We closed a transaction with a linked property in the Markham area and just wanted to share our experience. A link home can look just like a detached house on the surface but shares a common wall in the basement or foundation underneath the ground level. In other words, a link home is a hybrid between a detached and a semi-detached house.
The link house style was popular in Toronto in the 1970s and 1980s and can still be found outside the GTA. Some of the land was zoned for semi-detached houses so builders came up with these linked footings house that looked like detached houses but still comply with zoning requirements. Note that there are no above-ground walls shared. A linked semi-detached is not considered a linked house. It is a subset of semi-detached houses where the two houses share basement and garage walls, and also share above ground walls.
The main point here is that linked houses can offer the benefits of detached at a better price. Make sure that you and your salesperson are aware that it is a linked home so that you do not overpay for it. The price point of a linked home should be less than a true detached home in the same area, even though they may look like detached homes above-ground. However, a linked house would be generally more expensive than a semi-detached house. The seller’s agent must do their due diligence and disclose the linked status in the listing information to avoid litigation.
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