Deciding what to buy
The complete guide to deciding what to buy
House, townhouse or apartment — a neutral comparison across ownership, maintenance and space, and the six-pillar framework this hub uses to structure the decision.
- Deciding what to buy is six real decisions — household, space, property type, condition, ownership obligations, compromises — not one score.
- This hub uses the ABS's standard dwelling classification, not inconsistent listing labels.
- No property type is universally better — each is a different trade-off.
Six pillars, not one score
Deciding what to buy is a sequence of real decisions, not one quiz result: your household and life, your space needs, your property type, your condition and maintenance tolerance, the ownership obligations you're taking on, and the compromises you'll actually accept when budget and supply don't match your ideal brief. Each has its own guide in this hub.
The standard property types
This hub uses the ABS Dwelling Structure classification (Australian Bureau of Statistics, verified 29 Jul 2026) as its canonical taxonomy — separate houses; semi-detached, row, terrace and townhouse-style dwellings; and flats, units and apartments (grouped by building height) — rather than inconsistent listing labels like "villa" or "unit" that mean different things in different agencies and states.
A neutral comparison
| Type | Private land | Common property | Typical maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Usually all of it | Usually none | Entirely the owner's responsibility |
| Townhouse | Often a small private area | Sometimes (shared driveway, walls) | Mostly the owner's, some shared |
| Unit / villa | Small or none | Usually yes | Split between lot and owners corporation |
| Apartment | Not applicable | Substantial (building, lifts, facilities) | Mostly the owners corporation's |
Common characteristics, not universal rules — individual titles and buildings vary. Confirm the specific title and owners corporation status of any property you're considering.
Practical checklist
Before you start comparing properties
- Read the property-type guides relevant to what you're considering
- Start a buying brief documenting your household needs and non-negotiables
- Decide your renovation and maintenance tolerance before you shortlist
Relevant Delora tool
Questions for a professional
- Given my household and budget, which property types would you suggest I actually inspect?
Official resources
Sources and methodology
- Dwelling Structure (STRD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics (retrieved 29 Jul 2026)
Figures on this page are drawn from Delora's local knowledge graph, refreshed from these primary sources and checked for changes on a regular schedule. If a figure here looks out of date, the official source above is always the authority — please let us know.