Did Centex build better homes in the 90's? (Austin, West: real estate, houses)

[BlueSkies567]

We have found a beautiful home that appears to be well built and well taken care of by the previous owners. The agent/owners didn't know the builder, so I tried searching online. On the county appraisal district's public search, it shows that the original deed was with Centex Real Estate Corp. After doing some further searching, it does not appear that Centex has a good reputation for building quality homes. In fact, there seems to be quite a few complaints against them, although most of the complaints I saw were 2000 and later.

Does anyone know if perhaps Centex built better homes back in the 90's? I guess I am hoping that this might be the case. The house really does "appear" to be a higher end/quality home (well laid out, higher end finishes, crown molding, etc), and in really great shape considering its age... much better shape than some 10 year old homes we've looked at in Circle C.

The home is in the original Western Oaks subdivision (section III), built in 1994.

Thanks for any feedback!

[tanaMariehunt]

The Original Western Oaks Subdivision was built by JW Smith (JW Smith's Western Oaks) then there were other sections built that spread closer to Escarpment.... the Village of Western Oaks..... those could have been built by Centex. I think they had a much better Reputation in the 80s and 90s.

[DWinTX]

We had a house built in 1990 in the DFW area by Fox and Jacobs (a couple years before the Centex name change) and lived there for 18 years. Never had any trouble at all with the structure. That includes the foundation, which is a big problem up here with the expanding/contracting soils. Our neighbors, who are good friends, still live there and their house is now 24 years old with no major problems.

The only complaint I can remember is that the HVAC system was not laid out properly and the bedrooms stayed noticeably warmer in the summer than the rest of the house. The people who bought it from us had it reworked and it's fine now. House recently sold again for big bucks, it's in one of the top 5 or 6 school districts in DFW.

[marlinman]

We built a house with centx in 96 and had a very good experience and felt they did a good job. I have built 5 house since then and still think they did a good job. I bet what your reading is based on the building experience which can be very stressful. In reality all the houses no matter size or expense are built by the same crews. Quilty is depend on what crews they had, but if it looks good pay to have it inspected and if you still like it buy it.

[austin-steve]

Originally Posted by BlueSkies567

We have found a beautiful home that appears to be well built and well taken care of by the previous owners. The agent/owners didn't know the builder, so I tried searching online. On the county appraisal district's public search, it shows that the original deed was with Centex Real Estate Corp. After doing some further searching, it does not appear that Centex has a good reputation for building quality homes. In fact, there seems to be quite a few complaints against them, although most of the complaints I saw were 2000 and later.

Does anyone know if perhaps Centex built better homes back in the 90's? I guess I am hoping that this might be the case. The house really does "appear" to be a higher end/quality home (well laid out, higher end finishes, crown molding, etc), and in really great shape considering its age... much better shape than some 10 year old homes we've looked at in Circle C.

The home is in the original Western Oaks subdivision (section III), built in 1994.

Thanks for any feedback!

I would ignore the original builder completely. It's old enough that it no longer matters. Just get it inspected by a good inspector. All the surrounding homes were built to the same or similar quality, so yours isn't set apart or unique to any builder.

Steve

[BlueSkies567]

Thank you. I appreciate all of the replies.

What DWinTX and tanaMarie have both said, is making me feel better if Centex, was in fact, the builder, and I will heed others' advice about having a thorough inspection done.

I am now looking for a good inspector. : ) I post a separate question about that.

[hillcountryheart]

Something I've heard from several builders is that the materials available to build, especially wood, have steadily decreased in quality over the last 30 years or so due to worldwide demand increasing and lowering the standard somewhat to fill the orders.

[Raskolnikov]

Originally Posted by BlueSkies567

Thank you. I appreciate all of the replies.

What DWinTX and tanaMarie have both said, is making me feel better if Centex, was in fact, the builder, and I will heed others' advice about having a thorough inspection done.

I am now looking for a good inspector. : ) I post a separate question about that.

As Steve said (above), it's so long ago that it doesn't much matter.

Having said that, we have lived in a Centex house for 7+ years, in the Villages of Western Oaks, built in 2001. And we have had zero problems, it's a very well built house with a perfect floor plan. We had a thorough inspection done at the time, and I remember his comments to the effect that it was really well built.

Also, I cannot recommend the southwest Austin area (in general) and Western Oaks (specifically) enough. It's fantastic, great for families, and so close-in to downtown yet just far enough removed for my taste.