Katy-Cinco Ranch SW Close to Westheimer Lakes North (Woodcreek, Vega: HOA fees, home builders)

[venugtk]

Hi,

We have decided to buy a home from David Weekly in the cinco ranch south west area in the section 24 which is close to the Westheimer lakes north subdivision. I was looking online and i found that the homes in WLN are far low for a similar size home when compared to the one i am buying in Cinco South West. Why is such a huge difference in the price even though the two subdivisions are right next to each other? I would appreciate any insight.

Regards,

Venu.

[sbhubbell]

I don't know that much about Westheimer Lakes, but you should look at what schools each house is zoned to, that can make some difference. Cinco has a long established great reputation and far more amenities than Westheimer. Also are you looking at the same builder? Different upgrades? Upgrades can make a big difference too. Lot size? There are many things that could be the difference.

[descovy]

They will be building a new elem school to open next fall ('09) at Cinco Terrace and Fry. While nothing is for sure in school rezonings it is highly likely that both Cinco SW and Westheimer Lakes North will go to that school. Currently Cinco SW goes to Griffin and Westheimer Lakes North goes to Woodcreek.

The houses in Westheimer Lakes are smaller, I think topping out at 2600 sq ft, so probably smaller lots. I live in the "Sedonas" in Cinco SW where the lots are 55-65ft frontage.

Personally, I haven't been impressed with Westheimer Lakes North. I "think" the lots are smaller, and when driving through a lot of cars parked in the street. And the HOA fees are comperable to Cinco, but don't even come close to matching ammenities.

Cinco has a solid reputation. It's where a lot relo-s and expats look to buy, as a no-brainer. I think that will bode you well in resale. As I see Westheimer Lakes North finish up, it just isn't all that impressive.

Speaking of schools, if you are going to move out here, *expect* school rezoning. It is building and changing rapidly. You can't expect to K-12 in the same schools your builder "promised" Trust me, as I sat on the rezoning board for Griffin last year, ran accross a lot of people complaining about boundries over what their builder "promised" them. The builders do not control the school district... and thank God for that!!

[descovy]

Also, someone correct me if I am wrong, but David Weekley is NOT in Westheimer Lakes North. DR Horton and Westin for sure are, maybe someone else. In either case, David Weekly has a better reputation than DR Horton & Westin. I mean a house can be 2500 sq ft made by KB, or 2500 sq ft by Villiage builders. Both are the same size but vary vastly in quality, reputation and price. So be sure you are comparing apples to apples, not apples to lemons

[JoMac]

Originally Posted by descovy

Also, someone correct me if I am wrong, but David Weekley is NOT in Westheimer Lakes North. DR Horton and Westin for sure are, maybe someone else. In either case, David Weekly has a better reputation than DR Horton & Westin. I mean a house can be 2500 sq ft made by KB, or 2500 sq ft by Villiage builders. Both are the same size but vary vastly in quality, reputation and price. So be sure you are comparing apples to apples, not apples to lemons

You are correct. David Weekly is not in Westheimer Lakes North.
DR Horton, Westin, Meritage, and Chesmar are the builders currently building. I actually live in WLN, and have been very pleased with the neighborhood. It is true that some of the DR Horton homes are on the cheaper side. But the Westin/Meritage homes, in my opinion are comparable to the homes in Cinco, and for a much cheaper price.
When we purchased our home, we look all through Cinco, and just felt like we got much more for our $ in WLN.
Correct me if I am wrong, although Cinco does in fact provide a long list of amenities, a lot of what you pay for in Cinco is the name and prestige of the community.

[househunter2008]

I looked at this section and dropped the idea of building home there.

I didn't like the fact that one has to pay a premium to live in cinco and you don't really see any distinction between a cinco home and Westheimer Lakes home in that section. They all appear to be in the same community - houses share the same fence and even streets from this section go into Westheimer lakes section.

[inspector80]

Originally Posted by venugtk

Hi,

We have decided to buy a home from David Weekly in the cinco ranch south west area in the section 24 which is close to the Westheimer lakes north subdivision. I was looking online and i found that the homes in WLN are far low for a similar size home when compared to the one i am buying in Cinco South West. Why is such a huge difference in the price even though the two subdivisions are right next to each other? I would appreciate any insight.

Regards,

Venu.

The price difference comes from the developer and the home builder jacking up the lot premiums because of the location's rep and the ammenities it offers. Other than the ammenities that CR offers there is no difference, except for certian home builders are only in each of the communities. I have a realtor friend that had actually talked to someone in Westin Homes to try and find out if they were going to build in CR and they told her no becasue they felt that they could give the homeowner a better home at a lower price in WLN. Be that what it may, my research has shown that the lot sizes are from 45-70 ft (up to 85 in CR)with 2400 - 4000+ sq ft in both communities, same school district, heck...the communities even connect ! The diferences...higher mud in CR, higher tax rate in CR, higher lot prices in CR. I did a comparison of a 3600 sq ft Westin Home in WLN and a comparable David Weekly home in CR. I told them both the exact same upgrades I wanted and here are the prices I got....

Westin Homes 264,000
David Weekly 339,000

Heck, I could have got a 4296 sq ft westin home with $60,000 dollars in upgrades and still been less than the david weekly home, and paid less mud, and paid less taxes, ect.

[cla]

I looked at WLN a couple of years ago, but decided not to buy there for several reasons, one being that I didn't know what WLNs reputation would be like if I sold my home 5 years down the line. And I didn't know how easy it would be to sell if I did decide. From this forum and others, I have learned that Cinco Ranch is easy to sell.

Also, the floor plans that I looked at in WLN then are selling for a lot less today, indicating to me that I made the right decision. CR homes have at least held their value since then.

But if you think you are going to live in a home for a very long time, then you don't need to be worried about resale value as much - you know that where ever you buy, 10 or 20 years from now, you will be able to sell for more than you paid.

[househunter2008]

Can somebody tell me about the property tax in Cinco SW? I believe it is around 3.6 right now. I heard that may go down. Is that true?

Also, when Cinco ranch closes in 3-5 years, what tax rate can one expect?

[KerrTown]

When my mom bought our house 5 years ago, I told her I wanted to live in Cinco Ranch instead of Grand Lakes. The agent (who is now my broker) tried to sell her listing in Grand Lakes to us. I chose Cinco Ranch because of the name recognition and the size of the development. Grand Lakes is not as well known and much smaller.

I liken it to choosing L.A. over Las Vegas. Would you rather live in the world-class city or in the much, much smaller tourist trap in the middle of the desert far inland from the moderating winds of the cold Pacific waters?