Looking for some advice/comments from you Texans

[powerboatr]

North bama ( red dirt, solid foundation support, very low crime, great BBQ)
or east texas (sandy easier to build soil, low crime, low taxes)
or florida Panhandle (tallhassee west to pcola) (sandy, hurricanes, great fishing)


if i could get al three rolled into one place it would be heaven

 

[bushpilot]

Right now I am looking at 4 home builders; Sandlin, Lannar, Newmark, and there was one more that I cant remember. Sandlin and Lannar are the two I am seriously looking at. I have already been told to stay away from KB homes and Pulte.

I am looking for about 1,900-2,300 sq feet house, ranch style, 2 car garage minimum but REALLY want a 3 car and looking to pay around $200K. Not really sure what else I am looking for because this will be my first house. I am asking everyone I know opinions about houses, luckily there are a few here at work that currently live in TX and they have given me a TON of information.

This is where I am looking for your comments.

-Have you bought a home? Have any first time home buyer tips? Anything you regret you didn’t do?
-Have you had a home built? How smooth did the build go and how long did it take?
-Would you highly recommend any specific builder? What about any that I should NOT look at?
-What do you honestly think about the Arlington / DFW area? Crime, cost of living, job market, things to do, etc. ANY comments are welcome.

Again, any and all comments are welcome about home buying, or just the DFW area in general. In October I will be flying for 4 days with my brother to check out the area talk to my realtor and a few home builders…. BUT it is only 4 days so I want to do as much research as I can now.

THANK YOU
-Mike

Ok heres a vote for the south...south of dallas that is

1st houston is cheaper...housing is a little less expensive
and i think generally its cheaper to live.

we've just moved here from virginia...ive lived in houston
twice before (for 10+yrs when i was single & in my mid 20's)

insurance for a male your age is gonna be expensive...look into
it and give yourself some time to get over the sticker shock.

we vacationed in delaware <bethany> and know the area
pretty well <realitives in dover/newark & elkton/cecil county>
dont let anyone scare you 'bout the heat or humidity in texas...
its no worse than july & august where your parents live now.

we looked at newmark, lennar and others...we bought a wilshire
home...were very happy w/ them as a company, good customer
service and very very responsive <which is important cause
you WILL have problems w/ a new home> its not necessarily
the builders fault...theyre only as good as the LAZY subcontractors
they use <and i havent found a single sub that didnt SUCK>.

i would NOT build...its not worth it...we bought a 4000 sq
foot home...granite counters, hardwoods, stone/tile floors &
not one thing is upgraded in our home <other than the stainless
appliances>...these are ALL standard things, along w/ crown
moldings etc.

we're in the PAINFUL process of building a pool and i can not imagine
how PAINFUL building a house would be...you MUST watch the
subs & check their work EVERY SINGLE CHANCE YOU GET, they
make mistakes, dont read plans, cut corners...and then try to cover
it up when either they realize the mistake or get caught.

the quality home you can buy <materials used> is MUCH MUCH
better than what youd get for the same money back east...

we sold our 2400sq ft home south of winchester virginia for MORE
than we bought the 4000sq feet for in north houston.

if you get in EARLY on a spec house you can still make changes, itll
cost you but not as much as custom build.

things id do diff...build a bigger garage or have 'em add on a 10'
extension to the back...and sides you can NEVER have enough
garage

if youre curious....OUR HOUSE

 

[Tx_Atty]

Mike, do some more research on houses. I think you may be surprised what they really cost. I dont know the Arlington area prices but I can tell you from my own previous experience living in Dallas and the new search I am doing in the event I go back - houses are high. My employer is going to give me 10K/yr more to live in Dallas than San Antonio. Second only to Austin, Dallas is the most expensive city in TX (the entire metroplex that is). If you want a 3 car garage you will be paying (more likely than not, this is a generality) way more than 200K. I have been searching Richardson and Plano with a price range, for searching purposes, of 250 to 350 and I see very few 3 cars. Keep this in mind, if you see a bigger house for less money, be prepared to sacrifice quality and/or neighborhood conditions OR be prepared to drive for an hour or more during rush hour to get anywhere.

There is a lot to DFW that you need to consider and price is just one of the factors. If you have a pending job it should be a strong consideration when picking your location.

Good luck. We may both be there next year.

 

[Mike K]

Thanks again for all the comments. Sorry i havent been replying but know that i have been taking notes. Seems like work is really wearing me out lately.

Right now i have a list of areas i want to look at, and thanks to everyones input north dallas is deffinatly a must see.

bushpilot,
I have friends in both San Antonio and in Huston and they have told me a ton about both cities. Out of the two i would have to pick San Antonio but the job oportunities just dont look as good as DFW.... from what i have seen that is (and that is just going by what jobs are listed online).

The heat doesnt bother me one bit, keep in mind i have been in the middle east on-and-off for the last 4 years or so. People in the states are complaining about 100+ heat in the states.... please... it has been 100+ since March and no... Qatar isnt a dry heat, we are surrounded by the ocean Its been 115-120 the last couple of weeks and a muggy humid

And i agree 110% about the garage comment, thats the reason why i want to get a 3 car garage. The 3rd bay in my garage (the one with just the single garage door) will have a lift inside. I cant wait to tear my mustang apart in my garage. 700HP here i come!!

Tx Atty,
Like i said at the beginning of this post, right now i am waiting to go home on vacation. When i see the DFW in person i will be able to narrow my search down. I may find that i dont like the Arlington area, who knows.

If i find some time later today i will try and find those homes with 3 car garages for under 200K.

-Mike

 

[Crumm]

I have never even been to Texas so bear with me but what is the sprinkler system for? I have seen sprinkler systems for the lawn but what the heck does it have to do with the foundation? You water your foundation? Up here we try to keep the water out of the foundation. I have river rock between the house and lawn sloping away from the house to keep the water away.

 

[WD40]

(The soil here is black clay, over bedrock)
The black clay when it is dry gets cracks in it just like in a river when the water goes down. If you don't keep the foundations wet around the house the cracks in the soil will run up under the foundation and some times cause plumbing pipes to brake. Soaker hose sales are good in Texas. I have had cracks so large in my yard that I have run the wheel of the lawn mower into them and have get off and pull the dang thing out.

 

[W4RLR]

how about another state besides TX?

I know first hand that this is a great state to live in.

Home Sweet Home

I second! I live only 18 miles from the Heart of Dixie. The locals don't call the area of Florida I call home "Florida". It is "L.A." short for Lower Alabama.

Great hunting, fishing, outdoor recreation, low cost of living. I take my boat to Alabama's Lake Jackson every chance I get.