Allen, Tx: East vs. West (Howe, Parker: how much, custom home, neighborhoods)

[homehunter09]

I'm hoping to get some perspective here. We are looking to buy a new house in the Allen, Tx area. My husband is very big on LOCATION and believes that west Allen is a much better place than east Allen and so we are only looking there. He's also very big on the higher-end builders. The problem I have is that the houses on the west side tends to be much more expensive compared to the east. We have some friends that recently purchased a new DR Horton home that was $65/sq ft in east Allen. That kind of deal can't be found in west Allen. The house that we've found is $60 K more than our friends and 300 sq ft smaller in WEST Allen by a very reputable builder. My question is: are we really getting our money's worth by buying West Allen and using a "higher-end" builder?
Your educated opinion please!

[$DFW8$]

Originally Posted by homehunter09

I'm hoping to get some perspective here. We are looking to buy a new house in the Allen, Tx area. My husband is very big on LOCATION and believes that west Allen is a much better place than east Allen and so we are only looking there. He's also very big on the higher-end builders. The problem I have is that the houses on the west side tends to be much more expensive compared to the east. We have some friends that recently purchased a new DR Horton home that was $65/sq ft in east Allen. That kind of deal can't be found in west Allen. The house that we've found is $60 K more than our friends and 300 sq ft smaller in WEST Allen by a very reputable builder. My question is: are we really getting our money's worth by buying West Allen and using a "higher-end" builder?
Your educated opinion please!

Well in my opinion, there isn't much of a difference between East Allen and West Allen, except for the housing prices. It is just what you and your family want.

[momof2dfw]

Almost sounds like your husband might be like the guy I heard about recently that got stopped for speeding and on his drivers license he had put, "West Allen, Tx" as his address. There is no "West Allen" and "East Allen"........ only "Allen". LOL!!!

Anyway, I'd RUUUUUUNNNNN from D.R. Horton. They are on the pretty low end of the spectrum when it comes to quality and construction. Of course your going to get a better builder than them. However, the east side of Allen does have some VERY NICE upper end custom homes on acreage lots. Some of the city of Parker is in the Allen ISD and this is the area that Nastia Lukin lives in, if that gives you a hint of what kind of housing and $$$$ are in that area. If he wants really high end builders he won't find them in Allen unless it is a custom job builder and I mean TRUE CUSTOM over on the east side. If your husband is really concerned with trying to be that prestigious he wouldn't be looking in Allen at all, imho.

[homehunter09]

Thanks for the reply, DFW expert. I wonder why is that west Allen neighborhoods are considered more prestigious and have such a big disparity in housing price? I'm really tempted to go for a "bigger house for my money" but I'd have to convince my husband that east Allen is just as good.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by homehunter09

Thanks for the reply, DFW expert. I wonder why is that west Allen neighborhoods are considered more prestigious and have such a big disparity in housing price? I'm really tempted to go for a "bigger house for my money" but I'd have to convince my husband that east Allen is just as good.

Go FURTHER east towards Parker and your going to find a higher end home than what is on the west side.

The west side is only considered "more prestigious" by those that live there and drank the koolaid . The lots are smaller and houses are built on top of each other. Not something most consider "prestigious" by any means. Some areas to the east just happened to get bought up rather inexpensively by developers and they built on them. There is no magic line between the west side and east side that says one is better than the other.

[compSciGuy]

You get what you pay for ... The issue is do you want to pay for what is being offered? If it's just you and your husband, the difference may be negligible, but if you have kids, etc., the the difference is likely to be more pronounced. Personally there are many variables that may or may not mean anything to you, like golf courses, proximity to rail, shopping options, etc.

[homehunter09]

momof2dfw, yes, I agree with you on the artificial line between east and west. Some argue that west Allen has a lot more shopping and "happening" places but like my friend from east Allen says, it's only a 10 minute drive from her home to west Allen. Also, the house we are looking at is from Drees, which is not the highest end builder there is but its no DR horton either. My husband is really not pretencious, he is thinking more of a practical guy and thinking for eventual re-sale values, etc.

[homehunter09]

Originally Posted by compSciGuy

You get what you pay for ... The issue is do you want to pay for what is being offered? If it's just you and your husband, the difference may be negligible, but if you have kids, etc., the the difference is likely to be more pronounced. Personally there are many variables that may or may not mean anything to you, like golf courses, proximity to rail, shopping options, etc.

compSciGuy, that's a good point you make, the neighborhood in west Allen we're interested in does have trails, community pool and park, close to shopping areas and VERY close to 75. I suppose I'll just have to decide how much those perks are worth to me. To my husband, it's a no-brainer that those perks are worth the extra $$k, but to me I think "we are getting a smaller home" for our $.

[pepper131]

Where is this imaginary line in Allen? We have friends in Allen, but I don't have a clue if they live in East or West.

[scyogi]

The imaginary line is 75. It is odd because I know peeps on both sides and they are equally as nice. ;-)