Help: building new home in Frisco (Eldorado, Edgewood: lender, refrigerator, landscaping)

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

That area is most certainly Little Elm. Just google LE boundary maps. I would not trust a builder who lied about something so basic as what city the house is in.

I read somewhere that the last ISD boundary change was in the 1940s or 1950s. It takes a majority of both ISDs voting for it.

[iberanon]

Originally Posted by stephwin

None of those homes are remotely close to Frisco.

You have to buy your own land first then have them build on it.

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

Can anyone think of an example where this has happened? Maybe a lot by lot basis but anything wholescale ever?

I'm still intrigued by these independent school districts. Would like to know the history of them and how they were formed and who decided where the boundary lines would lie. Coming from Georgia, the closest thing to an ISD is a city run school system. The state of Georgia banned any city from establishing its own district around the time of integration in the late 60s, early 70s but cities that already had them were grandfathered in.


Thus, almost all school districts are run by the county. If a county does have one of these grandfathered city systems, the boundaries are contiguous with the city limits. So it was difficult to understand when I moved to Texas to see real estate ads claiming "McKinney City Limits, Prosper (or Frisco or Allen or Melissa) ISD!" Back in Cobb County GA, if you were in the Marietta city limits, you went to Marietta City Schools. If you were outside those limits, you were in Cobb County schools. If Marietta annexed any part of unincorporated Cobb, the boundary lines of the district would change with the city limits.


So who designed these ISD boundary lines? How long have they been in place? What existed before ISDs? Any link to a history of this?


Haha, think I'll start a thread in the general Texas forum since this is slightly off topic

[Rakin]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

So who designed these ISD boundary lines? How long have they been in place? What existed before ISDs? Any link to a history of this?

Think about it. 100 years ago when small towns like Coppell , Frisco, Keller, Mansfield were miles out in the country. If you lived in the country you needed to know where you went to school so school boundaries were set. The school boundaries existed way before the cities grew. (I recall when DFW Airport was built miles out in the country in the 70's)

So over the next 100 years the cities grew and took in more land. They did not grow according to the school boundaries.

That is the reason a fairly large city like Irving may have 3 school districts. The city grew into those districts.

And everyone lived happily ever after.

Also.... School Districts don't give up areas cause it means huge $$ in property taxes. You can join a district but you can never leave. Just ask cities like Flower Mound, Benbrook or Farmers Branch.

[calgirlinnc]

Originally Posted by Pmonkey

2. All said and done, the house is going to cost us 460-470K. About $145 per sqft. Since it would be a house we’ll live in for a long time, I wanted to get a new house so there’s less maintenance and it’ll be how I like it. The builder is giving us 34K at the design center. Does this look like a solid investment? I’m just worried about resale value.


5. Lastly, what would you guys suggest upgrading at the design center?

Sorry for all the questions. This is our first time building a house and I’m kind of nervous. It’s not our first house but since this is the house that will count, I want to make a solid investment. Thanks for your help!

You've already received a lot of great advice. But I would caution you against thinking that a new house equals "less maintenance." New houses built by corporate builders will often have shoddier construction standards and lower quality parts than a custom home built 20 years ago. Although it is true that you'll have new floors, new windows, new appliances and paint, etc., ALL of those things can be added to an existing home.
Also new homes often need more in terms of window coverings, landscaping, etc. However, I know some people who will only live in new construction.

Also it would be better to think in terms of 5 to 10 years, not 18 plus. Most design elements date after 10 years and need to be replaced or upgraded. It is impossible to know what your child's educational needs will be as they mature, or how your employment situation will change, or how other life situations will affect where you live.

Good luck.

[TeamLynn]

Great schools....but of course you can and probably will get rezoned between now and 12 years from now...
Who knows if we will even need school buildings 12 years from now. Maybe they all go to virtual school from home with VR systems.

Resale...don't buy new. Buy a resale. Much better deal. Buy new because you want to live in it, you like the features...but this is for your enjoyment, not for investment. Especially in this price range. Want to buy for investment...buy a $200,000 home in Frisco.

If you buy new, make sure you have a great realtor that will partner with you and visit the construction site with you every couple of weeks to help ensure you get a great build job and don't get railroaded by the builder. Every day it seems like on this site we see issues with buyers who get shafted by the builder. A realtor can't guarantee everything will be perfect with your build job, but a great realtor will get you a better built home.

Slim chance you ever get rezoned to Little Elm. Things can and do change, but it's been pretty rare since the lines were set years ago that ISDs want to give up students. I think that is the least of your worries. Lots of things are going to change in the next 12 years, so who knows if we even have schools then.

Meritage is typically a good middle of the road builder...probably not the best, but not the worst either. With almost every builder though, what matters is the construction manager and how slow or how busy they are and how many neighborhoods they manage. This you have no control over, except to have a great realtor who together with you will be on site often to help you keep an eye on the building process.

At the design center...get what you want if you will be in it for 20 years. It's expensive, but much less trouble than upgrading later on. If you have to pick and choose, do the things that are harder or more expensive to upgrade later.
Do things that add value, but don't overprice the home....probably no more than about 10-15% of the total purchase price. Likely no floorplan design changes....master bath, kitchen is the most bang for the buck....LED cans are probably good...harder to add/change later. Most other lights can be changed/upgraded later...carpet can be changed for wood later.

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by Rakin

Think about it. 100 years ago when small towns like Coppell , Frisco, Keller, Mansfield were miles out in the country. If you lived in the country you needed to know where you went to school so school boundaries were set. The school boundaries existed way before the cities grew. (I recall when DFW Airport was built miles out in the country in the 70's)

So over the next 100 years the cities grew and took in more land. They did not grow according to the school boundaries.

That is the reason a fairly large city like Irving may have 3 school districts. The city grew into those districts.

And everyone lived happily ever after.

Also.... School Districts don't give up areas cause it means huge $$ in property taxes. You can join a district but you can never leave. Just ask cities like Flower Mound, Benbrook or Farmers Branch.

I realize that these districts were lined out decades ago and that is why these suburbs don't line up with them now with their city limits. Just wondering why they fell the way they did even way back then. Who decided these boundary lines?


I am figuring why McKinney has so many other districts coming into its limits. Back in the day, McKinney was the only town of any size in Collin County so all the little rural towns were given larger districts to give them more students. Frisco and Prosper ISDs specifically come way into the McKinney limits, Prosper all the way to Lake Forest and 380. You are just a few blocks from Boyd HS there.

[tcualum]

Originally Posted by Pmonkey

Thanks for responding. I’ve shopped around for existing homes and for the area/house I like, I’m looking at 400K plus. More likely 430k and it won’t be exactly the way I’d like it. I’d have to do some remodeling along the way. This is one of the reasons why we decide to build. Since we’re planning this to be a 18+ years home, I guess I’m more worried about whether it’s a good location for future resale.

A lot can happen in 18 years. When we bought our home in '08 our area was red hot and the sellers got two offers during closing. This area was considered a very desirable one and homes sold quickly. Even though the area is just as nice as when we bought it's not as popular anymore and we're having trouble selling what we thought would be our forever home..

I was born in Dallas and have lived in the area all my life. During that time I've seen towns I've never heard of grow up overnight and fill almost instantly with homes as far as the eye can see. I've seen neighborhoods that were falling into disrepute become hot again. I've seen the economy around here go off a cliff and the home prices go over the cliff with it. There are no guarantees in life and planning over two decades is especially difficult.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Rakin

I have never ever seen a district rezoned unless it was due to consolidation of maybe 2 small districts into 1 larger. I've seen areas want to leave a school district to make a brand new one and it was shot down quickly.

Yeah...I haven't heard of boundaries moving but I've heard of districts being absorbed into other ones (like Seagoville and Wilmer-Hutchins being folded into DISD).

[stephwin]

Originally Posted by iberanon

You have to buy your own land first then have them build on it.

Buying a lot somewhere in Frisco to build on is incredibly expensive, assuming you can even find a lot in a neighborhood that you like, size you need, etc. It is possible, but I'm not sure OP has the budget for that.