buying older KB Home? (San Antonio, Austin: sales, attorney, house)

[banker]

Originally Posted by Montirob

I believe Eden Roc was one, and there was another one off of Braun and 1604 (not "Oak Grove", but across the street).

I thought they looked very nice back then - 2 story living spaces, "Jacuzzi" tubs, stucco and real wood siding, etc. They looked very similar to what was being offered in California at the time. Think of them as the ancestor to your home, Banker... not quite as nice as yours, but more related than the "Classic" and "Hallmark" lines that came immediately afterward.

Very interesting. I hadn't heard of these homes. Does anyone know for sure what the community name was?

[banker]

Was Gold Canyon a Signature Community?

[scammed1]

Homeowners For Better Building is headquartered in San Antonio. To say that Pulte or Horton is better then KB I would say go to the website and do your research. If you have any questions you can email the president. I believe she is aware of every builder that has come and gone in SA.
By the way HOBB is a national grassroots organization.
Good Luck!

[banker]

Originally Posted by scammed1

Homeowners For Better Building is headquartered in San Antonio. To say that Pulte or Horton is better then KB I would say go to the website and do your research. If you have any questions you can email the president. I believe she is aware of every builder that has come and gone in SA.
By the way HOBB is a national grassroots organization.
Good Luck!

Each builder has different quality at different price points. Pulte and DR Horton are better at the low end compared to KB's low end...but at the mid point and high end the difference isn't so clear. Better than going to a website is to go to the actual communities and see the houses being built...then you will see for your own eyes the construction quality. It can vary by community location and price point a great deal. Websites tend to generalize and not show the facts broken down by builder/house line/community.

KB has some very nice high quality homes on the market...some better than other builders in SA.

[AR Newbie]

The newer KB homes are the ones that are good now. The older ones are the ones with foundation and neighborhood issues. At least that is what I saw when we looked for houses back in May. Per my realtor...

[scuba steve]

If I had to guess, maybe it's because they asked about older KB Homes and not the new ones?

[banker]

Originally Posted by scuba steve

If I had to guess, maybe it's because they asked about older KB Homes and not the new ones?

Other folks brought up the new homes being good...I just chimed in.

[firstclassflyer]

Originally Posted by banker

Why is it that when others voice their opinion (which is based on perception - as most people who hate KB do not own one of their homes - or have not owned one built in the last few years) they are allowed to trash them - but when I - a current KB home owner - say that I have a nice house on par or other in the price range (I should know since I shopped extensively last fall) am told "not here, please stop drinking that KB koolaid"?

It is offensive that people would so quickly dismiss the voice of a current home owner. In fact, all the home owners on my street love their homes. There is no koolaid involved.

Ha..it wasn't me this time. Others see it too..

[dvlpr]

Banker:

We've certainly disagreed before, but you're right on this one. I think one of the purposes of this board is get a broad range of opinions, and dismissing yours is counter to that purpose.

I’ve always found it amusing that people believe that KB homes are somehow inferior, when the fact of the matter is that the same subcontractors and vendors who build entry-level homes for KB (and Centex, and Horton, etc.) also build million-dollar homes in Dominion, and Alamo Heights, and Terrell Hills, and so forth, and so on. The builder brand is almost completely immaterial as it relates to “quality” (they all build to the same codes and standards).

Like most everything else in life, “you get what you pay for”. I don’t know how any reasonable, intelligent person can expect extraordinary quality in a new home built for $99,000.

To the OP: if you’ve hired a competent inspector, and the house appears to be in good shape, don’t worry about the silly, uninformed opinions of people who would “never buy a KB home”, because chances are, they’re living in a house of the precise same overall quality.

[homerg03]

Hello everyone. I must say that this will be our 2nd KB home that we purchase and we have been very satisified with the process and service received. Our first KB home was in Houston but now that we have moved to San Antonio, we are closing on an inventory KB home out at Quarry at Iron Mountain next week.

Speaking about our KB home in Houston, that we bought back in 2001, we never had any issues. I can not recall ever having to call anyone for any warranty service and never had any problems. We really do not understand why KB has this kind of reputation here in San Antonio, something that we didnt see in Houston.

Anyway, I have read different blogs from different KB neighborhoods and many folks do have good things to say about kb. I know that there are many price ranges for KB products and like another member said, quality at 99k, well, I am not sure what to say. I know that we all work hard for our money and we expect at least to have a trouble free home, but KB is not the only one to blame as they are here in San Antonio. I guess all builders have many problems and like my top notch home inspector that I hired said, I have found many problems even in 2 million dollar homes, so I guess this answers our questions.

For us, we are extremley happy with the home we bought and I think we bought the last Estate Series Home that was left in the whole neighborhood. The home is awesome and beautiful, but expected it when costing close to 350,000.00.

I guess we all have to do our homework when choosing a builder and during the building process. One recommendation is, hire a good home inspector and possibly, hire him for the whole process of the building stage. It may be an additional expense but it will avoid future headaches. I must say, that my inspector, being somewhat expensive but a top notch among the state stated, "even though I found many things, many are just minor and cosmetics, but you do have a good solid home here" and this is a KB home.

Good luck to all of us and BANKER, hopefully we get to meet soon. Your new neighbor at the Quarry from May 2009 and forward.