Frisco - no more best place to live ? (Mesquite, Mustang: apartment, custom home)

[TheOverdog]

I'm not sure what maintenance there is that so many people are afraid of on a "used house."

Just because you've gotten lucky doesn't mean that home maintenance, some of which can be expensive and some of which can be really expensive as homes age isn't a real thing. Not only that, older houses might be too small or lack features that newer buyers want.

[El Chingaso]

Originally Posted by TheOverdog

Just because you've gotten lucky doesn't mean that home maintenance, some of which can be expensive and some of which can be really expensive as homes age isn't a real thing. Not only that, older houses might be too small or lack features that newer buyers want.

If you think maintenance costs exceed the equity and opportunity cost of a home in DFW, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.

[TheOverdog]

If you think maintenance costs exceed the equity and opportunity cost of a home in DFW, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.

Where did that come from? The answer very much depends on which part of DFW you live in.

[turf3]

Get a grip, folks, we're talking about Frisco here, where a "really old" house is 10 years old. Not 110.

Honestly, sometimes I think all these people just need to buy a tool kit and a copy of the "How to Fix Everything in the House" and it would be less trouble than the flailing about they do.

[escanlan]

Originally Posted by Bp25

Do you seriously think you can detect the cut corners during build process, just by visiting the site regularly? Theoretically possible, but it takes much more skill than "being a handyman to take care of 5 year old build" that someone mentioned above.

If someone does not want to become familiar with basic keepup of a house, they should not buy one - not in US at least. There are parts of the world where building are build for 100 years lifetime, but US homes are 27.5 years lifetime (per IRS).

ABSOLUTELY! Here is where you and I differ in opinions. Apparently you feel that someone that doesn't have decades worth of building experience is to stupid to determine if an issue exists in their new build as it is being built. I on the other hand hold the extreme opposite opinion. I feel that people are capable of so much more than even they may realize and the only way to find out is to try!


Over the years I have had clients, with no building background, contact me to discuss issues they find between inspections and in most all cases they were right on the money! One of my most memorable has been very recently a client WITH ABSOLUTELY NO BUILDING BACKGROUND became so involved with their build process they identified so many issues before I even hit the site for an inspection. That client will know their house inside and out and will better understand when issues arise after they move in, if the issues even arise since they watched it like a hawk!



Building is not a rocket science no matter what anyone wants to try claiming and people become amazingly adept if they become involved and just try!

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by TheOverdog

Just because you've gotten lucky doesn't mean that home maintenance, some of which can be expensive and some of which can be really expensive as homes age isn't a real thing. Not only that, older houses might be too small or lack features that newer buyers want.

My argument is not that my experience is indicative of all experiences. I prefaced my experience with a "fwiw," which means I'm not suggesting it is a rule.

My point is that "maintenance" that happens specifically for "used houses" mostly consists of calling a professional to replace a roof, water heater, hvac system, etc. Plumbing generally lasts decades -- I highly doubt there are significant plumbing issues on many twenty year old houses. The maintenance projects that most homeowners find themselves doing are things like mowing and landscaping, and that exists even for new houses.

[TheOverdog]

My point is that "maintenance" that happens specifically for "used houses" mostly consists of calling a professional to replace a roof, water heater, hvac system, etc.

What difference does that make? And it consists of calling multiple professionals, coordinating repairs, possibly planning time of from work, repairing/replacing everything the contractor didn't do, and writing a check generally larger than their monthly mortgage or the cost of their last vacation.


Don't you run some test prep company? The equally reductive description is parents just make a phone call.

[texstout]

Originally Posted by Friends4u

Ok.. thanks for the response. Schools are definitely a big criteria for us as we have two kids (11 and 9 years). Did not know that schools in Morrisville or Cary in NC are not as good as Frisco or Prosper area !

Thanks for the information.

Frisco is just a suburb of Dallas. Its popular because of lots of new build homes and good school system - but is just a huge suburb bucketed by other huge suburbs like Allen, Proper, McKinney, etc.


I wouldn't think anyone would ever consider moving across country to Frisco - just because of Frisco itself. They'd be moving to the DFW metroplex and then decide that Frisco is the right neighborhood for them.

[Capitalprophets]

Originally Posted by Wittgenstein's Ghost

My argument is not that my experience is indicative of all experiences. I prefaced my experience with a "fwiw," which means I'm not suggesting it is a rule.

My point is that "maintenance" that happens specifically for "used houses" mostly consists of calling a professional to replace a roof, water heater, hvac system, etc. Plumbing generally lasts decades -- I highly doubt there are significant plumbing issues on many twenty year old houses. The maintenance projects that most homeowners find themselves doing are things like mowing and landscaping, and that exists even for new houses.

Most people don’t check who built their old home when they bought it. In some cases, I’ve heard inspectors and realtors work together to sell an old property. Allot of inspectors just check the general overall integrity of the home but can’t check detailed things like whats inside the walls or whats coming up underneath the home. When was it ever good to buy used anything? Unless you’re collecting antiques. Used homes deteriorate faster with course of time. So many things go against buying a used home like the what if factor, appliances are old, its someone else's home you’re living in, home is most likely out of style, no warranty, you’re in for surprises. Buying a used home is like marrying a prostitute.

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by TheOverdog

What difference does that make? And it consists of calling multiple professionals, coordinating repairs, possibly planning time of from work, repairing/replacing everything the contractor didn't do, and writing a check generally larger than their monthly mortgage or the cost of their last vacation.


Don't you run some test prep company? The equally reductive description is parents just make a phone call.

I think you're missing my point. I'm not arguing that it's cheaper (which I think it is, in most cases). I'm arguing that you aren't going to have all of your weekends taken up. These are long-life issues. A new roof means you're set for 12-15 years, depending on hail. A new HVAC system means you're set for 15-20 years. In many cases, old houses have already had this stuff done recently.

My point is simply that the honey-do list often relates more to things like lawn care and landscaping, not having an old hvac system or similar. I really do think people who are strongly drawn to new houses are vastly overestimating the amount of maintenance time required on 10-35 year old houses.