repainting schedule can vary by community, and unexpected special assessments may arise depending on the reserve fund status. It's essential to not only look at the monthly amount but also inquire about the management fee reserve history of the community.

If you're moving to Irving from another state, there's one more factor to consider. If you previously lived in a state with lower property taxes or income taxes, you need to understand that Texas, while having no income tax, significantly offsets that burden with property taxes. It's easy to overlook the actual monthly burden if you only compare the sale prices with your previous state.

• Single-family home - low HOA, full maintenance responsibility, spacious
• Townhome - $200-$300 monthly HOA, includes exterior maintenance
• Condo - HOA over $400 monthly, most maintenance included, often no stairs

The figures discussed here are based on verified data at the time of writing, and I encourage you to check the actual HOA and market rates for specific communities. This is not investment or legal advice, and it's advisable to consult with professionals before entering into any contracts.