Why Homes in the Exurbs Aren't Built to Last (water heater, buy)

[southern living]

Originally Posted by Macbeth2003

I don't go around mentioning it. I do however tend to get upset when someone attacks my area, and seems to draw the conclusion that since everyone in the immediate vicinity is not from a well off background that is a horrible thing. I get very upset when people use insulting language to describe people who are not well off, simply based on the fact that they are not well off. I did not mean to imply that only in Old East Dallas/ Lakewood do we not care about such things. I meant only to point out that those of us who live here, do not consider it a problem that not everyone here is wealthy. I also find it worrying that to you not-wealthy or poor seems to = at risk. At risk historically referred to a specific set of people. Most of this area's less well of are what are normally called the working poor. In fact most that I know are two parent families, regular churchgoers, and far from troublemakers.
For what it is worth, I know lots of people who have post puberty children in the area, and they have no problems with "that demographic." The children still get along just fine.
Dear God "That demographic" "at risk kids." How long before we get to "those people" and "Their sort."?
I don't forget to lock my doors. Neither do my friends in Far North Dallas, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, etc. What kind of ridiculous statement is that. Is there anywhere in DFW where you can go about not locking your doors?

Look I have friends all over DFW. My quarrel isn't with anyone based upon where they live. My quarrel is with someone who made top their own facts, and insulted anyone from an economic level below the mean.

ADDITION:
I feel I should clarify a couple of things. I don't feel being a "regular churchgoer" makes one necessarily a better person. I simply meant to point out that poor does not = the traditional image of "at risk". The image of the single parent, no "morals" kids running wild home.

I should also point out when I say we are getting near "you people" I don't mean to imply racism. It just seems to me that Dallas is replacing racism with a sad economic version. If you make less than $X you are automatically going to be criminal, violent, and your kids will be thus and punks. I don't think poor is a code for any ethnic group in this. I think it is a genuinely different form of prejudice.

well put.

When such people say "ghetto", they mean minorities=poor=undesireable.

They are basically equating minority with undesirable

[biscuitmom]

Originally Posted by DaveG99

Plus most older homes need their kitchens and bathrooms upgraded. I have seen so many homes with some really ugly fixtures. I REALLY hate that brass colored crap in the bathrooms and the flowered wall paper. What were people thinking in the 80's?

Fixtures and wallpaper are easy fixes. Ditto upgrades, which are cosmetic and are usually fun to do.
On the other hand - foundation, window, masonry, roof, window, plumbing, flooring, etc. problems often found in newly-built houses are not so easy fixes, and there's nothing fun about them.

I love older houses, you know what you're getting. Any problems have had lots of time to manifest. New houses, though, are a huge gamble.
Our house was built in 1984. We've lived here since 1993 and we've got records/invoices for every repair, maintenance, upgrade we've done. If we ever sell, the buyers will know *exactly* what they're getting. 27 years in, this house is solid as a rock, so any would-be buyers could jump right in and do the fun cosmetic stuff. (We long ago got rid of the wallpaper and brass, so no worries there.)
That said, we're not selling anytime soon.

[CREW747]

The suburbs in north Texas are in a unique position.Many people that move here DO NOT WORK IN DALLAS.Plano,Mc Kinney,Allen,Frisco,Denton,Prosper& Fairview have a combined population of over 700,000.Many ,many people work in these areas and have no need to travel to Dallas on a daily basis.the problem that Dallas is now facing with attracting corporations has to due with so many choosing to station in the suburbs.We have about 30 friends that live near us in our Collin county suburb.None commute past north Dallas for work .These are people who work in law,medical,education,tech& business."Far flung" really depends on where you work.I have not driven into the city of Dallas since Christmas time last year.

- Bartonville,Argyle,West Flower mound,Prosper,Colleyville,Southlake,parts of Allen are great examples of suburbs done right.Frisco is the perfect example of poor housing choices.Why ? Because land appreciates way faster than the house on it.That is a fact.Frisco as an overall city has crammed way to many houses on tiny lots to close together.Frisco is by no means a luxury to mid luxury market.Someone who is looking for a $600,00 plus home usually prefers to not be in a neighborhood right up on their neighbor.They can take care of their lawn either because they have time to do it or because they can pay someone else to.That is the difference between say Frisco and Prosper.The houses and land match one and other.

[MckinneyOwnr]

Originally Posted by CREW747

Frisco is the perfect example of poor housing choices.Why ? Because land appreciates way faster than the house on it.That is a fact.

Well, that's not a fact, that's your opinion. You can't simply look at one aspect of the situation (house and land it's built on) to determine value. Frisco has a great school district, lots of things to do in the vicinity, etc.

Prosper has its share of houses spaced closely together, as well as large lots. But... there isn't much of anything going on up there yet. It's a long drive to restaurants, shopping, etc. I looked at Prosper before buying in McKinney. It was simply too far from everything, and it will be a long time before commercial development really takes off up there, because Frisco and McKinney will go through it first.

[CREW747]

I understand your point.....the majority of Frisco houses are in subdivisions that overall have very small lot sizes.Most subdivisions we looked at were 2 Story houses that are 5 feet apart from each other 3,000 square foot plus.The smaller houses seemed just were just as crammed together.On the west side of Frisco we found the "mini castles" on zero lots with alley ways quite amusing.To each their own,I would just imagine that these houses are not goig to appeal long term to many buyers.In the housing boom when Frisco was developed,the biggest house for the money was in.A 3500 square foot house with 20 feet of open ceiling space on a 6000 lot may not appreciate as quickly as say a 2200 square foot house on a 14,000 lot in Colleyville.Land appreciates faster than houses and in this scary market,I would not be quick to buy a mini mansion in Frisco where I would not have a decent lot size.I would not want most of my money invested in my house,that as history has proven,can decline very quickly.It will be interesting to see what direction Frisco goes in.Section 8 housing is on the way and the city has the highest foreclosure rate in the dfw area.

[mikeh19468]

Originally Posted by CREW747

and the city has the highest foreclosure rate in the dfw area.

I understand you want to play cheerleader for Prosper and convince as many people as possible to move there to make the town realize it's potential, but check your figures before throwing out "facts" like this. Quick check of Realtytrac figures show that there was another nearby zip code that had a higher foreclosure rate as of last month, than Frisco. 75078, which just happens to be....

Bottom line is there really isn't a right or wrong choice, everyone has to make the best informed decision on where to purchase based on their circumstances. If someone chooses Frisco or McKinney over Prosper, that just means their reasons and viewpoint were different than yours, not that they were wrong...

[TX75007]

LOL. You have to be kidding me. Old houses just suck. Heck, there is are even a movie about an old home ruining people financially.

The Money Pit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Originally Posted by biscuitmom

Fixtures and wallpaper are easy fixes. Ditto upgrades, which are cosmetic and are usually fun to do.
On the other hand - foundation, window, masonry, roof, window, plumbing, flooring, etc. problems often found in newly-built houses are not so easy fixes, and there's nothing fun about them.

Anything that goes wrong in a home can be fixed, regardless of its age. Old or new homes have no advantage on this.

Originally Posted by biscuitmom

I love older houses, you know what you're getting. Any problems have had lots of time to manifest.

Not true. Everything in an old home will need rework eventually - plumbing, electrical system, windows, brick, roof, AC system, etc. This is tens of thousands of dollars!

Originally Posted by biscuitmom

New houses, though, are a huge gamble.

I don't see it that way. A brand new home comes with a warranty on it, has brand new stuff, and has a much better energy bill.

I will never buy another "old home."

[Macbeth2003]

Originally Posted by TX75007

LOL. You have to be kidding me. Old houses just suck. Heck, there is are even a movie about an old home ruining people financially.

Well a comedic work of fiction that proves it.

Originally Posted by TX75007

Anything that goes wrong in a home can be fixed, regardless of its age. Old or new homes have no advantage on this.

True as far as it goes, but there are things that can make a difference that - in this area - tend to apply more to one home or another i.e. pier and beam foundations are usually only available on pier and beam homes, Pier an beam tends to make foundation work, plumbing repairs, and rewiring a house cheaper. No need to jackhammer up a foundation for any of that. New homes will be less likely to have tree limbs growing through sewer lines, etc.

Originally Posted by TX75007

Not true. Everything in an old home will need rework eventually - plumbing, electrical system, windows, brick, roof, AC system, etc. This is tens of thousands of dollars!

Again this assumes the people who have owed your home for the lass 50-90 years have done none of this - not likely. We just bought a 90 year old home. It had totally redone pluming, new ac, new water heater, new heater, new roof (all less than 5 years old). reinforced attic. Minor pier and beam foundation work $500. We did have to do some major rewiring. The P&B foundation mess wires can be run from below and above. Fast and easier. Total cost Less than $3k. The home inspector said other than those to things the repairs already done brought those aspects of the home to a higher status than most new homes he sees.

Originally Posted by TX75007

I don't see it that way. A brand new home comes with a warranty on it, has brand new stuff, and has a much better energy bill.

I will never buy another "old home."

Again I think this is not an absolute. If the home has been maintained, the home owners pat may well have put in higher quality stuff than the builder would have.

[TX75007]

Originally Posted by Macbeth2003

Again this assumes the people who have owed your home for the lass 50-90 years have done none of this - not likely. We just bought a 90 year old home. It had totally redone pluming, new ac, new water heater, new heater, new roof (all less than 5 years old). reinforced attic.

You just proved my point. They took a bath. And you still had to spend some $$$.

Hopefully you bought the home on the down market!!

It is an absolute that an old home will need major repairs at some point AND will need a higher level of attention.

I've owned several of them and still rent out some.

I can buy a new home from Darling Homes or Highland Homes and know that it will not cost me any money for the first ten years or so and that my electrical bills will be far less than an similarly sized older home.

At year 10 I am MUCH farther ahead financially.

[Ramona72]

Originally Posted by TX75007

I can buy a new home from Darling Homes or Highland Homes and know that it will not cost me any money for the first ten years or so and that my electrical bills will be far less than an similarly sized older home.

At year 10 I am MUCH farther ahead financially.

You're right that an older home will eventually need repairs, but it doesn't follow that a new home automatically puts you ahead financially more than an older home, at least when it comes time to sell. Location, location, location. Ask people in those old bungalows in the Park Cities what they are getting for them today vs the purchase price 30 years ago.