How is the housing market now? (Dallas: new house, construction, living)

[NP78]

Originally Posted by Tex Luthor

Well of course the ridiculouslessness can go BOTH ways as far as wanting an old home or a new home. But we're not talking about people refusing to buy a home more than 5 years old here. This is a house built in the 1960s, which can make a HUGE difference. The funny part is the "old homes RULE, newer homes DROOL" crowd who wants to act like a home built in the 60s that is going for $400k-$500k wouldn't and shouldn't understandably give most home buyers pause in 2018/almost the 2020s. That means the house is almost SEVEN decades old. And we're not talking about a house that's multiple decades old in Highland Park or Preston Hollow. We're talking about a house that's multiple decades old in Richardson. So let's put our preferences for older homes and biases against newer homes aside and get real here...

..and Richardson is bad because? I don't live in Richardson or anything, but I don't think there is any magic pixie dust sprinkled on the 60 year old ranch home in Preston Hollow/North Dallas that makes it any different from the 60 year old home in Richardson. The land value will be higher of course, but that is all factored in the purchase price.

[NoClueWho]

Originally Posted by NP78

..and Richardson is bad because?

I never said Richardson is bad. You did. The point was a house that old in Richardson is not going to be as highly valued as one in a more expensive, more exclusice area like Highland Park or Preston Hollow that would obviously be more proned to warrant people paying high prices for a house that old. That's common sense. Nice try, though...

[TheOverdog]

60 year old ranch home in Preston Hollow/North Dallas that makes it any different from the 60 year old home in Richardson.

There are still a few normal ranch homes in University Park. Most of the larger houses are newer, but just designed to look old.

[turf3]

Maybe mockery and derision will help induce some people to re-think their standpoint that everything has to be brand shiny new all the time and reconsider the idea that a 20-30 year old house is practically a time bomb just minutes away from a total meltdown.

[Ralph_Kirk]

Originally Posted by turf3

Maybe mockery and derision will help induce some people to re-think their standpoint that everything has to be brand shiny new all the time and reconsider the idea that a 20-30 year old house is practically a time bomb just minutes away from a total meltdown.

Well, "brand shiny new" is what Dallas is all about.

[turf3]

Originally Posted by cordata

There is a huge difference betwee a 1940s bungalow with peeling lead paint and knob and tube wiring and a house built in 1985. The mocking and absurtity for the most part is directed towards people thinking that homes that are over 15 years old are some sort of disaster waiting to happen.

A 1940 house was not wired with knob and tube (except maybe some extremely weird outlier). It was the precursor to Romex (not sure of the correct name, but it's essentially a 2 conductor Romex but the sheath is a woven material).

[NP78]

Originally Posted by Tex Luthor

I never said Richardson is bad. You did. The point was a house that old in Richardson is not going to be as highly valued as one in a more expensive, more exclusice area like Highland Park or Preston Hollow that would obviously be more proned to warrant people paying high prices for a house that old. That's common sense. Nice try, though...

Obviously the purchase price will be higher in those areas for an equivalent home, regardless of the age. Nobody is saying that the 60 year old home in Richardson should be priced the same as one in Preston Hollow (that $500k home in Richardson becomes $900k in PH or $1.5M in UP/HP or whatever).

[turf3]

Originally Posted by Tex Luthor

...Most people are also not Do It Yourself types...

And if more people would take up a screwdriver and hammer now and then they might just find they have some more money than paying someone to do everything.

The human brain and hand haven't really changed much since the majority of Americans were farmers who fixed everything themselves. If you choose to be helpless in the fact of relatively simple repairs, that's your choice.

[tonie972]

Originally Posted by turf3

And if more people would take up a screwdriver and hammer now and then they might just find they have some more money than paying someone to do everything.

The human brain and hand haven't really changed much since the majority of Americans were farmers who fixed everything themselves. If you choose to be helpless in the fact of relatively simple repairs, that's your choice.

I hope you realize that not everyone is gifted.

Most old house plans are not attractive and the insulation is bad, those two reasons alone are enough for me to steer away from old houses. Not including bad wire for electricity.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by tonie972

I hope you realize that not everyone is gifted.

Most old house plans are not attractive and the insulation is bad, those two reasons alone are enough for me to steer away from old houses. Not including bad wire for electricity.

Enjoy your drive to the outer ring suburbs.