Searching for a new home in Allen,McKinney and Plano (Dallas: HOA, new house)

[SL_Allen]

Hi:

Searching for a new home in Allen, we found everything good (floor plan, rate and accessibility etc.,) in Silhouette community but we like to have a J-Swing front entry garage, which is missing in that community. i just like to know the real plu and minus about the j-swing front entry?

[FarNorthDallas]

What do you get instead of the j-swing?

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by FarNorthDallas

What do you get instead of the j-swing?

Rear entry, front entry or side entry.

As for the J-swings some people LOVE them and some don't. Most of the time they are in neighborhoods that most have rear entry except for lots that back to a golf course or greenbelt. The good thing is the kids can ride their bikes in the front on the drive and visitors can park in your drive off the street. Bad thing is having to back out into the street sometimes (sometimes you can have a space for a turn around or back up point to be able to pull out nose first). The other is the back drive is where most people store their large garbage containers. With a front J-swing you have to put it around back and wheel it all the way around, in the garage or find somewhere for it that is not visible from the street depending on the city ordinances and HOA rules.

[SL_Allen]

We got a rear entry or a j swing side entry...!!! any idea??
Thanks :-)

[jcl_cls01]

Centex builds in the Silhouette development in Allen. Centex does offer a jswing garage. Have you checked with Centex in Silhouette?

[SL_Allen]

Actually the phase one in Silhouette is constructed by centex,(no more new house in that phase I) but the phase 2 is by KHovanian homes. They are not offering a j-swing front entry garage....instead of that they are giving a side entry j-swing.

The lot we prefered is a corner lot, that's why they are ready for the side entry, otherwise the whole community is having a "rear entry"...don't know what to do???

Thanks

[FarNorthDallas]

My whole neighborhood is rear entry so to me that's normal. I like it because then we have alleys and no one is sharing a fence and the alleys give just a bit more buffer between the houses. I don't like front entry because if you look down the street it looks like all these cars are parked in the yards and all you see is garage when you look at the house. In olden days it seems like all the lower level entry level homes were front entry and once you had a rear entry home you had hit the big time.

Later on I saw the attraction with a j swing at a relative's house. The kids could ride their bikes out front in the driveway and play out there, yet from the front the house still looked nice. They don't have fences in their state though, so the sharing fences wasn't an issue.

Wouldn't it just be personal preference or does one in particular add value (or take away value) to the house or something?

[SL_Allen]

It's just our personal preference...it wouldn't add any value i guess??!!

It's a 2 story with 4 bed/2.5 bath / 2 living /study/2 car garage for $280k - 3000 sqft. We thought it's worth to get a house in Allen that too near 75. Except the side entry garage and one more concern is "sloped ceiling in all the bed rooms except the master. But the family room is 18' sloped ceiling and others are all 10' sloped ceiling. Do you think the sloped ceiling will any way affect the resale value?