By Tom Branch, on February 6th, 2014  You would think that everything is bigger in Texas. While that’s true with many things, it’s not true for the lots that new homes are built upon.
Lot sizes have been getting smaller for many years. Why? Land costs have risen dramatically in the area. In order to keep housing prices affordable, developers and builders scaled down lot sizes in an effort to control costs. Larger lots in the city are still available but at premium prices.
Many buyers prefer large lots so they are not on top of their neighbors, have room to put in a pool, build a larger one-story home, or simply room to enjoy the outdoors. While the average new home in Allen Texas sits on a one-eighth acre lot, there are homes for sale on larger lots (one-half acre or larger) in Allen Texas.
While many of these homes are higher priced, there are homes available at more reasonable prices.
Click here to see all Homes for Sale in Allen Texas on Larger Lots.
Contact us at 214-227-6626 if you have questions or need additional information.
Photo: Copyright 2013 Imaged2Sell
By Tom Branch, on January 14th, 2014  With spring just around the corner and the spring sales season getting started, many people are looking for homes in McKinney Texas with pools.
As McKinney ages a little we find more and more homes have had pools installed. The vast majority of pools are in-ground gunite although you do see vinyl lined pools from time-to-time. Gunite pools are typically covered in a white plaster giving it the smooth finish but “pebble-tech” and similar surfaces are becoming more common. These alternative finishes hold up longer and require less maintenance.
Pools are either chlorinated or salt water. Either works well, but saline pools are easier on the equipment, clothing, and your skin than chlorine pools. The good news is that chlorine pools can easily be converted to saline.
Click here to see all homes for sale in McKinney Texas with pools.
Contact us at 214-227-6626 if you have questions or need additional information.
Photo: Copyright 2008 Imaged2Sell
By Tom Branch, on December 27th, 2013 
Frisco Texas is alive with new construction on both the west and east sides of the city. One of the hot developments is Lawler Park, a new home development on the east side of the city.
Lawler Park is located on the north side of Rolater between Coit and Independence. The development consists of two sections, The Arbors at Lawler Park and The Crossing at Lawler Park. When completed, there will be about 344 homes.
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The two home builders are Darling Homes and Highland Homes. Homes range in size from 2400 to 3800 square feet with prices starting at $350k.
Lawler Park offers home buyers a beautiful, creek-lined sanctuary designed for a healthy, active lifestyle and growing families. With its walking trails, green spaces, pedestrian bridge, creeks and beautiful Rose Garden, residents will enjoy the lush landscape and beautiful stone amenity buildings that make up this natural retreat.
Lawler park is zoned to Frisco ISD and a new elementary school is currently under construction.
Click here to view all Lawler Park homes for sale in Frisco, Texas.
Contact us at 214-227-6626 if you have any questions or require additional information.
Photo: Copyright 2013 Imaged2Sell
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Purchase a new home through us and we'll help you with your closing costs! We'll give you a credit of 1.5% of the price of the home at closing to use towards your closing costs.
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By Tom Branch, on December 26th, 2013  We often field phone calls from people relocating to the North Dallas area looking for homes with basements. While some are relocating from areas with basements, many are concerned about tornados. While there are a few older homes with basements, there are also homes that have a storm cellar or shelter. These are primarily found in the rural areas, but we do see them in the suburban and urban areas as well.
According to CBS News the odds of a strong tornado hitting your home directly are extremely small. You can expect it to happen about once in every 8,000 years.
Storm shelters can be added to any home. Some are installed below ground and others are steel boxes that are engineered to withstand large tornados. We checked with a few local installers and found that prices start at about $7500 and go up depending upon the size of the shelter and how it will be installed on the property.
Click here to see all homes for sale in North Dallas with storm shelters.
Contact us at 214-227-6626 if you have questions or need additional information.
Photo: Licensed from iStockPhoto
By Tom Branch, on December 23rd, 2013  While finding a home with a tennis court is not common in the greater Dallas Fort Worth area, they do exist. A home with a tennis court typically sits on a very large lot as the court measures 78 feet by 36 feet in size but requires 120 feet by 60 feet to give space for over-runs. This drives up the price of the house. While you may find homes with tennis courts in the $300k range, most of them are substantially higher.
According to WikiPedia, “Tennis is played on a variety of surfaces and each surface has its own characteristics which affect the playing style of the game. There are four main types of courts depending on the materials used for the court surface: clay courts, hard courts, grass courts and carpet courts. A North/South orientation is generally desirable for outdoor courts to avoid background glare at dawn or dusk. Orientation should also take into consideration other structures and features on the site, neighboring property, vehicle and pedestrian traffic, and prevailing winds.”
Click here to see all homes for sale in the greater Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex with tennis courts.
Contact us at 214-227-6626 if you have any questions or need additional information.
Photo: Licensed from iStockphoto
By Tom Branch, on December 20th, 2013  While it is the middle of winter in North Texas, spring usually comes early. With the warmer spring temperatures, we find buyers searching for Allen Texas homes for sale with pools.
Homes with pools in Allen Texas are common and are found at a variety of price-points. Most pools are made of gunite but we do see vinyl-lined pools from time-to-time. We prefer gunite pools as they tend to hold up better over time. Older pools tend to use chlorine to sanitize the water but saline is becoming popular. Saline pools require less maintenance and the plaster covering the gunite tends to last longer. Older chlorine pools can be converted to saline for around $4000.
Click here to see all homes for sale with pools in Allen Texas.
Contact us at 214-227-6626 if you have any questions or need additional information.
Photo: Copyright Imaged2Sell
By Tom Branch, on December 18th, 2013  Homes for Sale with Boat Docks in the DFW Metroplex
We recently were talking to a couple relocating to the Dallas Forth Worth Metroplex. They wanted to live on a lake but were surprised to find that many of our local lakes do not allow boat docks or lifts.
Most of our lakes were built and are maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers (COE) and the land surrounding these lakes are also owned by the government. While many homes are lake-front and have access to the water, the COE does not allow docks or lifts to be built. A few properties have boat docks that are grandfathered.
While many lakes do not allow docks, there are a number that do allow them. Wood County in east Texas has a series of lakes that are owned by the county. Boat docks and lifts can be built with a simple lease from the County. Lake Lewisville (just west of Frisco) has a public marina where boat docks can be leased.
Click here to search for all homes for sale in the DFW Metroplex with boat docks or lifts.
Contact us at 214-227-6626 if you have questions or need additional information.
Photo: Licensed from iStockPhoto
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