I'm looking to take advantage of the $8K tax incentive for 1st time home buyers. What's your opinion on Lennar Homes. I'm looking in the Dixie Farm Rd & I-45 area. (San Jac South and a branch of Memorial Hermann is really close by). Another area is Pearland... I don't have an agent yet...if you have someone you trust that operates in the area(s) let me know. I have to be on contract by April.
you would be better off buying an older home nearer the city. otherwise expect zero return on your investment.
screw an agent and screw lennar if you have to "drive to qualify" or have kids and want to be suburban, I do think a new home is the way to go, but look for a quality builder and look closely at the included features. what is your price point? what do you want/need? do you have kids, require a community center? community pool? walking trails? my preferred builders of the mid class are: Plantation/Pioneer Ashton Woods Taylor Morrison to name a few. product and community are both equally important. No matter how nice a home it is, if you question the community today, you will hate it tomorrow.
so not true. in a down market, i am up approx 20% in four years. thanks for trying though not to mention that prices are suppressed and market demand is increasing daily. right now is still a great time to buy in the suburbs.
Lennar seems to be OK. My brother has a Lennar home, and seems fine to me. He had some issues with the AC, but that was about it. Not sure if the unit is to blame or the builder for choosing that unit. I am on my second Ashton Woods home and it's great. I was also looking at Perry, Taylor Morrison, Trendmaker, and the likes. All great builders. My honest take on it is you can afford what you can afford, and you like what you like. Just find the home, area, community that works for you. Make a decision that suits your wants/needs, and then just go forward and enjoy your home.
spring trails came in when the base price of my house was @ 127, they are now asking in the 170's but resales are going on a decent time frame in the 150's to 160's (2 months for a comp at 159k, 5 months for a direct comp at 179k)
I've looked at Lennar homes in the same area. The biggest turnoff is the low ceilings and small backyard for the houses they had back in October. The only houses I looked at in Pearland were in Avalon Landing I think, and they were a bit out of my price range for a starter home (200k+). My advice is to look at as many houses as you can. You'll find that what you want in a house changes the more you look at, and so will the price range. Keep in mind of the location and the commute you'll be dealing with daily. Also, don't fall in love with a house until you've had an inspection done. Lastly, the closing cost w/ your agent is usually negotiable. Be ready to have extra money even after down payment + closing cost. You'll need to worry about insurance and mortgage immediately, and property tax at the end of the year. Not really profession tips but hope it helps.
i assume it's a new neighborhood. looks nice from the web site but i'm not much of a fan of the suburbs. things can go terribly wrong and prices could go down if the area takes a turn for the worse. i grew up in alief, seen it happen.
Just put a contract on a home in the Dixie Farm/F.M. 518 area, pretty close to where your looking. My realitor is a family friend who just got into the business and she was excellent. She goes above and beyond looking for houses in your range/area to show. I think 2 weeks ago we started looking, probably saw close to 75 homes in a week and a half time. Found the one we wanted, she worked with the other realitor quickly and got the deal we were looking for.
our lot had the sold sign put out in front of it yesterday. moving to the lakes at grand harbor at 10 and katy-fort bend county rd. in march!!
For anyone looking to buy/sell a house and needing a realtor, I will vouch for Rockets Red Glare's wife, Angela. She was ours a couple of years ago and was an absolute pleasure to work with.
JD power survey is good to look at when qualifying builders. Pulte, KB home, Castlerock communities, are among the top.
btw, if you are out looking on your own for a new home, a realtor may not really be necessary, maybe to negotiate the price for you or to help you understand closing documents, there are some good ones but also alot of very bad ones. I was a builder sales rep and dealt with realtors all the time, you want to avoid the ones who want to do little work and earn a 3 - 4k commission. I seen realtors earn 3k commission, than earn on top of that a 3k Bonus from the builder and all they did was show up at my office and sign a peice of paper.
