Are these features a big negative for a home in Dallas? (McKinney: fit in, foreclosures)

[DallasChoices]

[SIZE=2]I would like your input/experience about whether the features below in a home are big negatives for the dallas area (north dallas) or whether they are no big deal. Just in terms of re-sale value for a home priced at around 400K. Would YOU buy a home with the below features and why or why not?


- is it a huge negative if the secondary bedrooms do not have walk-in closets? They have regular closets. There is lots of storage in the home otherwise
- the secondary bedrooms are somewhat close to master. No shared walls though. This is a plus for us being a young family, but we are wondering if this is viewed as a negative for dallas market.
- no walk in pantry, only butler pantry. But lots of storage in utility close by and lots of storage in other areas of home.
- On the plus side, the home is over 4000 sq fit in size and has a great backyard with nice views and in a good school district.
We like a lot of things about it.


What would be a major deal-breaker in a home for you for the north dallas area? We know that the number one rule in realestate is always location. What else is very important to consider? (in terms of layout, features, and anything else, in a home at that price range?)
thanks for your input!!

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[momof2dfw]

- is it a huge negative if the secondary bedrooms do not have walk-in closets? They have regular closets. There is lots of storage in the home otherwise

How old is the house? Most newer homes in that range usually have walk in closets in all bedrooms. How about linen closets? Near or in the bathrooms? Hall closets?

- the secondary bedrooms are somewhat close to master. No shared walls though. This is a plus for us being a young family, but we are wondering if this is viewed as a negative for dallas market.

More importantly - is this a 1 story or 2 story? If it is a 2 story is the master bedroom upstairs or down? Here in this market a deal breaker/killer is a master upstairs. Those don't sell well at all and will stay on the market thru several huge price reductions.

- no walk in pantry, only butler pantry. But lots of storage in utility close by and lots of storage in other areas of home.

Is there a regular pantry just not a "walk in"? Or is the butlers pantry the only storage area for food other than your kitchen cabinets? With a 400K house that is 4000 sq feet - It SHOULD have a pantry. Not just a "butlers pantry".

- On the plus side, the home is over 4000 sq fit in size and has a great backyard with nice views and in a good school district.
We like a lot of things about it.

Is it "quality" 4000 sq ft or just a big box? The builder will also make or break the resale of a house. Some builders just are not known for quality no matter how big or the "fluff" they put on it. It can be BIG and "cheap" with lots of "fluff" that really doesn't amount to anything. Or it can be a wee bit smaller w/ a quality builder and all of the RIGHT details and do much better when it comes to resale.

[ufcrules1]

I would never get a 4k square foot home unless I had a real big family. Welcome to high electricity bills!
Also, no normal pantry in a 400k house? Thats a negative.

The extra bedrooms not having walkin closets are not a big deal IMO. All of ours do (in a 350k house) and its nice but not completely necessary, as long as you have storage elsewhere.

[carlinagirlntx]

That butler pantry is going to be a problem. We have a butler pantry and our home is 2k square feet we always run out of space for food storage. I cant even imagine a 4k having the same issue.

[nsumner]

Originally Posted by DallasChoices

is it a huge negative if the secondary bedrooms do not have walk-in closets? They have regular closets. There is lots of storage in the home otherwise.

No it's not a big deal for most people as long as the rooms are big enough for extra armoire or dresser.

the secondary bedrooms are somewhat close to master. No shared walls though. This is a plus for us being a young family, but we are wondering if this is viewed as a negative for dallas market.

No shared wall is a plus. If All the bedrooms are upstairs, that is not a desirable feature in Texas. The master downstairs and another bedroom with a full bath is the plan that sells best. People like their privacy plus in case elderly parents visit, they can stay downstairs.


no walk in pantry, only butler pantry. But lots of storage in utility close by and lots of storage in other areas of home.

Not a deal breaker. Do you have enough cabinets? Butler's pantry is usually just a plus.

What would be a major deal-breaker in a home for you for the north dallas area? We know that the number one rule in realestate is always location. What else is very important to consider? (in terms of layout, features, and anything else, in a home at that price range?

For 4000SF, you want at least 3.5 baths, a gameroom as well as a media room would be expected. In older neighborhoods you can get away with not having a media room. A study in addition to the 4 bedrooms is always a plus.

Naima

[RN7676]

Originally Posted by ufcrules1

I would never get a 4k square foot home unless I had a real big family. Welcome to high electricity bills!

This has nothing to do with your original question, but energy is an important future & lifetime cost to consider. Those helping spend your current money (your realtor and lender) will likely overlook it. Unless you are already paying similar electric bills (living in a 4000 sq ft house in TX or CA) you should try to research the electric usage for that address.

At one time TXU would provide a 12 month kilowatt history for nearly any address upon request as long as you presented yourself as a potential buyer of that address. Do they still do that? I haven't had any reason to try to get that information in ages. It might be worth a try.

[nsumner]

Originally Posted by RN7676

This has nothing to do with your original question, but energy is an important future & lifetime cost to consider. Those helping spend your current money (your realtor and lender) will likely overlook it. Unless you are already paying similar electric bills (living in a 4000 sq ft house in TX or CA) you should try to research the electric usage for that address.

Actually many of us ask for that information from the owner at the time we take a listing to provide to buyers.

At one time TXU would provide a 12 month kilowatt history for nearly any address upon request as long as you presented yourself as a potential buyer of that address. Do they still do that? I haven't had any reason to try to get that information in ages. It might be worth a try.

Unfortunately because of "privacy laws" utility companies don't supply that anymore to third parties, the owner can request it.

.........

[catluvr]

I love a walk in pantry. I can't live without it. We have a 2400 sq ft home and have w/i closets in every room. We have all one level, but our master is on the other end of the house. With a huge linen closet in the master bathroom. We also have a huge separate linen closet by other bedrooms. I need closet space and pantry space. It's more important to me than any other feature in a home. Bonus is a walk in attic floored 1/2 way across the ceiling. Definately a bonus since there are no basements down here.

Bedroom upstairs is definately a deal killer down here. Midwesterners love all br on same level...but not down here. You would have to get this house for a very good deal because you may be stuck with it for quite some time (good rental property).

IMO...your energy bills would be very high. There is NO way I would pay for a 4000 sqft home. I also refuse to pay for heating wasted space. If you house is all open like a box , I would definately say that is a "no go".

I would not buy this house!

[zatires]

Really good posts by caring members;

Definitely do not think of a 4K sqft home. The electric bills to cool that place in the summer and heat it in the winter will be huge. You will be spending hundreds of dollars. I would say at least $500 in the summer (may even be more). I consider such energy spending a total waste.

If you have like 4-5 kids it may be justifiable to buy such a big house, but else I don't know.

Most of the newer homes in Dallas are literally ope box type. They have huge living room ceilings which makes the house much harder to cool and heat.

I grew up in a small house, 1900sq ft, and we were a family of 5, and never had a problem. We had 4 bedrooms, and did not have a problem with the space.

Of course it all depends on the location, but 400K for 4K house is expensive in many suburbs in DFW. Shop around, you can get better deals. If you think of McKinney or Frisco, they have a huge number of foreclosures right now.

[DallasChoices]

I so very much appreciate all these informative responses!!!

I need to mention that yes, the house does have a pantry, just not a walk in. I guess just a regular pantry and I guess it would be smaller than I'd like.

Its a 2 story home, but just a huge bonus space upstairs as well as a full bath so that area can be made into bedrooms. The master and 2 other bedrooms are on 1st floor.

I don't know about the heating and cooling bills - definitely concerns. We had asked about that, and the reponse was that these homes are so energy efficient that it doesn't take much to cool them (separate A/C units for different sections of the home, etc). That they don't cost more than about 300 in summer. I of couse would much rather have concrrete data. Not sure I believe that.

The homes does have lots of closets and linen closets and such. Just no walk-ins in the 2nd bedrooms.