Help of picking up a my first home (St. Paul, Eagan: real estate, apartment) - Minnesota (MN) - City-Data Forum

xingyan · 01-21-2007, 11:12 AM

Hi

I am thinking to buy a townhome or house around 200k in south or west suburb of the twin cities. I don't have kids so school district is not my major concern, however it might be easier to sell the house if it is in a good school dist. My price range is around 200k and I don't like really bad traffic. By the way, I worked in St. Paul near Fort Snelling. A little bit drive (within 30min wo/ traffic) is ok. My major concern is the resell value or appreciation potential of the house.

Currently, I am thinking about Eagan and Rosemount. Eagan is close to work. Rosemount has some nice new constructions (by Rottlund). I was thinking Woodbury and Apple Valley too, but they seem to have bad traffic from what I've heard.

I am not very familiar of the area, so I am hoping I can get some useful feedback here. Specifically, I would like to know the development future of these cities and which neiborhood/part of that city is good. Thanks a lot!!

sarahrose · 01-21-2007, 11:53 AM

Check out the condos/flats in the downtown st paul area.....most are within the 2ooK range and are close to freeways and lots of dining. Alot of those southern suburbs you mentioned have major traffic issues.......35E is a killer.

golfgal · 01-21-2007, 02:41 PM

Actually, Rosemount would be a good choice, a quick hop up Cedar to 494 and 15-20 minutes to work. There are several town houses going up in Rosemount now so with the buyer's market you are looking at a great time. Woodbury would be a longer drive because of traffic then Apple Valley or Rosemount at this point. Inver Grove Heights would be another good option because you don't have to cross the bridge either way so traffic is minimal. Your commute to work would be under 10 minutes.

Robert P Stewart · 01-21-2007, 03:48 PM

This past year, I sold a few townhomes in Eagan and Rosemount. And from my experience, your dollar will go much further in Rosemount.

I don't know of many townhomes in Eagan around the 200K mark that I would consider nice, or that I would expect to appreciate well.

In the 180K-200K range, there are currently 5 townhomes available in Eagan and 21 available in Rosemount. I'm aware of building developments that will be breaking ground in these two areas over the next year as well.

And as with all new townhomes, some builders are good and some are not-so-good. Let us know what you find and I'm sure folks here will have input.

Take care and welcome to my favorite state!

Robert

xingyan · 01-22-2007, 11:31 AM

Thanks for all the reply above!!! They are really helpful.

To work, I think I should be able to avoid 35E if diving from the south to work. So from golfgal and Robert, Rosemount seems to be a better choice for my budget. I searched a bit on-line and I am interested in Centex and Rottlund's new constructions. They both offer townhomes from 189k or so. Any comments on these two builders? One thing I am not sure is whether the area of the new construction is a good one (convenient (shoppings/highway close by)? safe? nice?). Centex one is at 13776 Atwood Avenue and Rottlund is in 13601 Brick Path in Rosemount. Anyone here know about these areas?

One more question for Robert, is there any difference in terms of appreciation between new and existing townhomes?

Thanks again!!!

sarahrose · 01-22-2007, 12:32 PM

As a former owner of a Centex home I can give some input on this one. They are quick build homes that are cheap, cheap meaning they are not built as well as some of the other builders, but I know they have improved over the last 5 years or so. Rottland is another popular MN builder that does alot of townhome communities, and single family..........I've heard their construction is very good, however we have never owned one, but have friends that do. You might want to check into how much the monthly maintinence fee is also....some of the areas can run into the 200+ range per month in addition to your mortgage, it usually includes trash, and general maintinence(like snow removal and such). Sometimes you can even find really good deals on a new townhome that will pay for the first years maintinence fees on top of giving big discounts for buying new with a particular builder. Good luck to you!!

xingyan · 01-22-2007, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarahrose

As a former owner of a Centex home I can give some input on this one. They are quick build homes that are cheap, cheap meaning they are not built as well as some of the other builders, but I know they have improved over the last 5 years or so.\D

Sarahrose, thank you so much for your reply!!

Would you mind describing a bit more about Centex's construction? for which part you are not satisfied about them? insulation? window? or thin wall so you can hear your neighbour talking on the phone? Sorry, I always live in apartment and don't know what to look at when it comes to a house.

Thanks!!

golfgal · 01-22-2007, 08:19 PM

I am pretty familiar with the developments you are looking at and as far as Rosemount goes, nothing is really inconvienent, the town just isn't that spread out. One thing about being over in those developments is that the railroad tracks run along one side of those areas so that could be an issue if you are in a hurry.

We looked at some of the Centex models when we were looking for a home and I wasn't all that impressed with their construction. One thing with the way they price their homes is that they use bare minimums for carpeting, cabinetry, ceiling heights, etc. Even their garage door openings are low. You pay extra for every change you want. I personally think there are better options for townhomes in Rosemount then Centex. As for Rottlund homes, my DH's uncle worked for them for many years and told us NEVER buy a Rottlund home (he was a real estate agent for them). That tells me enough right there.

There are some nice townhomes in and around Shannon Parkway/Diamond Path area in Rosemount and I would consider those, if there are any available, before I would buy over in the Centex/Rottlund development.

Robert P Stewart · 01-22-2007, 09:50 PM

I've sold both Rottlund and Centex is Rosemount, and the construction isn't bad for the low $200K's. People seem to expect Charles Cudd on a MW Johnson budget.

I've been following up with past clients for years - and one of the questions I always ask is how their home is holding up. I've heard nothing bad about either Centex or Rottlund for a long time - and in my experience, both builders will fix problems as they arise.

I'm familiar with both of the properties you mentioned, Xingyan - I believe that I've been in both of them.

Good luck with your search - you'll never run out of opinions here!

Robert

sarahrose · 01-23-2007, 07:26 AM

Just as someone else stated...cheap carpet, thin walls.............we actually had a foundation crack the first 4 years...it was HUGE, thankfully they fixed it. You get what you pay for, it was our first home, and it was cheap, in every aspect. Like I said before, I have heard that the construction has improved, but I have no personal evidence of that.