Downsizing in Columbus? Start With What One-Level Homes Really Cost.
Moving from a two-story to a one-level home sounds simple. Then you start looking.
One-level and story-and-a-half homes together are fewer than three in ten sales here, the newer ones cost more than most people expect, and every "maintenance-free" community covers something different. This guide walks through the home types, what the monthly fees pay for, what these homes sold for in the last year, and how to time the sale of the home you're in now.
One level, less upkeep, same questions
This guide is about homes, not about who buys them. Some people want less square footage. Plenty don't. They want the same space with the bedroom, laundry and kitchen on one floor, or they want someone else to handle the mowing and the snow.
Either way, the same four questions come up:
What kind of home fits: a ranch on its own lot, a patio home, a condo with a first-floor primary suite?
What does the monthly fee cover, and what is still mine to fix?
What do these homes sell for where I want to live?
Do I sell my current home first, or buy first?
One number sets the stage. In the areas covered here, 2,634 one-level and story-and-a-half homes and condos sold between November 2025 and November 2026. Across the school districts I pulled, homes like these were about 29 percent of all closed sales. A little over half were built before 2000, and about one in five was built in 2020 or later. If you want main-level living and newer construction, you are shopping in a small part of the market.
Ranch, patio home, courtyard home, villa: what the labels mean
Most of these are marketing terms, not legal ones. Two homes with the same label can come with very different ownership and very different bills. Here is how the terms are used around Columbus.
Ranch (single-family): One level on its own lot. You own the yard and the exterior, and you maintain both unless an HOA says otherwise. Many were built from the 1950s through the 1990s, and a lot of them have basements.
Patio home: Usually a one-level or story-and-a-half home on a small lot, detached or paired, where an association handles lawn care and snow. It can be deeded as a single-family home or as a condominium. The listing will say which.
Courtyard home: A patio home designed around a private side or rear courtyard. Epcon's Courtyards communities are the best-known local example.
Condo with a first-floor primary suite: The main bedroom, a full bath and usually the laundry are on the entry level, with a loft or extra bedrooms upstairs. The MLS codes these as one and a half or two levels, so a ranch-only search skips right past them.
Villa or attached ranch: One-level homes that share a wall, often two to four per building, and usually condominiums.
Maintenance-free or low-maintenance community: Any of the above where a monthly fee pays for some of the outside work. How much varies a lot. More on that below.
That coding issue is bigger than it sounds. The sales numbers in this guide count homes coded as one level or one and a half levels. In the same districts and the same 12 months, about 600 more homes sold that were coded as two levels or more but were marketed with a first-floor primary suite, or as a patio, courtyard or maintenance-free home. If stairs to the bedroom are the thing you want to avoid, search by features and remarks, not only by the word ranch.
One caution on story-and-a-half homes. In newer patio homes the half story is usually a bonus room or guest suite over part of the main floor. In an older Cape Cod it can be where all the bedrooms are. Check the floor plan before you assume.
Features worth checking in person, because photos hide them:
Steps from the garage and the front door into the house
Laundry on the main level
A walk-in shower in the primary bath
Door and hallway widths
Where the storage is, if there is no basement
Whether a bonus suite upstairs is finished space you will use or space you will heat and cool for guests
What "maintenance-free" really covers
No home is maintenance-free. The phrase means an association does some of the work and bills you every month for it. The question is which work.
Here is what recent MLS listings showed for nine local communities. These are the fee and the "fee includes" items as each listing agent entered them.
The Courtyards of Hyatts Village, Powell: $300 a month. Common areas, lawn care, snow removal, trash.
The Courtyards on Concord, Dublin: $315 a month. Snow removal and trash listed.
The Courtyards at Mulberry Run, Grove City: $305 a month. Common areas and trash listed.
Nottingham Trace, New Albany: $179 a month. Common areas, lawn care, snow removal, recreation facilities.
Slate Ridge, Lewis Center: $175 a month. Lawn care, snow removal, recreation facilities.
Madison Meadows, Plain City: $165 a month. Listed only as "other."
Villas at Maple Creek, Westerville: $549 a month. Exterior building maintenance, insurance, lawn care, snow removal, trash.
Hayden Falls condos, Dublin: $540 a month. Cable, common areas, insurance, lawn care, snow removal.
Quarry Trails condos, northwest Columbus: $345 a month. Exterior building maintenance, gas, insurance, irrigation, snow removal, trash.
Two things stand out. In these examples the detached patio-home communities ran $165 to $315 a month and mostly covered the grounds, while the condominium communities ran $345 to $549 and added the building exterior and insurance on the structure. And the lists are inconsistent. Three communities from the same builder show three different sets of services, which tells you more about how the listings were typed than about the communities. The listing is a starting point. The documents are the answer.
How to read the HOA documents
The standard local purchase contract has the seller deliver the association documents within a few days of acceptance, then gives you a short window to review them and cancel if they don't work for you. That window goes fast. Ask for the documents as early as you can, and read them with one question in mind: when something outside wears out, who pays?
Declaration and bylaws. Look for the section that assigns maintenance. Roof, siding, windows, doors, driveway, deck or patio, fence, and the plantings inside a courtyard are the items that vary most.
Snow and lawn details. Some associations plow only after a set snowfall. One local builder's patio-home page puts the trigger at two inches. Ask whether your driveway and front walk are included or only the streets.
Budget and reserves. Ohio law requires a condominium association's budget to include reserves adequate to repair and replace major capital items without special assessments, unless the owners waive that requirement in writing each year by majority vote. Planned-community HOAs have a similar rule. Ask how much is in reserves and whether the owners have been waiving the requirement.
Special assessments. Ask whether one is pending or being discussed. Meeting minutes from the last year are the best place to find out.
Fees at closing. Many associations charge a transfer fee, a one-time contribution to reserves, or both.
Rules that affect daily life. Rentals, pets, fences, exterior changes, and where a boat, trailer or work vehicle can be parked.
Insurance. In a condominium the association's master policy covers some of the structure and you insure the rest. Get the master policy summary to your insurance agent before you pick a policy.
How 55+ communities work
Most patio-home and ranch communities in Central Ohio have no age restriction. Anyone can buy. A smaller group are age-restricted, and they operate under a specific exemption in federal law.
The Fair Housing Act bars housing discrimination based on familial status. It carves out three kinds of housing for older persons: housing under a government program designed for elderly persons, housing intended for and occupied only by people 62 or older, and housing intended and operated for people 55 or older.
To qualify as a 55-or-older community, HUD says a community must meet all three of these:
At least 80 percent of the occupied units have at least one occupant who is 55 or older.
The community publishes and follows policies showing it intends to operate as 55-or-older housing.
The community verifies residents' ages under HUD's rules, using reliable surveys and affidavits that are updated at least every two years.
Within that framework, each community writes its own rules, and they can be stricter than the federal minimum. Before you buy in one, get the age policy in writing and read it for three things:
The minimum age for other people living in the home
How long younger guests can stay
What happens to the home if the resident who is 55 or older moves out or passes away
One practical point for later: the restriction applies when you sell, too. Your buyer has to qualify under the same rules.
Communities marked 55+ in the list below are either sold as age-restricted by the builder or carry the 55+ Community designation on their MLS listings. Confirm the current rules with the association before you rely on either.
Sell first or buy first?
If most of your down payment is sitting in the house you live in, this is the hardest part of the move. You can sell first. Or you can use one of several tools to buy first and sell second. Each one trades certainty for convenience in a different way.
Sell first, then buy. You know exactly what you have to spend, and your offer on the next home is not tied to another sale. The cost is a possible gap between homes. Your buyer can agree to let you stay for a set time after closing, which is written up as its own addendum, or a short-term rental can cover it.
Home sale contingency. Your offer is written to depend on your current home selling and closing. It goes into the contract as an additional term, and it comes in different strengths. If your home is already in contract with a closing date, that is the easiest version for a seller to accept. If your home has not sold yet, expect an escape clause. The seller keeps marketing the home, and if an acceptable offer arrives that is not tied to a home sale, you get written notice. From there you have a set number of hours, agreed on up front, to remove the contingency in writing and move ahead. If you don't, the contract ends and your deposit comes back. Removing the contingency generally means your financing can no longer depend on the sale, so find out from your lender first whether you could close without it. The Columbus MLS has a status for these, Contingent Escape. When a seller has other offers, contingent ones tend to lose.
Home equity line of credit (HELOC). A line on your current home that lets you borrow against your equity as you need it, usually at an adjustable rate. Until the home sells it is a second loan with its own payment. Talk to a lender about timing before you list.
Home equity loan. The same idea as a lump sum: a set amount borrowed against your equity, repaid in installments.
Bridge loan. A short-term loan that lets you buy the next home before the current one sells, then gets paid off from the sale. Terms and fees vary a lot from lender to lender.
Blanket loan. One loan secured by both homes. The equity in your current home stands in for the down payment on the new one, so the offer needs no sale contingency. When the first home sells, the proceeds pay the loan down and that home is released. Both homes are collateral until then.
Buy-before-you-sell programs. Several companies, working through lenders and agents, will advance part of your equity or back your current home with a guaranteed offer so you can buy without a contingency. They charge a program fee, usually a percentage of your current home's sale price, collected when it sells. Rules on equity, credit and loan type differ by program.
Smaller down payment now, recast later. With a conventional loan, you can buy with less down, then put the sale proceeds toward the new mortgage and ask the servicer to recast it. That recalculates a lower payment at the same rate and term. Government-backed loans generally can't be recast, and servicers set their own minimums and fees.
Carry both for a while. If your income and savings support two homes for a few months, or you can pay cash, this is the cleanest offer of all.
Not every lender offers every one of these. Blanket loans in particular are harder to find, so it is worth asking more than one lender, including local banks and credit unions.
I am not a lender or a financial advisor, and nothing here is financial advice. Which route fits depends on your equity, your income and how much overlap you are comfortable carrying. A lender can price each option side by side in one conversation. Have that conversation before you fall for a house.
What one-level and story-and-a-half homes sold for, by area
These are closed sales from the Columbus MLS, November 11, 2025 through November 12, 2026, for homes and condos the MLS codes as one level or one and a half levels. Manufactured homes on leased land are left out. "Middle half" means the middle 50 percent of sales, which is a better guide than the full range. Most areas are grouped by school district, not mailing address, because the two often don't match. Grove City is the exception. It is shown by city limits, because its school district reaches well into Columbus.
Across all 12 areas: 2,634 sales, median $380K, middle half $300K to $505K. Single-family homes had a median of $395K (1,883 sales). Condos had a median of $335K (751 sales). About one sale in nine was a story-and-a-half home.
Dublin City Schools: 258 sales, median $425K, middle half $280K to $650K, range $130K to $1.8M. Single-family median $605K (137). Condo median $280K (121). Built 2000 or later, median $650K (86).
Olentangy (Powell, Lewis Center): 370 sales, median $450K, middle half $370K to $620K, range $190K to $1.65M. Single-family median $550K (171). Condo median $400K (199). Built 2000 or later, median $485K (274).
Hilliard City Schools: 369 sales, median $355K, middle half $295K to $470K, range $140K to $1.4M. Single-family median $355K (244). Condo median $350K (125). Built 2000 or later, median $490K (119).
Westerville City Schools: 361 sales, median $350K, middle half $295K to $445K, range $85K to $1.78M. Single-family median $350K (269). Condo median $345K (92). Built 2000 or later, median $490K (84).
New Albany-Plain: 55 sales, all single-family, median $550K, middle half $490K to $675K, range $300K to $1.1M. Built 2000 or later, median $570K (31).
Grove City (city limits): 292 sales, median $330K, middle half $270K to $410K, range $135K to $1.1M. Single-family median $340K (209). Condo median $300K (83). Built 2000 or later, median $415K (126).
Delaware City Schools: 187 sales, median $330K, middle half $265K to $400K, range $80K to $1.15M. Single-family median $340K (164). Condo median $285K (23). Built 2000 or later, median $380K (86).
Big Walnut (Sunbury, Galena): 150 sales, median $520K, middle half $430K to $710K, range $155K to $3.9M. Single-family median $520K (139). Condo median $615K (11). Built 2000 or later, median $605K (86).
Marysville: 176 sales, median $320K, middle half $255K to $400K, range $45K to $970K. Single-family median $340K (146). Condo median $280K (30). Built 2000 or later, median $385K (72).
Jonathan Alder (Plain City): 118 sales, median $410K, middle half $365K to $500K, range $110K to $1.1M. Single-family median $420K (112). Built 2000 or later, median $415K (92).
Pickerington: 144 sales, median $360K, middle half $310K to $460K, range $180K to $915K. Single-family median $375K (119). Condo median $295K (25). Built 2000 or later, median $460K (65).
Gahanna-Jefferson: 154 sales, median $335K, middle half $285K to $495K, range $200K to $1.35M. Single-family median $375K (118). Condo median $285K (36). Built 2000 or later, median $595K (42).
A few things to take from this:
Newer costs more. In seven of the 12 areas the median for a home built since 2000 runs about $50K to $140K above the area's overall median. Dublin and Gahanna show gaps over $200K. Olentangy and Jonathan Alder show little gap, because most of their sales in this group are newer homes already.
Courtyard homes sit in their own band. Seventy-two resales in communities with Courtyards in the name closed between $410K and $900K, with a median near $570K and a middle half of $485K to $645K. Monthly fees on those ran $231 to $525.
New Albany is the tightest market for this. Only 55 sales all year, and three quarters of them closed above about $490K. In Big Walnut three quarters closed above about $430K.
I lead with total price, not price per square foot, on purpose. MLS square footage often counts a finished basement, and ranch homes are where that distorts the math most.
Communities known for patio, ranch and courtyard homes
This list mixes communities still being built with established ones where one-level homes resold in the last year. Builders are named for new construction. It is a starting list, not a ranking, and availability changes monthly.
Dublin schools
New construction: The Courtyards on Concord, The Courtyards of Hyland Meadows and The Courtyards at White Oaks in Jerome Village (all Epcon); Glacier Pointe cottages (Schottenstein Homes)
Established: Courtyards on Riverside, Courtyards at Muirfield Ridge, Courtyards at Jerome Village, Hayden Falls, Dublin Green, Trotters Chase, Manor at Craughwell Village, Greystone Manor
Olentangy schools (Powell, Lewis Center)
New construction: The Courtyards of Hyatts Village and The Courtyards at Evans Farm (Epcon); Slate Ridge (Pulte); Villas at Old Harbor West, Carriage Farms and Loch Lomond Hills (3 Pillar Homes); The Nook at Highland Lakes (Bob Webb)
Established: Courtyards at Hidden Ravines, Village at Olentangy Crossing, Village at North Falls, Stone Bridge at Golf Village, Seldom Seen Acres, Village at Bale Kenyon, Orchards at Big Bear Farms, Hidden Springs
Hilliard schools
New construction: The Courtyards at Carr Farms (Epcon); Retreat at Sugar Farms (Pulte); one-level condos at Hill Farm (M/I Homes) and Quarry Trails (Homes by Thrive)
Established: Estates at Tremont Club (55+), Villas at Glenealy, Villas at Mill Run, Heritage Club Villas, Highland Meadows, Millington, Silver Springs
Westerville schools
New construction: The Courtyards on Big Walnut and The Courtyards on Cubbage, opening soon (Epcon)
Established: Villas at Maple Creek (55+), Courtyards on Tussic (55+), Villas at Canterbury Woods, Crossings at Windemere, Highpointe at Little Turtle
New Albany
New construction: Nottingham Trace (Pulte, 55+); The Courtyards at Haines Creek (Epcon, 55+); The Post at Woodhaven (Bob Webb, 55+)
Established: Courtyards at New Albany (55+), Dominion Club (55+)
Grove City
New construction: The Courtyards at Mulberry Run and The Courtyards at Harris Farm (Epcon)
Established: Landings at Quail Creek, Willows at Quail Creek, Christina Villas, Haughn Glen, Alkire Park, Villas at Holt Run
Delaware and Sunbury
New construction: Four Seasons at Addison Farms in Delaware (K. Hovnanian, 55+); Kintner Crossing patio homes in Sunbury (D.R. Horton)
Established: Enclave at the Ravines of Olentangy; Goldwell and Ivy Wood at Northstar
Marysville and Plain City
New construction: Madison Meadows patio homes (D.R. Horton); Del Webb Maygrass (Pulte's Del Webb brand, 55+); ranch plans at Darby Station (M/I Homes)
Established: Enclave at Mill Valley, Stonebridge and Retreat at Green Pastures in Marysville; Country Place in Plain City (55+)
Pickerington and Gahanna
New construction: The Courtyards at Violet Meadows in Pickerington, opening spring 2027 (Epcon, 55+); paired patio homes at Sycamore Springs (Fischer Homes); Woodland Preserve (Bob Webb)
Established: Spring Creek in Pickerington; Courtyards at Morse Circle and Amberlea Village in Gahanna
If you are visiting a builder's community, bring me to the first visit. Most builders expect your agent to be there, or registered, the first time you walk in. More on that in Buying New Construction, and the full builder list is in the New Construction Guide.
Where I fit
A move like this is two transactions that have to land in the right order. My job is to make both of them work.
Finding the homes a basic search misses. I build the search around features: first-floor primary suite, main-level laundry, the fee and what it covers. That picks up the homes coded as two levels that live like one.
Reading the HOA documents with you. Before you are committed, we go through who maintains what, the reserves, and any assessments on the horizon.
Pricing and selling the home you are in. You get a clear number for what your current home should sell for and what you will net, so the budget for the next one is real.
Sequencing the two closings. Sell first, buy first, or line them up back to back. I work with your lender and the title company so the dates and the money move in the right order.
New construction. I go with you to the builder, compare the base price to what a finished home there has been selling for, and stay with it through the walkthroughs.
I have been licensed since 2014 and have closed more than 300 sales across Central Ohio, on both the buying and the selling side.
FAQ
What is the difference between a patio home and a condo?
Patio home describes the layout and lifestyle: mostly one-level living on a small lot with an association handling some outside work. Condo describes how the property is owned. A patio home can be deeded as a single-family home or as a condominium, so check the property type on the listing and read the documents.
How much do one-level homes cost in Central Ohio?
Across the 12 areas in this guide, 2,634 one-level and story-and-a-half homes and condos sold in the year ending November 2026 at a median of $380K. Area medians ran from about $320K in Marysville to about $550K in New Albany. Homes built since 2000 usually sold for more.
What does a maintenance-free HOA cost in Columbus?
In the listings I checked for this guide, detached patio-home communities ran $165 to $315 a month and condominium communities ran $345 to $549. What the fee covers varies from one community to the next, so compare the documents, not the label.
Can someone under 55 live in a 55+ community?
It depends on the community's own rules. Federal law requires at least 80 percent of occupied units in a 55-or-older community to have at least one occupant who is 55 or older, and a community can set stricter rules than that. Ask for the age policy in writing before you write an offer.
Should I sell my current home before I buy the next one?
Selling first gives you a firm budget and a stronger offer. Buying first avoids a double move. A home sale contingency, a home equity line, a bridge loan, a blanket loan and buy-before-you-sell programs can each bridge the gap, with different costs and risks. A lender can compare them for your situation.
Why do so few ranch homes show up in my search?
Two reasons. One-level and story-and-a-half homes together were under 30 percent of closed sales in these districts over the last year. And many homes with a first-floor primary suite are coded in the MLS as one and a half or two levels, so a ranch-only filter hides them. Searching by features brings them back.
Start here
Thinking about a move to one level? Call or text me before you list your home or visit a builder: 614-602-1090.
A 20-minute conversation covers what your current home would sell for, which communities fit what you want, and which order makes sense for the two moves. If you would like a number first, the Instant Home Estimate is a place to start, and Selling a Home explains how I price and market a listing.
Related guides: Buying New Construction, the New Construction Guide, and the neighborhood guides for Dublin, Powell and Hilliard.
Sales figures are from the Columbus and Central Ohio Regional MLS for closings from November 11, 2025 through November 12, 2026, and are believed accurate but not guaranteed. HOA fees and coverage are as shown on individual listings and can change. Nothing on this page is legal or financial advice.