Stand alone home as opposed to a subdivision? (HOA, house)

[kayrob]

Is there any downside to purchasing a stand alone home as opposed to one within a subdivision? Maybe a question for the realtors on board or someone who has purchased a stand alone home.

[dncngrl1964]

Originally Posted by kayrob

Is there any downside to purchasing a stand alone home as opposed to one within a subdivision? Maybe a question for the realtors on board or someone who has purchased a stand alone home.

well I am a realtor....
but from a mom's point of view if you have children it is not only a safety because cars tend to drive slower in a subdivision and also their friends are easily accessed

make sure you get into a subdivision with a homeowners assoc. and covenants. it tends to keep resale values up when the people actually care about the appearance of the community

[kayrob]

Yes we have a 16 month old son. I'm actually asking because the most impressive house I've seen in out search up to this point may be the one that is not in a subdivision. But I would think that people would still not drive recklessly or fast if a stand alone were located on a quiet street anyway. I hear you on the HOA thing but on the other hand some of those fees are crazy. I can see if there's a pool, tennis, clubhouse etc. But many don't even have those things.

[backfist]

Subdivisions have their pro's and cons, but if you can find one that's somewhat new, with covenants that you can live with, you might find some good neighbors. And your son could have friends to play and grow with.

We've done the standalone home thing, and we've done the subdivision thing. Our kids are much happier in the subdivision. And what I wouldn't give for happy kids this day and age.

[irvm]

Originally Posted by kayrob

I hear you on the HOA thing but on the other hand some of those fees are crazy. I can see if there's a pool, tennis, clubhouse etc. But many don't even have those things.

HOA boards are invariably taken over by busybodies with too much time on their hands.
The result is they'll be telling you what color to paint your toenails, how many goldfish you can keep, and many other more important things. If you are the type who can actually think for herself, this may tend to annoy you.

[johnrex62]

It depends on you and your lifestyle. My family is not so much into the soccer leagues etc and prefers family time. My youngest is 17 and does not like to play outside much anymore.

We live in a rural "subdivision" on a 4.5 acre tract. Our nearest neighbors are on the other sides of their 10 and 25 acre tracts. My daughter has fun playing with the animals at home and her friends at school. My wife is more reclusive and tends to shun the "gossip fence" so she prefers not being in a populated neighborhood. She likes to be left alone when she goes outside to garden or watch the birds. I enjoy being able to walk through the woods on my place without having to worry about parking or walking up on someone on a path that would prefer not to be walked up on if you get my drift.

[K'ledgeBldr]

Generally, most would assume that a home in a subdivision with covenants would be the practical and financially responsible way to go. However, there are some "stand alone" homes that would garner the same result. The objective I presume is a suburban vs. rual feel. I've done both and my take was this- The rual feel was nice and quite and the rule of thumb was- "don't worry about minding your own business because somebody else is minding it for you". The suburban thing was like, I know one neighbor on one side, one across the street, and one that has kids that my kids know. True bedroom community- nobody knows anybody- and most don't want too. I think its called cocooning.