People who research homes for sale online may find that they come across confusing terms to describe a house.

Most common home types listed for sale in the Phoenix area

83.8% Single family residences
5.8% Condominiums
5.4% Townhouses or townhomes
2.5% Manufactured homes
1.4% Patio homes
0.6% Twin homes or gemini homes
0.3% Lofts
0.1% Modular homes

What are the differences between townhouses and patio homes? What is a gemini? And why aren't duplexes on this list? John Wake, HomeSmart Real Estate, clears up the confusion. Before you go on to see the definitions, examples, and photos, there are three things you must know:

1. The Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service does not have definitions for townhouses, patio homes, twin homes or for any other home type, and there are really no legal definitions for different types of houses in Arizona. The Maricopa County Assessor, for example, lumps several these home types into the same category.
2. It is not uncommon to see the identical home marketed as a townhouse by one person and as a patio home by another, or as a patio home by one person and as a twin by another.
3. The definitions of home types in Arizona may be completely different in other parts of the country!