buying older KB Home? (Houston, San Antonio: 2009, new home, neighborhoods)

[kevinm030]

Indian Springs, it's outside 1604 between 281 and 35.
The current price ranges are 191,000-221,000.

Originally Posted by banker

What price range were you shopping? What neighborhoods did you look at?

[mrstxcop]

our first house we bought was a brand new built kb home --- in 1997 --- we sold this past june/july --- we purchased for 89k and we sold for 154,900 --- we owned it for 11yrs and honestly, it never gave us any problems --- no foundation issues, no a/c issues, no water heater issues, no window issues, nothing --- it passed inspection with flying colors ---

our kb neighborhood was a very small one with only 1 entry in and out --- most the homes were well maintained by the owners and the homes in the neighborhood tend to sell rather quickly --- about 4-5 yrs ago the homes were only lasting about 4-5 days on market --- ours sat on the market for 30 days ---

i think what kevin said is spot on --- the maintanence of the home plays a large part --- yes, kb does get dumped on quite a bit, but not ALL the homes they built were bad --- ours certainly was not...good luck in your decision...

[SA Greed]

We built our KB home about 9 years ago and could not be more happier. I wanted a house that was going to be all brick and the other communities (DrHorton, Pulte, etc) did not allow all the way around brick. I understand hardy-plank is considered masonry but it still looks like siding to me!! We went with the oversized yard and covered patio that matches the house and the house today looks as if it was just built. Nieghborhood is okay because it is small but some of the houses (siding, wood) are starting to show their age. When we were building the home, we got with the site manager and asked when the sheetrock was going up so my brothers and I could insulate the whole interior walls and install surround sound. He was fine with it as long as I knew if the deal didn't go through I would lose out. Now that we are looking at raising a family, we are looking at either KB by Citibank because they offer 9' ceilings as an option and of course, all brick around, or maybe Highlands in Bella Vista.

BTW, we were here every day after work as they were building it so that may be a part of it.

[Steel Man]

I believe KB homes fare better when they are built in a subdivision with other builders. For example, I live in a KB home in Westcreek and our HOA made KB build to a higher standard, such as all brick or siding. After 10 years, our neighborhood still looks good as people take care of the houses.

[sandrads]

Rayco did some homes in the late 80s & early 90s that were "signature" homes & not the boxes more people associate with Rayco/KB. These houses had standard items that were normally upgrades.

Also many of the siding issues you see on the older Rayco/KB houses is due to the Louisiana Pacific siding failing. There was a class action lawsuit against the siding company a few years ago.

[banker]

Do you know what neighborhoods these "signature" homes were built in?

[Montirob]

Originally Posted by banker

Do you know what neighborhoods these "signature" homes were built in?

I believe Eden Roc was one, and there was another one off of Braun and 1604 (not "Oak Grove", but across the street).

I thought they looked very nice back then - 2 story living spaces, "Jacuzzi" tubs, stucco and real wood siding, etc. They looked very similar to what was being offered in California at the time. Think of them as the ancestor to your home, Banker... not quite as nice as yours, but more related than the "Classic" and "Hallmark" lines that came immediately afterward.

[Rasero]

Well, my wife and I bought a new KB home in NW San Antonio and have now been in it for 2 years. There is only one entrance to this neighborhood. Since we were the first ones here, we live in a cul-de-sac in the corner. We haven't had any issues with the house yet (I've kept up with all of the maintenance), and I've been quite impressed with the customer service we've received.

BUT! This is our first home. What bugs me about this neighborhood is all of the first-time home owners. As previous posts mention, they tend to not keep up with maintaining their new homes. I'm surprised at how many people don't give a darn about how their yards look (especially their backyards, where the HOA person can't see), or about changing their air filters, etc. Even though the HOA has slapped some of them with hefty fines, they continue to let weeds grow in their yards. It's frustrating for me as a homeowner who wants his property to appreciate and be able to see nice yards on evening walks. I'd say about 30% of the neighbors don't do enough work on their yards.

That's the major downside. Maybe it's not that KB is a crappy builder, but that the first time home owners are lousy at maintaining their investment and let it fall to pieces. We like our home and as I've said, I haven't had any issues at all... but for my 2nd home I probably will not be going to a KB neighborhood. My house is worth about $20K more now, so hopefully when the market gets better I can sell or rent this one out and move to a more properly maintained neighborhood.

[banker]

Originally Posted by Rasero

Well, my wife and I bought a new KB home in NW San Antonio and have now been in it for 2 years. There is only one entrance to this neighborhood. Since we were the first ones here, we live in a cul-de-sac in the corner. We haven't had any issues with the house yet (I've kept up with all of the maintenance), and I've been quite impressed with the customer service we've received.

BUT! This is our first home. What bugs me about this neighborhood is all of the first-time home owners. As previous posts mention, they tend to not keep up with maintaining their new homes. I'm surprised at how many people don't give a darn about how their yards look (especially their backyards, where the HOA person can't see), or about changing their air filters, etc. Even though the HOA has slapped some of them with hefty fines, they continue to let weeds grow in their yards. It's frustrating for me as a homeowner who wants his property to appreciate and be able to see nice yards on evening walks. I'd say about 30% of the neighbors don't do enough work on their yards.

That's the major downside. Maybe it's not that KB is a crappy builder, but that the first time home owners are lousy at maintaining their investment and let it fall to pieces. We like our home and as I've said, I haven't had any issues at all... but for my 2nd home I probably will not be going to a KB neighborhood. My house is worth about $20K more now, so hopefully when the market gets better I can sell or rent this one out and move to a more properly maintained neighborhood.

For my second home I bought a KB home - in The Quarry at Iron Mountain - and despite the fact that the neighborhood is over two years old - we have none of the issues you described. We specifically avoided neighborhoods that would attract first time home owners. The oldest house in the neighborhood still looks brand new!

What community did you build in?

[Rasero]

The neighborhood is Cambridge, just inside Loop 1604.

As HOA has cracked down on some of the homeowners who don't keep up with their yards, the neighborhood has looked a little nicer. But I don't think the HOA is doing a good enough job. My view is that if people don't keep their yards nice, the HOA should contract someone to do it and then send the homeowner a bill. Also, a lot of people haven't even bothered to stain or paint their fences. A lot of homes' fences are now turning gray and ugly because of this.

As I said, I don't think it's a builder issue, but rather a homeowner issue. I would probably buy another KB Home, depending on how the neighborhood looked. The problem with ours was that we were one of the first ones in the place so we had nothing to go off of; once it was entirely finished, then the issues began.

Good to hear your neighborhood has not had any issues.