Twin Lakes (KB Homes) - Feedback? (Cary, Apex: hardwood floors, countertops, townhouses)

[sandp07]

I am in the market for a new house and looking for a home in RTP area. I looked at Twin Lakes by KB Homes yesterday and looks like they have cut the home prices by $20K for 50th anniversary celebration. With the new price, the homes surely look attractive.

I am thinking of buying there. Any positive/negative points about KB in general and Twin Lakes in particular. Any pointer would be appreciated as I am relatively new to this area and don't have much background about Twin Lakes.

Other than the flight path issue, I couldn't point any other glaring negatives. I looked at a few model homes and could not hear flight noise even once when I was inside. I was there for about 2 hours (with almost one flight every min). Yes, outside the house is a different story. Would it be huge negative while selling in future?

[luvmyguys]

How is the quality? I know KB Homes has had some "issues". We looked there too but didn't really love the houses. Good luck

Originally Posted by sandp07

I am in the market for a new house and looking for a home in RTP area. I looked at Twin Lakes by KB Homes yesterday and looks like they have cut the home prices by $20K for 50th anniversary celebration. With the new price, the homes surely look attractive.

I am thinking of buying there. Any positive/negative points about KB in general and Twin Lakes in particular. Any pointer would be appreciated as I am relatively new to this area and don't have much background about Twin Lakes.

Other than the flight path issue, I couldn't point any other glaring negatives. I looked at a few model homes and could not hear flight noise even once when I was inside. I was there for about 2 hours (with almost one flight every min). Yes, outside the house is a different story. Would it be huge negative while selling in future?

[leighbhe]

The bottom line is what do you like? Did you like the neighborhood? Did you go in the homes that were not the models? The models definitely have a huge amount of upgrades, so take that into consideration. What types of lots are left in the neighborhood?

My only suspicion is that the homes there are not selling quite as quickly, I think, as they had hoped (they have often had "incentives" for buying). The real thing though, if you like it and would want to live there, then it is the place for you

Leigh

[KL001]

Originally Posted by sandp07

I am in the market for a new house and looking for a home in RTP area.

Whats your budget? What sort of property are you looking to buy and why? Do you want to make this a long-term home? investment? close proximity to your workplace? this is something we need to establish first.

I looked at Twin Lakes by KB Homes yesterday and looks like they have cut the home prices by $20K for 50th anniversary celebration. With the new price, the homes surely look attractive.

I fully agree with Leigh above. KB Homes (as a whole) has been in a bit of a slump recently. Think about it, if you were selling homes and demand was strong, would you lower the price on them? My hunch is no. They just want to sell more homes and make shareholders happy.

Any positive/negative points about KB

I have a friend who lives in the townhouses next to twin lakes - not sure if its the same developer but it only makes me more confident in what I wrote below.

This is not specifically about KB, because I think this is true about (most) of the mainstream building industry> Most of the developer built subdivisions are built really cheaply - both in material quality and the workmanship. So I advise against buying if you want to make this house a long term home. I work in the architecture/building field and I see these things everyday (both in construction and renovation).

Inefficient designs, squeaking floors/noisy doors/hairline cracks are the extent of problems you'll find in houses less than 10 years old. This is generally true for all the mega builders. After 10 years its a new ball game. You should get out now if you plan to be there for that long. For me however, its the little things that make up the big picture. I think that a home is more than hardwood floors and granite countertops. The joke is that most of the homes built by big developers (including KB) aren't even designed by real architects. KB has Martha designing - something I still don't understand. And why is KB building cape cod inspired houses here? North Carolina doesn't have and good architecture on its own?I have full confidence that you yourself would be able to design a home that is as good or better [since you know what your needs are]. Most people tend to accept these homes as the norm so they too often fail to see better alternatives.

in general and Twin Lakes in particular.

This is a very typical suburban development - see above.

don't have much background about Twin Lakes.

Twin Lakes used to be a collection of trees and farm fields with a lake. I used to go 4 wheeling there in the late 90's when in high school

Honestly, I don't know what will happen to Twin Lakes area in the future - its a real toss up IMO. On one hand, you have 540 coming through and more massive davis drive which will improve accessibility and increase traffic. On the other hand, the increased accessibility/traffic will place more pressure to develop the leftover land and destroy the qualities that make that area so attractive right now. Same thing has happened in Cary/Apex& etc. We moved here because the area had lots of trees/nature. Now that beauty is gone and a great majority of new development is gone too. Twin Lakes seems to be on the tail end of the wave that came through in the 90's. Where is the next hot spot for development? Perhaps someone else can chime in here. My vote is for downtown raleigh for sure. Then its a toss up between south raleigh and rtp.

Other than the flight path issue, I couldn't point any other glaring negatives. I looked at a few model homes and could not hear flight noise even once when I was inside. I was there for about 2 hours (with almost one flight every min). Yes, outside the house is a different story. Would it be huge negative while selling in future?

I grew up in Preston so I don't think the flight path is much of an issue. You kinda get used to it. Only flight I notice sometimes is the nightly 6:45 flight to London. Its a Boeing 777 so it has a very distinctive engine hum; its fun when it passes over the house (a real plus if you have kids). else it all becomes white noise. This is in Preston so it might be different in Twin Lakes where you're directly below the flight path. I'm sure you'll get used it. Your concern about this becoming a selling issue - you answered your own question. You're obviously concerned about it, so it is a negative issue.

I vote:
Short-term buy - yes, with reservations
Long-term buy - no

[grifter]

I would be very leary about the reason for the incentive. Its not likely that they lowered prices to celebrate an anniversary.

Also, KB Homes has one of the worst reputations in the country. Not sure how it is in NC, but in FL and TX there are entire neighborhoods protesting. There used to be a few websites set up just to complain about KB Homes, but they have recently disappeared.

[urbywan]

Go with a local custom builder! You can find them all over the triangle. I would stay away from the national builders. Heck we had a Toll Brothers home in NJ and sure the roof was built with great truss system, but everything else was garbage, leaky windows, rotton wood frames after 5 years and at year ten it needed bigtime work, however we got lucky and sold the place!

I watched my builder and his sub contractors work down here in Fuquay, A tremendous house. Built to last. Local custom guy who builds upwards of 1.6 million dollar places down here. Beautiful stuff. He uses similar designs on his 350K homes. I just love the southern charm built into my home. Brick etc.

[ja777]

I just bought in Twin Lakes and I didn't get a $20K incentive, only $7K for the lot and they wouldn't budge on anything else. I'm curious what the offer was.

[VickiR]

Originally Posted by ja777

I just bought in Twin Lakes and I didn't get a $20K incentive, only $7K for the lot and they wouldn't budge on anything else. I'm curious what the offer was.

I'm more than a bit annoyed at KB Homes and Twin Lakes.

I took clients out there last year and we got an inventory home. It was WAY overpriced and we got a great deal on it.

Last month, I took more clients out there. They wanted to do a pre sale. KB Homes offered us very little. After a couple of hours and listening to the planes going over CONSTANTLY, we just gave up. Next weekend, we went back and asked for $3500 for the covered porch and they said no. I took my clients elsewhere!

Last weekend, onsite agent called me to tell me that they are offering $20,000 off the base price for their "anniversary"! I was very unhappy since they wouldn't give my clients $3500 off but now they are offering $20,000 off? I really do not like the way they do business but if I have clients that want KB, I just give my 2 cents worth and they still choose the house THEY like!!!

Now, if my clients HAD bought and NOW they were offering $20,000 off, I'd be even madder!!! "Things have a way of working out as they should"

Vicki

[toffee]

I had done lot of research 5 months ago on Twin Lakes when I was looking
for home and finally decided big 'NO'. Have u looked at any of their
inventory homes or just the model? I don't know even a single positive
about KB Twin Lakes other than 20k you are getting now.

worst flight path - I'm surprised that you can't hear noise from inside
house. Did KB switch on their built in surround system inside the home?
It is only going to get worse after 3rd runway starts!

huge discounts on their inventory homes (up to 60k). Ask your realtor
for details.

quality is not better than any builder around. lots of upgrades. Ask
if they give u the upgrade prices before contract?

no trees. homes are too close if you are looking for bigger plan.

they never had price increase after they opened the community. they
keep giving discounts. I don't know of at least one builder in that
area who has not increased the prices for 18 months since they
opened the community.

you cannot sell your home in first 18 months.

[LindaGlover]

All these builders need to have a model with all the upgrades and the same home with no upgrades. They need to show the homebuyer what they will actually get when they advertise, "starting at $$$," not $60K more. It is too hard for a homebuyer to imagine what the home will actually look like when they reduce the upgrades because they only have the upgrade vision in their mind.
"Bait & Switch" is a tactic that sooner or later catches up with those who do it.