Foundation problems?--River Trails (Hurst, Frisco: for sale, real estate, rental)

[dtkids]

Does anyone know of any foundation problems with homes built in River Trails area? We're looking to purchase a home there, and are wondering about the Trinity River/flooding/foundation problems.

If you have any knowledge or can direct me to studies, I would appreciate it.

Thanks.

[loves2read]

you don't need flooding to give foundation problems--getting a plain "slab" foundation is hit or miss--with poor foundation construction, almost any house in this area can develop foundation problems...River Trails is a GemStar tract community of relatively inexpensive homes---it is possible that some of them could have started to have foundation problems...
you should Google some info on foundation problems in homes so that when you walk through a home you might notice some obvious signs--but people can do repair work that covers up some of the early signs--getting a quality home inspection from a structural engineer would be your best bet--they are more expensive but those guys know how to do more than just look at the brick for cracks...

I know that part of that area is low lying--not sure where the 50 and 100 yr flood plains are--you can contact the city of ft worth and ask about spring rains and what kind of damage might have been done...or try the north tx council of government--that site has maps that will show you the floodplain I think...
the roads s of there like Randol Mill can flood when rains are heavy--not much storm drainage...

[drjones96]

What L2R has said is dead on. Because just about every stinking house in the area is built on a slab every last one of them has the potential to have foundation issues. If you don't want to take that gamble then rent.

[texangelwings]

According to the (agent & broker) professor in the Real Estate Classes I took at Tarrant County college, "There is not a house in Texas that does not have a crack in the slab foundation." It has to do with the clay expanding and contracting, with amounts of water or lack of water and then there is the sand that allows the shifting.

The best solution is to prevent very many cracks, is to keep the foundation watered with a slow soaker hose, placed a foot from the foundation and watered only at night.

I lived West of Ft.Worth, for over 25 years and prior to that I lived in the HEB area since 1962. Cracking cement is normal. That is one reason why basements do not do well in Texas.

When purchasing a home, a disclosure form is required, when a seller sells their home. If their is a foundation problem it must be disclosed. There are companies that put supports in and jack the foundation up., most fix the problem with a guarantee.

Good luck!

[catman]

I have a house which is pier-and-beam, but it has a slab addition. I have had zero problems with the P&B, but the slab is trouble. I live in Ryan Place Addition, about three miles south of downtown. The ground is shifty, no doubt.

[SavvyCat]

I was hoping to find someone give you a more direct answer to your direct question about River Trails. I've been looking in the area, and I like the prices and the houses in that development. However, this is a suspiciously high number of homes for sale there. Today, there are 36 homes on the market which is a big red flag. I'm not an expert in anything, but I say DO NOT buy any home there unless you can get true and definitive answers as to why so many people seem to be evacuating.

[loves2read]

homes are for sale in River Trails not only because there might be foundation problems--and probably most of them are NOT because of that issue--having foundation problems and moving means that the people who own the house would have enough income to move and pay two notes if the first house does not sell--that is not the case with most people in River Trails--
probably some of those homes were bought as investment properties by people who hoped to flip them between the time they negotiated the contract and the first two years--did not happen because the market went south--
probably many of the homes for sale are either rental property that the owner is trying to move because 1) house is starting to need repairs which make the profit margin even thinner--2) owner has decided market will not get better within the next two years so might as well sell now and take the loss on tax return--3) people who bought 2-4 years ago have mortage that needs to refinance and the value of the home will not meet with what they need to refinance--so they will be in the hole and don't have the cash to come up with the difference--
if they bought home and it was financed at 100% of 130K and after 4 years--they still owe almost the entire 130K and the house will only appraise at 110K--that means they have to come up with 20K to get the 130 financing +plus costs+---which they don't have...
so they are trying to get out from under the house any way they can...

not a real estate agent--don't live there--don't know anyone who does--so take it for what it is worth---just make darn sure you want to buy a home there because if you do, you won't find it easy to sell it anytime in next 4-5 years--recession is coming --heck it is here if you work in mortgage banking or some other fields like retail....

just my speculation from living in the area and looking/litening to what is going on in housing in DFW for past 3-4 yers...

[hypocore]

River Trails is basically a stepping stone area for beginning families. I don't believe that there are tremendous foundation problems or investor problems that are behind the seemingly large number of houses for sale. Instead, my experience is that as families have grown larger and/or begun to have increases in income, they've simply moved to larger houses, sometimes still within River Trails.

I've known many many families who lived there, and many that still do. My older girls babysat regularly for many of the families and I've been in many of the homes there. They are fine starter homes with normal issues as far as I know.

I could name off numerous families who have moved out of there and every single one moved to a larger home, often times in a more exclusive neighborhood. A lawyer who became very well established moved to a larger, more expansive home in North Hurst. A corporate executive moved to Frisco after their third child to a $500,000 home. Another family simply moved to a larger house with more amenties within River Trails after their third child. A new development with larger homes and gated community drew another family out of River Trails, but it's still in the same general area. And so on. There are many families who moved in when the houses were built that still live in the same house as well.

Having said that, there are many second/third generation 'occupants' that moved in that are being hit with the same issue that the whole country is being hit with...the balloon mortgage...and that is behind many of the houses for sale at this time.

To learn more, simply pick a street with houses for sale and check TAD. You can see how long people have lived in the houses, if someone owns it but lives elsewhere, or if a banking entity owns the house. You can get some basic info there that will shed some light on it as well.

[loves2read]

that is a good suggestion for checking ownership--sorry if my post came off as personally negative about people who live in River Trails--but there are many subdivisions with construction done in past 5 years that have investor-owned homes going on the market...

[hypocore]

Originally Posted by loves2read

that is a good suggestion for checking ownership--sorry if my post came off as personally negative about people who live in River Trails--but there are many subdivisions with construction done in past 5 years that have investor-owned homes going on the market...

Maybe in the newer development north of Trinity Blvd since they are relatively new? Those I don't know all that much about.

River Trails itself is over 10 years old