why shouldn't you buy a stucco house in ga?

[staywarm2]

Originally Posted by taranow

hi. we are moving to ga in july from ft.lauderdale. we will be buying in the alpharetta area. i've heard from some people to avoid stucco homes. why is that.

ABSOLUTELY avoid stucco houses. The synthetic stucco has MANY problems, including mold growing between the stucco and the exterior of the house. This was because of improper installation and drainage. There have been many problems that cost tens of thousands of $'s to repair these defects. I had a friend recently who managed to sell her stucco house but she had to spend $10,000 to fix a place in the chimney where there was moisture and mold. Even if you find a stucco house that has an inspection that says it is fine, DO NOT BUY it. Even if the home is fine, there is such a bad reputation about any stucco house in Atlanta that you either won't be able to sell it or will have to sell it for much less than a same size/quality brick or stone or wood house. In my neighborhood, stucco houses usually sell for $30,000 to $40,000 less than the similar brick ones.

[Cruikshl]

One relo company wanted to bore a hole clear through to get a cross section. I said no way and had the builder and the stucco company write letters to show it was real and how it was made and they made them sign papers. Now if I was never moving and retiring I would consider stucco and stone again because it is so beautiful.

[thxrover]

The most important aspect about "stucco" is education. Many buyers, real estate agents, john-q-publics have read horror stories about how stucco lowers values on homes and how "synthetic" vs. "real" stucco compares. If stucco was so bad why are some of the largest developers and most widely-know commercial architects specificying stucco on their projects? Just take a drive down Piedmont or over to Phipps Plaza or over to Perimeter Center, and even head down Peachtree in Buckhead. There are over half a dozen "stucco" projects under construction or near completion right now. Your best bet is gathering all of the facts and not getting information from rumors or elsewhere.

[staywarm2]

Originally Posted by thxrover

The most important aspect about "stucco" is education. Many buyers, real estate agents, john-q-publics have read horror stories about how stucco lowers values on homes and how "synthetic" vs. "real" stucco compares. If stucco was so bad why are some of the largest developers and most widely-know commercial architects specificying stucco on their projects? Just take a drive down Piedmont or over to Phipps Plaza or over to Perimeter Center, and even head down Peachtree in Buckhead. There are over half a dozen "stucco" projects under construction or near completion right now. Your best bet is gathering all of the facts and not getting information from rumors or elsewhere.

Taranow,
Search the stucco (EIFS) on the internet and you'll read plenty of horror stories, as well as scientific data. This is what I did when I moved here 5 yrs. ago. Even if you don't have problems with the stucco yourself, your resale price will be lower.

[thxrover]

Information will play a huge role in whether or not you are getting a fair deal or not. Because of the bad reputation stucco has there are plenty of quality stucco homes out there that have to be sold at a discount because of the bad, and oftentimes unfair, reputation stucco has. If you're the buyer get someone who truly KNOWS stucco and you may do yourself a huge favor and save yourself some real cash. If you're a seller, do the same. Get a letter or a stucco inspection that will at least address problems or even misunderstandings about stucco before the buyers even ask the question(s).

Someone posted this earlier, but if you're buying for the long term, a stucco home is just fine if you know what you're buying. If you are buying with the chance of having to move again soon, keep in mind the difficulty in potential resale efforts.

[thomassmith64]

Does stucco reduce the price of high-end luxury homes in Atlanta? I've seen several listed for $2mm - $6mm in Buckhead/Sandy Springs area. Clearly these must be the traditional, hard-coat stucco variety and not the synthetic EIFS stuff.

I'm wondering if anyone knows it the luxury home market has the same negative perception towards stucco. It would seem not.

[thxrover]

Originally Posted by thomassmith64

Does stucco reduce the price of high-end luxury homes in Atlanta? I've seen several listed for $2mm - $6mm in Buckhead/Sandy Springs area. Clearly these must be the traditional, hard-coat stucco variety and not the synthetic EIFS stuff.

I'm wondering if anyone knows it the luxury home market has the same negative perception towards stucco. It would seem not.

Depending on the age of the homes, they are probably traditional hardcoat stucco but EIFS is possible. Again, the EIFS system(s) are very good systems when applied correctly so if these houses have had no moisture problems and no termite problems then the value should not be negatively affected. Most of the loss in value comes in exactly what you stated, "perception."