Midtown Townhome

[skwatra]

i vaguely remember reading horror stories about Perry construction on here, though i can't find it now, and i don't remember if it was localized or a general problem. I'm looking at a Perry Townhome in midtown - 2042 BAILEY ST. any thoughts, warnings?

i'm meeting with my realtor tomorrow, but i wanted to get some real professional opinions that i can always count on from HAIF.

i'm still not sure i'm ready to buy, but i am definitely moving, if i don't buy i'll probably go to AMLI on West Dallas and Montrose (only because an apartment in proper midtown is ridiculously expensive, though that's where i would really want to be).

thanks

[west20th]

i vaguely remember reading horror stories about Perry construction on here, though i can't find it now, and i don't remember if it was localized or a general problem. I'm looking at a Perry Townhome in midtown - 2042 BAILEY ST. any thoughts, warnings?

i'm meeting with my realtor tomorrow, but i wanted to get some real professional opinions that i can always count on from HAIF.

i'm still not sure i'm ready to buy, but i am definitely moving, if i don't buy i'll probably go to AMLI on West Dallas and Montrose (only because an apartment in proper midtown is ridiculously expensive, though that's where i would really want to be).

thanks

Bought a Perry almost 2 years ago. I would suggest sticking with a small Perry development rather than a huge one like on Washington and Studemont. Perry's design can be a little uninspired which is OK in small doses. In the two years we have lived in the Perry home the problems were very minor and fixed promptly for the first year. The only complaint I had with them is that during the construction phase they couldn't get a change order correct if their life depended on it but they always made it right at their own cost. The main thing is they put us in a house in the Heights at about $30 SF less then anyone else would have. Yes we have had to spend a little spiffing the place up (crown molding, replacing the cheesy home depot fixtures) but overall I would recommend them.

Edited March 14, 2006 by west20th

[editor]

There are a couple of web sites out there dedicated to Perry Homes problems. It has yet to be determined if Perry's structures have an unusual defect rate, or not. Perry tends to attract first time home buyers who aren't always knowledgeable about what they're getting into, leading to frustration. Perry also builds a significantly larger number of homes than most other builders, so even if they have a lower percentage of defects, it can be higher in absolute numbers. But that's little comfort to someone who's just sunk their life savings into something that isn't everything they hoped.

[MidtownCoog]

I had this exact model. Sold it in May 2004 for $179K. Bought it for $125K in 1999.

It was built solid as a rock. And I should know. I personally watched it being built, and ripped out sheetrock by hand after Allison.

It was built to last.

[Mr. Chenevert]

I presently live in the exact same plan house... the only complaint I have is the fixtures in the bathrooms were not installed correctly. I have had to go in and redo almost every towel bar and paper dispenser...

minor details though, as the rest of the house is very solid. I thought there was one listed for 179k though?

[MidtownCoog]

$199K seems like they need to get out from under some debt.

[hokieone]

My friend lives in the same plan on Sutton. She hasn't had any problems and bought her home on the secondary market as well. The front door is weathering a little, but thats not exactly a Perry thing - its been 6 years, and I doubt it was sealed. Not a big deal, that's maintenance. I think she paid around that $179 number as well and that was in may of last year. She says another friend of hers bought down the street recently for $189. So I don't think there were too many issues in regards to construction, but $199 does sound higher than others, unless there are some upgrades that aren't in the others.

[skwatra]

thanks for all the replies.

i didn't see any others listed other then a 1500 sqft three story one also for $199,900.

the price does seem high for what i've seen, maybe my realtor can shed some light on it.

[MidtownCoog]

front door is weathering a little

This was a common problem, but Sherwin Williams' has the solution.

[cwrm4]

Used Perry townhome prices in Midtown are crashing, in my opinion.

I've had two different friends, both of whom bought in Midtown a couple years ago, both take a bath on selling their units this year. One lost, including the realtor gouging, over $40k.

The problem is that there is still a ton of space to build on in Midtown, and, since Perry is a volume home builder, they will cut new prices and take a lower margin on more units. In fact, they are now selling new townhomes in Midtown at lower prices than folks paid for the same floorplan 3 years ago.

Essentially, the Midtown (and to some extent Montrose) townhome market is really mimicing the car market. Plenty of options if you want to buy new, or buy slightly used and let someone else eat the depreciation.

That said, I owned a Perry townhome in Montrose (part of six on a side street) for 3 years and never really had a problem with it, other than the A/C, which was the A/C installer's fault. (Several other Perry townhome owners I know have had big A/C problems as well - some not covered under warranty). Overall, though, I felt my place was built much better than other townhomes I was familiar with, like the Tin Cans.

I do wonder though how well that place will age over the next ten years. A challenge with townhomes is that major upkeep items, like trim painting, often require approval and funding from all the owners. The smaller Perry complexes usually don't have any kind of homeowner agreements in place.

I broke even on my sale, including the realtor fees, and traded down 600 sq ft for an old but restored bungalow in the Heights for the same price I sold the townhome for. To me, at least, I am much more content in the bungalow than I was in the townhome. Feel more "settled". I recommend to everyone I know looking for a place around $200k to look at older bungalows - if anything will appreciate in price in Houston they at least have a shot. With a house you at least own land that some greedy developer would pay to build a McMansion on. With a townhome, you're stuck with selling the existing building.

BTW, AMLI on West Dallas seems to lack any kind of soul, and it is pretty cheaply built. I was shacked up there for a while a few years back and hated the place. The crashing and squeaking girders in the parking garage drove me insane.

[Mr. Chenevert]

http://www.har.com/search/engine/indexdeta...=0&backButton=Y

Isnt that the same floorplan? Listed for 169k.

cwrm4,

Ive lived in an old (unrestored) bungalow, and now a new townhouse... The energy costs of the townhome are a fraction of what the bungalow cost...

How are the costs with a restored bungalow?

I agree with your points about a bungalow, but I would much rather invest 200 bucks a month into the equity of a home instead of giving it to Reliant energy...

[cwrm4]

How are the costs with a restored bungalow?

I agree with your points about a bungalow, but I would much rather invest 200 bucks a month into the equity of a home instead of giving it to Reliant energy...

The energy costs with the bungalow were a concern of mine when I moved...a friend has a 1890 build house in the 4th ward and blows $500 a month on electricity during the summer.

When I moved into my bungalow a year ago, the biggest problem was just cooling the place down to a reasonable temp. It had central A/C, but a poor installation. Fortunately, my father came down for a month and reworked the system, with new return vents, resealed the ducts, added soffit vents to the house, and installed a reflective barrier on the inside of the roof. The change was dramatic.

So at the end of last year I geeked out and tried to determine what the energy cost difference really was between the townhouse and the bungalow, on a kwh per sq ft basis, adjusted for time in the house (i.e. when a/c turned down) and even the average temperatures over the months.

The net was that the townhome was about 30% more efficient energy wise than the bungalow on a per sq ft basis. However, since I was heating/cooling 1150 instead of 1750 sq ft, my energy bills were actually a good bit lower. And, quite honestly, 1150 sq ft on 1 story (with 10.5 ft ceilings) feels nearly as spacious as 1750 sq ft on 3 stories.

Next month I plan to add an additional 6" of insulation in the attic (currently only has 4"), so I would expect a significant improvement in cooling efficiency.

That said, the AC/heating system in my 3-story Perry townhome was very poorly installed and designed. Some rooms would be freezing (with the vents shut), while some would be hot. Over the course of 3 years, I had the following problems:

1. Electric attic fan had not been hooked up (discovered after 2 years)

2. A/C controller board mounted under the attic fan, with no cover. After a big rain storm the board shorted and started a small fire in the attic (which fortunately extinguished itself).

3. Neither thermostat had been programmed for dual zone use

4. One of the dual zone duct motors burned out

5. Ducting in attic was not sealed

6. Heater control board blew out

7. A/C unit expansion valve failed

Not all of this I was able to get covered under warranty, and I spent a total of around $1500 on the repairs. Factor that expense into my efficiency calculations, and the bungalow and townhome are on par with each other! Friends with Perry townhomes have had even bigger A/C problems. I attribute it mostly to the incompetence of their contractor..I believe it is Sterling (?).

Everything else in my townhome held up well. The stove and dishwasher (Jenn Air) both broke but I was able to fix myself for like $40 in parts. The other big expense though was termites...Perry had left some of the (untreated) wood used for the slab forms in the ground - and it acted like a termite magnet. Cost $1800. The Orkin guy told me most of his Inner Loop termite business is at new townhomes.

On the original question, 199k is way overpriced for that Bailey townhome, in my opinion. As a point of reference, some friends just sold a 1900+ sq ft 3-story, 2-car garage Perry in Midtown ("with all the upgrades") for $220k. In the current market I suspect the Bailey townhome would be fairly valued in the low to mid $160's. However, with apologies to PT Barnum, there is a sucker buying a house every minute.

[MidtownCoog]

cwrm4, no wonder you moved.

[skwatra]

http://www.har.com/search/engine/indexdeta...=0&backButton=Y

Isnt that the same floorplan? Listed for 169k.

yes, it looks like it is. i was looking in the same key map area.

i'm not to excited about Tuam, but its worth a look. thanks.

[diggity]

i have friends that live in that area. (possibly even the same complex) and one thing i would warn you about is the vagrant population in that area has gotten worse recently. My buddy had his garage open for no more than 10-15 minutes (in a gated community mind you) and walked out to find someone breaking into his car. It's not uncommom to see people walking down the middle of the street any time of the day/night.

[kev33]

New Perry development to start in the 1600 block of W. Dallas. I am considering purchasing a new Perry 3 story over on the Near East End (St. Charles Square). 2031 Sq. feet with granite and woods. I just saw on the Perry website that a new development is to start over on W. Dallas on the Midtown side (South?) of Montrose Blvd. Do you believe that the Midtown area is too saturated with Perry to be a reasonably wise purchase? The East end is undeveloped but has potential...And not so overcrowded with cookie cutter Perry's...yet.

[midtownguy]

I just saw on the Perry website that a new development is to start over on W. Dallas on the Midtown side (South?) of Montrose Blvd. Do you believe that the Midtown area is too saturated with Perry to be a reasonably wise purchase? The East end is undeveloped but has potential...And not so overcrowded with cookie cutter Perry's...yet.

They're building MORE townhouses in Midtown? Yeesh. I once thought I'd be perfectly happy with a midtown townhome. Even a Perry. But, I've changed my mind. They're building too many, undercutting current owners. And, they're everywhere. It's getting boring. No distinctive archecture at all.