Pls advice about Ryland Homes in Emerald Valley, Irving (lease, HOA)

[emailus]

Please share any experiences of living in Ryland Homes (Townhomes) at Emerald Valley. I know about the location pros & cons, but want to know about: 1) Any construction / warranty issues with the builder (Ryland)?
2) HOA (Is it really $150/month & if so, are they taking good care?)
3) Future Rentability Value (as townhomes don't have much resale value)
4) Any major problems you faced with sharing walls with neighbors
5) Schools - Major Factor (Any experiences or reviews about Bush Middle School & Ranchview High School)

Thanks in advance.

[Boss Lady Tee]

I moved into Emerald Valley in 2008. My town home was newly built. After about 3 years, they had to redo the foundation. I'm told that that's a common problem with Las Colinas area although I didn't know that at the time. It was redone with no cost to the homeowners and came with a lifetime warranty. The HOA is expensive but I knew that upfront. It was $450 a quarter. Right before I moved out, it went up to $520 or somewhere in there. I had a problem with that. I believe it was to help pay for the foundation issues. There's no pool to upkeep, no park to upkeep, the landscape is shrubbery only, no flowers, no color. There's no Christmas decorations during the holidays. I did complain about that but nothing changed. All other communities can afford to do that with smaller HOA dues. Then there's the fee for the Las Colinas Association. You do see Security patroling quite often. I rented my home out for a year before selling. I had a good tenant who was professional here on business, so I lucked out. I didn't want to chance it and end up with a deadbeat tenant so I sold it a year later, which was when his lease was up. I did not make any money from the sale; I broke even. While there, I did not here my neighbors at all. I can't speak on schools. I have no kids, so it was a non-factor. I really loved their floor plan with the upstairs kitchen and living area. Would love to find something along those lines now.