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Spoken like a true yankee that thinks his opinion is fact. Housing was cheaper when Texas was a blue state. Obviously you've never lived here. Texas has cheap housing due to cheap land costs versus other states. Most often land costs on a house in a tract type subdivision has a land cost of under $40,000, most at or under $30,000. Lot sizes have changed over the last couple of decades. The older homes will have something like an 85ft x 150ft lot. New homes like some of those listed in the first part of the thread may only have a 45ftx 100ft lot. You can only park one car deep in the driveway whereas the older homes you can easily park 2 deep or get 4 cars on a normal double driveway. Acreage lots in nice areas can run $30-50,000. an acre and there's not necessarily any utilities on the property. You get to put in a well and septic system which obviously adds the final numbers. In some areas where acreage is bought, the electricity and phone must be brought in. That can be an expensive date at $1000. a foot. We also don't have basements so the cost of digging one out and providing the necessary drainage isn't there. Because we don't have the extreme cold, we can bury the water and sewer lines just a couple of feet under ground instead of 8 or 10 ft deep which runs up costs. And for our yankee friend, yes, Texas is a right to work State. We don't have stupid unions here and have no use for them. While all Texans would like to see a much lower tax cut out of our paychecks, the truth is we are eons ahead of the crap like New York who pays over 60% of their wages in taxes. Nope, Texas ain't perfect but we're headed in the right direction which beats the heck outa second place.
The discussion should be about cost per square foot for construction costs. Land prices and property tax rates have pretty much zero to do with that.
Where I live, a nothing special middle class home costs about $225 per square foot to build on a lot you already own. Northeast. High labor costs. Insulation/energy code. Winters that slow down construction and add to what all the subs charge since they're not working much in the winter.
Your lot size discussion above is just stupid and has nothing to do with build costs. A 45x100 lot is $1 million in Palo Alto.
1. Lower cost of materials
2. Lower cost of labor (Cali's is very high)
3. Lower building standards (in TX you don't have to worry about earthquakes, either)
4. Lower impact/permit fees (these can add easily $20k+ to the cost of a home)
5. Lower environmental and design standards (Cali's enviro standards are very strict and municipalities typically require new housing to fall under very stringest design guidelines that add cost)
If you'd flown over the eastern half of Dallas County this spring, you'd have seen a sea of roofs covered with blue tarps thanks to the tornadoes we had 2 days after Christmas plus multiple hail storms. They're still replacing roofs all over the county.
If you'd flown over the eastern half of Dallas County this spring, you'd have seen a sea of roofs covered with blue tarps thanks to the tornadoes we had 2 days after Christmas plus multiple hail storms. They're still replacing roofs all over the county.
Hurricanes aren't much of a problem for the vast majority of the state and the same can be said for tornados. Realistically if you are close to or take a direct hit from a tornado you are going to have problems regardless of build quality
Hurricanes aren't much of a problem for the vast majority of the state and the same can be said for tornados. Realistically if you are close to or take a direct hit from a tornado you are going to have problems regardless of build quality
Unless you're local and read newspapers regularly, you probably missed the stories where engineers stated repeatedly that the damage done by the tornadoes (and other severe thunderstorms involving straight line winds) wouldn't have been as severe if Texas had decent building codes AND stringent inspections.
If you'd flown over the eastern half of Dallas County this spring, you'd have seen a sea of roofs covered with blue tarps thanks to the tornadoes we had 2 days after Christmas plus multiple hail storms. They're still replacing roofs all over the county.
I know. I live there. But I've also lived in CA.
There's natural disasters that must be considered in both states. To say that building in one state exists, but not the other, isn't true.
I have seen new construction in a city developed addition go for $80 a square here in OK within the last few years. I think current prices are $85 a sq/ft for builder grade. They are finished with low quality stuff like 3 tab asphalt singles, linoleum and cheap carpet but they are well sealed and insulated.
Those same guys also build nicer homes for $120 a sq/ft.
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