Non-hoa (Dallas, Forney, Howe: houses, neighborhood, buy)

[$DFW8$]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Newer is not always better. I was primarily concerned with the overall quality of the house's construction and its current condition rather than its age. As I have said many times before it is possible to find a 50+ year old house in better shape than a 5-10 year old house. It all depends on how well the houses were built and how well they have been maintained.

I think it is short-sighted to automatically reject a house built in the 1950s solely due to its age. I can understand rejecting 1960s-1970s houses due to their wiring and foundation issues but well-maintained 1950s houses are usually fine. I know a few people who own 1950s homes and none of them have had any serious problems with them. Not like other people I know who have already had to spend five figures fixing their slab foundations in Plano, Frisco, Allen, etc. Or the guy in McKinney who had to tear out half of his drywall because of the cruddy construction quality of his 10 year old house (think leaks and mold).

As you can see, I edited my post. I forgot to mention that the styles of the homes really do not appeal to me. Now I am not saying that all older homes are not appealing. There is a lot of older homes in the Park cities and I love all of those! I would live there in a heart beat!

And honestly, you can sit here and type this whole long story of your new house and how it is, but my opinions are staying.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by $DFW8$

As you can see, I edited my post. I forgot to mention that the styles of the homes really do not appeal to me. Now I am not saying that all older homes are not appealing. There is a lot of older homes in the Park cities and I love all of those! I would live there in a heart beat!

And honestly, you can sit here and type this whole long story of your new house and how it is, but my opinions are staying.

Not trying to change your mind, dude. If you hate the style of those houses then you should definitely not buy one. Personally I like them very much. I can see the appeal of a new build in a new shiny suburb with all the nice new stores nearby but it is not for me.

It is one thing to not like the styles of older homes even though they come in a wide variety of styles. It is another to say they are worthless due to their age.

[$DFW8$]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Not trying to change your mind, dude. If you hate the style of those houses then you should definitely not buy one. Personally I like them very much. I can see the appeal of a new build in a new shiny suburb with all the nice new stores nearby but it is not for me.

It is one thing to not like the styles of older homes even though they come in a wide variety of styles. It is another to say they are worthless due to their age.

Ok, look.....I am sorry if I offended you. No, your new house is not worthless. I like new houses, and you like older houses. We are just different people with different ideals and desires.

Again, I am sorry if I offended you and congratulations on you new house! I wish you and your family great happiness there.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by $DFW8$

Ok, look.....I am sorry if I offended you. No, your new house is not worthless. I like new houses, and you like older houses. We are just different people with different ideals and desires.

Again, I am sorry if I offended you and congratulations on you new house! I wish you and your family great happiness there.

I admit I was slightly offended. It is kind of like saying "Wow, you were stupid to buy that house." Maybe I am reading too much into that, I have been guilty of that before.

I will be happy in that house...no family, just me.

Thanks!

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

I'm with BigDGeek - my current house is 88 yrs young and in excellant shape. You can't beat plaster walls for insulation, No HOA, no cookie-cutter look.I think anything built before 1960 has a much better chance of being solid construciton. Not every one, but most of them.

[HealthInfoTech]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Yep we do. If it has to do with architectural styles then I can sort of understand that but if it is just the age of the house that is an issue, I would steer clear of houses built in the 1960s and 1970s as they are likely to have aluminum wires and old slab foundations that may need very expensive repairs despite being newer than my house. My house, built in the 1950s, has copper wiring and a pier and beam foundation and according to my inspector (and a couple of handymen who have come around) is in better shape than many 5-10 year old houses they have seen in the suburbs. I also would not buy a house built in the 1980s as I do not care for most of those styles. I would buy a much older house like a Craftsman or a four-square if it was in good condition and had modern wiring and plumbing. I would not want to deal with knob and tube wiring or plumbing with a ton of lead solder. But if all of that had been replaced, no problem!

My house is in excellent condition and the inspector found no major problems with it. The AC compressor and furnace are both new and the biggest issue outside of that was the hot water heater has to be raised to be 18 inches off the floor in the garage and has a flue pipe coated with asbestos. Both the hot water heater and the flue pipe will be replaced before I move in. I am also replacing the electrical service panel even though the inspector says its age and configuration is not a safety issue. I am having it done because the old one is only 125 amps and has some double-tapped breakers and I want a 200 amp one. Oh, and the windows need to be re-caulked and the gutters need to be cleaned. I expect my electric bills may be a little high until I blow some more insulation into the attic, and the rooms all have white walls which is kind of boring. Everyone who has seen the house adores it. What I "lose" in buying an older house, I gain back tenfold in the quality of its construction, the maturity of the neighborhood, the beauty of my fully-treed lot with mature, 40+ foot high oak, pecan, and live oak trees, and the charm of a 1950s house that has not changed much since it was built, and the lack of an HOA making my rules for me. I am a considerate neighbor but I am also a fully grown adult and I resent being told what color I may paint my trim or where I may park my car, hang my laundry, what color curtains I may have, etc. Plus any house of any age has ongoing maintenance needs and this house is no different. It has been maintained extremely well. Not every 50 year old house is a money pit.

I will take that any day over a mass-built flim flam Chinese-drywalled, illegal alien-built square footage factory on a concrete slab that bakes in the hot sun due to the lack of trees in a neighborhood that will dictate to me what color I may paint my front door.

That is personal preference though and that does not mean life in Frisco, Allen, or McKinney is terrible. It would be terrible for me, but not terrible for everyone. Some people like the samey orderliness of places like that. But that samey orderliness comes at a price, and that price is usually an overbearing interfering HOA plus horrible lengthy commutes.

OK, we get it, honey. We REALLY get it. You like older homes. In fact, I am going to go out on a limb here and say you LOVE older homes. Other people don't, though. Other people like what they like, just like you like what you like. I appreciate your passion behind what you like, but I think it's OK to let other people be passionate about what they like, also.

Having said that, I would love to get back on topic. I am the original poster, and all I wanted to know was this: what are the DFW commuities/neighborhoods with homes under $300K AND were non-HOA affiliated. Can I get more responses like the one I got from nsumner???? (thank you again, nsumner!!! your answer was quite valuable). I don't think discussing old vs. newer homes helps me with my original question. Perhaps in another thread it might, but not this one. It really isn't what I originally asked.

Thanks . . .

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by HealthInfoTech

OK, we get it, honey. We REALLY get it. You like older homes. In fact, I am going to go out on a limb here and say you LOVE older homes. Other people don't, though. Other people like what they like, just like you like what you like. I appreciate your passion behind what you like, but I think it's OK to let other people be passionate about what they like, also.

Please do not patronize me. Thanks.

[HealthInfoTech]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Please do not patronize me. Thanks.

Once again, let's get back on topic.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by HealthInfoTech

Once again, let's get back on topic.

I believe nsumner already answered your question.

[itellyouthetruth]

Originally Posted by HealthInfoTech

Hello! Looking for clean neighborhoods and communities in the DFW area (price range under $300K, and age of home is 15 yrs or less) that are not associated with HOA.

Anyone have any suggestions or ideas . . .

I am not sure if you are looking at Forney but I know of a subdivision Lone Star Estates* in Forney that has a few custom homes with nice large lots and this community has brand new homes just built.

No City Taxes or HOA Fees in this Forney subdivision!!

Priced under Under 300K, really good deals in this subdivision, may be some left under 250k

I cant link anything on here, sorry. Good Luck