The Farm? (real estate, how much, new home)

[s_colema]

We are moving from out of state. After looking around at so, so many houses, we are considering building a house in "The Farm" development. Any feedback negative or positive would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Mike from back east]

The Farm is a large development bounded by I-25 on the west, Voyager Pkwy on the east, Interquest Pkwy on the south and Middle Creek Pkwy on the north. It's new and has no track record to speak of.

The list of builders is a good one, especially Keller Homes. It is in D20, one of several excellent school districts. You are near enough to shopping, eats, movies, medical, etc.

Only drawback for me is the nearness to I-25; you will get highway noise 24/7 which would annoy me when trying to sleep with the windows open. The closer to that highway you are the noisier your life will be. Same for anything along Interquest Pkwy, Voyager Pkwy and Powers Blvd. I-25 and Powers are the noisier of the lot.

If this location is key to your work location, consider Pine Creek, which is 99% built out, no construction noise, dirt, dust, or litter to deal with. Pine Creek is an established large area with excellent homes, also in D20. When buying new homes you'll have to pay for numerous window treatments plus landscaping and other finishes; buying an existing home includes all those.

[Vision67]

We visited The Farm last Sunday.

My impressions:

- The lots are small. Most houses are about 10 feet apart and the back yards are maybe 30 feet deep. If you and your neighbors have dogs they will make a lot of noise barking at each other.

- The ponds in the area would worry me if I had small children. A pond can be an attractive nuisance to a 7 year old boy. I'd be concerned about young kids drowning or possibly being bitten by mosquitos.

- Are the water tables high? Potential for flooded basements?

- The Keller model had many extra features in preparation for the Parade of homes. That makes it hard to visualize a typical model.

- The nearness of both the rail road track and I-25 would make it noisy.

- I'm amazed at how much they cost ~$490K

Bottom Line: If I were actually looking to buy a house, I'd focus first on resales.

[DrDog]

Originally Posted by Vision67

We visited The Farm last Sunday.

My impressions:

- The lots are small. Most houses are about 10 feet apart and the back yards are maybe 30 feet deep. If you and your neighbors have dogs they will make a lot of noise barking at each other.

- The ponds in the area would worry me if I had small children. A pond can be an attractive nuisance to a 7 year old boy. I'd be concerned about young kids drowning or possibly being bitten by mosquitos.

- Are the water tables high? Potential for flooded basements?

- The Keller model had many extra features in preparation for the Parade of homes. That makes it hard to visualize a typical model.

- The nearness of both the rail road track and I-25 would make it noisy.

- I'm amazed at how much they cost ~$490K

Bottom Line: If I were actually looking to buy a house, I'd focus first on resales.

A rather negative opinion but it's your right to say.
Why would basements flood? Very few homes will be anywhere near the ponds.
Those lots might seem large to someone moving from out of state, or some people don't want the cost of maintenance of a large yard.
Don't know about noise, I would have to stand there and listen. Seems like a large part of the Springs is close to freeway and railroad.

[LHS79]

Originally Posted by Vision67

We visited The Farm last Sunday.

My impressions:

- The lots are small. Most houses are about 10 feet apart and the back yards are maybe 30 feet deep. If you and your neighbors have dogs they will make a lot of noise barking at each other.

- The ponds in the area would worry me if I had small children. A pond can be an attractive nuisance to a 7 year old boy. I'd be concerned about young kids drowning or possibly being bitten by mosquitos.

- Are the water tables high? Potential for flooded basements?

- The Keller model had many extra features in preparation for the Parade of homes. That makes it hard to visualize a typical model.

- The nearness of both the rail road track and I-25 would make it noisy.

- I'm amazed at how much they cost ~$490K

Bottom Line: If I were actually looking to buy a house, I'd focus first on resales.

10 feet of separation is pretty good from what I have seen in most new developments.


Lot's of room to really spread your wings!

[LHS79]

Originally Posted by Vision67

We visited The Farm last Sunday.

My impressions:

- The lots are small. Most houses are about 10 feet apart and the back yards are maybe 30 feet deep. If you and your neighbors have dogs they will make a lot of noise barking at each other.

- The ponds in the area would worry me if I had small children. A pond can be an attractive nuisance to a 7 year old boy. I'd be concerned about young kids drowning or possibly being bitten by mosquitos.

- Are the water tables high? Potential for flooded basements?

- The Keller model had many extra features in preparation for the Parade of homes. That makes it hard to visualize a typical model.

- The nearness of both the rail road track and I-25 would make it noisy.

- I'm amazed at how much they cost ~$490K

Bottom Line: If I were actually looking to buy a house, I'd focus first on resales.

And that same house will be $100K less on the "south side".

[Mike Ryan]

I took a client through the Farm a couple of weekends ago. The houses are indeed pretty close together and the lots are small. I was told this was by design, as the "lifestyle" they are trying to promote is one of an active outdoor community. The idea is that instead of playing in the yard you take your kids to play in one of the many parks, etc... I believe there will be quite a bit of open space as far as trails, ponds, parks, etc... that will offer numerous community events, concerts, nights at the fire pits, and things like that. That's what I took away from it anyway.

Sounds nice and like all new construction, it is a bit pricey up north. Always use caution when buying new, the costs add up quick.

[Vision67]

Originally Posted by Mike Ryan

I took a client through the Farm a couple of weekends ago. The houses are indeed pretty close together and the lots are small. I was told this was by design, as the "lifestyle" they are trying to promote is one of an active outdoor community. The idea is that instead of playing in the yard you take your kids to play in one of the many parks, etc... I believe there will be quite a bit of open space as far as trails, ponds, parks, etc... that will offer numerous community events, concerts, nights at the fire pits, and things like that. That's what I took away from it anyway.

Sounds nice and like all new construction, it is a bit pricey up north. Always use caution when buying new, the costs add up quick.

Small by design, about 7 houses per acre, simply to maximize profits. The rest is BS

As for potential flooding, look at a terrain map. Those lakes are in a flood plane. The water table is likely at the level of the lake. In a 100 year flood, things could get wet quickly.

As always, caveat emptor.

[DrDog]

Again, lot size depends on preference and what you are used to. When I lived in San Diego, my $750k home had 5' to neighbors house on one side and 0' on the other. (Yes, zero feet).

I looked at flood maps, they don't indicate water would get near many if any homes.

(I do not live at the farm, own any property there, and I'm not in the real estate business.)

[Kar54]

Originally Posted by Vision67

We visited The Farm last Sunday.

My impressions:

- The lots are small. Most houses are about 10 feet apart and the back yards are maybe 30 feet deep. If you and your neighbors have dogs they will make a lot of noise barking at each other.

- The ponds in the area would worry me if I had small children. A pond can be an attractive nuisance to a 7 year old boy. I'd be concerned about young kids drowning or possibly being bitten by mosquitos.

- Are the water tables high? Potential for flooded basements?

- The Keller model had many extra features in preparation for the Parade of homes. That makes it hard to visualize a typical model.

- The nearness of both the rail road track and I-25 would make it noisy.

- I'm amazed at how much they cost ~$490K

Bottom Line: If I were actually looking to buy a house, I'd focus first on resales.

Sometimes, to me anyway, it doesn't make sense. A few years ago, my brother and his wife bought a Keller home in the Flying Horse area. Almost $800k and he can touch his neighbor's house from his bathroom. No Thanks.