Huffines Communities - Providence or Savannah? (Dallas, Plano: foreclosures, HOA fees, crime)

[jolo]

We're relocating to Dallas, and in our search for a home we stumbled across two unique communities - Providence and Savannah. They have some really cute homes - that look like homes from the days of old - but with super amenities. Everything looks good online, but does anyone know of them? We plan to go scope things out in a couple of weeks, but want to know if it's worth it. Any direction would be helpful. Thanks.

[USA_Mom]

We had a neighbor that moved to Providence when it first opened. She seemed to love it, but the lots were SMALL and the houses were smaller than others in the same price range by builders similar to those. However, she's outdoors a lot with her kids so it probably was a good match.

[jcl_cls01]

Those places are very nice for the amenities like the pool, clubhouse, tennis courts, common areas, but you're not getting a lot of land for your house. The front and back yards are really, really small. Also, the houses are too close together. Try Paloma Creek (down the street) if you're interested in that area.

[FarNorthDallas]

Providence and Savannah are way out in the middle of nowhere. The lots are teeny tiny. Houses are very close to each other and close to the street. Tiny yards. The streets are very narrow. They are a lot of foreclosures out there. It's in the Denton school district and not all schools are nearby. High school is far away. I also heard taxes are high. Yes, the pools are spectacular and the houses affordable.

[lh_newbie]

I love the character of those neighborhoods - very neat house designs. But, as FarNorthDallas says, they are really in the middle of nowhere. But, if you have a job in the area - i can't see a reason why not.

Denton is one way on I-380 - McKinney is the other. Both have some neat areas near downtown with some cool, local restaurants with character. Don't plan to come into Dallas proper unless you want to spend ~90 minutes in non-rush hour traffic to get there though.

Hope this helps to make an informed decision.

Brian

[Lakewooder]

Who is going to pay to keep up all those 'amenities' when the developer leaves? What if someone is hurt on/at them and sues?

[GoPadge]

Oh the HOA fees will cover the "amenities".... It the cost that would scare me. That and the media room at Savannah that scares me. When we were looking for a home last fall, we looked out there. We stepped into the darkened media room in the club house and there were a group of a dozen teen/preteens all laid out on beanbags. I wouldn't be at all surprised if a far amount of hanky panky took place in the "common areas".

And did I mention it's way out there? It's further out than I'd want to commute to Plano, I'd hate to think of commuting into downtown.

[jolo]

Thanks for all the input. We figured it would be too good to be true. Originally we didn't want to live so far out, but after seeing those we were more than willing to do so. We had dismissed the idea of living in Dallas b/c it's hard to find an affordable home in a nice area. We love Lakewood, and the rehabbed Oak Cliff, but we can't afford one, and are so-so on the crime in the latter. So, out we are to the suburbs! Any suggestions?

[lh_newbie]

If you provide price range, minimum sq ft and where you will be working, we can give suggestions that are closer to the office. Also, keep in mind that if you have to drive 40-50 miles to work - you are effectively adding $200/month to your travel bill that you could allocate to a larger mortgage (that you'd get a tax deduction for... unlike with a fuel bill... and the mortgage wouldn't fluctuate like gas prices - not to mention the wear/tear/depreciation on your vehicle by commuting long distances).

For what it's worth, $200 per month is roughly equal to a 30-year loan @ 6.5% interest on $30,000.

[Lakewooder]

When some of these Plano and Frisco people say Savannah and such are far out - you know they are really out in the sticks.