look at the areas they are in--
to me Clariden is out in the middle of nowhere--there is significant noise from planes making descent into DFW out that way--the area does not have any close grocery stores and the surface roads are not up to a lot of traffic -- mainly four-way stops and open drainage--that might change but Southlake likes to keep it simple and if they do rework roads/drainage there will be tax bill to pay...
there are some big homes in Clariden ranch though--Garabedian lives there--and Southlake schools are attractive and likely to continue to be so
Keller schools are more iffy than Southlake--taxes are about the same on homes of similar value--
there will be more million dollar homes in Clariden--which could be +/- because it could make your home's appreciation go up
Southern Hills has TREES on many of the lots and so does Clariden on the more expensive lots
while Shady Grove--which I think is the road that leads into Southern Hills is not that great--it is not far to Precinct Line or Davis and the 820 Loop--shopping in that area is more convenient to me--but people will say it is not that bad to get into Southlake from Clariden Ranch--but it is further
If you are going into Dallas to work--Clariden is probably a better choice--if you are going into FTW then Southern Hills makes more sense
IF you are working in Westlake/DFW area it is about even
IF you are looking at long time home-ownership I would vote for Southern Hills because it is a smaller neighborhood and to me would offer a real neighborhood feel VS Clariden which seems too big to really create a neighborhood feel--
I thought the Wright construction company started Southern Hills but not from info on Google--Wright is good builder as well
Partick Homes builds a good product--we have looked at several of the homes he has built that are older--and they hold their value--good trim and foundation work--nice eye for design--
STONEMILL HOMES is branch of Pierce Homes--family company--they have been around for years--but there have been some cases filed where there were foundation problems--you can google and check them out..
my suggestion to get unbiased reviews of the home buiders is to use tad.org--
go to former owners link
Real Estate Search by Prior Owner Name
and put in builders names--get list of people with houses they built that are 2-5 yrs old or older and get their phone numbers --look for homes original owners--if home has changed hands then people might not have much info about building process BUT they might still know if there are problems with foundation/plumbing/other issues
most people are listed--enough to get random sample--check that their house has about same sq ft that yours would --homes that vary too much in size don't have the same construction process and aren't fair comparison----and just tell them what you are doing--builders will provide list of owners but they are not likely to give you anyone who was a problem...
if people like their builder they are more than happy to give your good report and the same with problems--you need to have list of specific questions and not just say how did you like your builder--people are too vague if giving general question
things like what kind of problems after move in--and there will be some
how does builder resolve problems
do they have system of doing change orders--and they MUST or you will pay through the nose because most people want something changed during the process
how often is the actual BUILDER on site vs the foreman
do you have the builder's direct number or have to go through the office/foreman
how important is it to YOU--the buyer--that you do have contact with the builder beause most of them DON"T have contact with the buyers once they get the deal done--the on-site foreman and the subs are who you are more likely to see--builders do most of their talking to bankers and land developers and subs -- not owners
all builders want you to use arbitration instead of suing and most give an insurance policy after taking title to the property--ask each builder if HE honors his own warranty service or if he buys a policy and you deal with that ins company after the first 6 mo or year--that is important factor to me--most builders DON"T want to mess with a house after they have sold it and done the followups from the walk-through before closing--it just costs them money every time they have to go back to do repairs--but a GOOD builder wants to buld a good product--
Ask how long his subs have been with him--there is a real incestuous relationship with most builders and their subs--they feed off each other--so a builder that changes out subs from development to development has problems either paying subs or shopping for lower prices or picking quality people or attitude
Same with construction foremen and office staff--he might have had to add people to handle his growth but getting new people every 6mo to year is not a good reference--THEY run his company day to day and if they change there is lots of confusion and mixed quality--which are bad for YOU...
it might be worth it to YOU to have a third party inspector at different stages -- ask your builders what they think about that...
some builders build THEIR houses and sell to others--they don't like people asking questions and don't like people who want things done a certain way--very proprieterial--and some builders are very service oriented in that it is YOUR house they are building and they want to please you--either one can build a good house or a bad house--
you just need to decide which attitude works best for you
some builders really want a clean job site and some could care less what mess the subs make because they have to work in it--but one set of subs can make a mess for another set that causes problems with the build--so to me--a clean job site is better than messy any day of the week...
walk around a few and see what I mean
check out what the bulding codes are for cities--they are not all the same
what builder builds MORE than code because that is quality--I know one who does but he is not building in either subdivision---
you need a pier/beam foundation--especially if you are looking at house worth 700K or so--it is more expensive but it is just sign of better quality construction for re-sale
go to gardenweb.net and check out the new home construction forum--very informative
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Clariden Ranch (Southlake) vs. Southern Hills (Keller)
Clariden Ranch
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