Mt Prospect in North Potomac
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Anonymous
| Thank you dear poster! For such a quick reply. Let's wait and see. Waiting for the model homes to open. I found the entering road to narrow. |
Anonymous
Super narrow. Don’t know what they were thinking |
Anonymous
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Sales lady confirmed there are sidewalks. Also, model homes to open end of October.
She also said there will be parking spaces here and there on the roads, but no parking lots. MDOT decides these spaces. |
Anonymous
end of oct? Man, they are taking a loooong time. What's the cause for delays? Any new info on toll brothers and quality with the builds? I know there have been loads of threads/comments on the bad quality of TB but it's also sub dependent. What's the consensus on these? |
Anonymous
| Regarding the power lines, this certainly should be a consideration for re-sale value. I was surprised at how many parents at Travilah worry about the proximity of the power lines to the school. It may not concern you but understand that it will limit future buyers when you decide to sell. |
Anonymous
| Where are the power lines located exactly? |
Anonymous
| Will model homes be open for anyone to see like a open house or will it be appointment only? Will it be available to see before sales opens, or is the expectation you see the models during your sales visit? |
Anonymous
I talked to our agent about builder reputations in the area and he said you’ll consistently get a better product with NV Homes and TB compared to the other big builders. Their volume will mean a lot of complaints as well and there are definitely issues—but that his clients are typically happier with their homes build by those two compared to others. Take that for what it’s worth. |
Anonymous
Model homes are basically open everyday from 10-5 or some similar hours—you can go see it before making a sales appointment. Just go with your agent the first time if you’re going to use one, or have your agent call ahead before you arrive to make sure they’ll get credit for showing you the home first and will be able to represent you. Some counties are doing appointment-only with COVID, don’t think MoCo is one of them. |
Anonymous
I have gone through this before...assume 30k for elevation, 30k for lot, 80k structural upgrades (bathroom, basement, extra garage etc), 100k design center, 50k on enhancements (extra lights, prewire surround, electrical upgrades, extra outlets, flagstone etc). Honestly this is for a “decent” home...if you want what you see in the model, add another 100k. I would say easily add 300-400k on base price. Unfortunately you won’t be shown these costs when you sign so be sure to ask for price sheets in advance. |
Anonymous
Jumping in here. Every building appointment I've ever been to has given me the full option sheets. Yes, ask for them, but they are not difficult to get so don't fret too much. And, the above cost estimate is very high though certainly possible. Totally to each their own how they want to spend their money and their personal preferences, but here is a sense of something a little more in line with what most people spend both based on both my and an agent friend's experience-- -Typically, the elevation levels goes up by $5-10k each with 3 or 4 total options. You can typically get a front porch with elevation level two, but not always. -Lot premiums will vary between 5k to 50k, this is one area I'd go big if you can swing it--you'll always get this money back and worth rolling into the mortgage. -A fireplace will be about $6k, as long as you don't want to do one of those hotel/cosmo set-ups, then closer to 9k. -Other structural upgrades vary wildly. TB, for example, has very expensive "luxury outdoor living" options that are priced around 40k depending on the grade of the yard--really only worth it if you have a steep grade and want the true feel of an outdoor room. Otherwise, a deck or patio put in after closing will be a much better bang for your buck and allow you to personalize more. Expect even a partially finished basement, which you can do for much less after closing, to be 30k. On the others--this is a personal call, but for most, think a 4bd 3.5bh home is just fine. Usually the "cheapest" way to add a bedroom will be to convert a first floor study to a bathroom, and that should be no more than 15k total. The extra garage space is usually between 10-15k but the garages are usually a pretty good size anyways and you also will have a good amount of storage space in the basement. Again, though this is just my advice: if you're redoing the floor plan to a dramatic extent, I would go truly custom. -On enhancements, I just went through the process of pricing out a TB home and didn't hit 10k but added additional plugs, some sconce setups, and lights/fans. I didn't add on flagstone or prewire because I'd rather do something custom--and also, on the prewire, the technology they use can quickly become out-of-date. -$30k at the design center is the average for most buyers in this price range. Yes, you can spend a LOT more but is not needed to get a nice-looking home. There will also be incentives--right now they seem to be averaging out to around 30k that you can typically put toward the house or closing. I've built before and just recently priced out a few "luxury" homes around this range in the area. I kept upgrades around 100-125k each time and could have gone lower while still being happy. Probably will shave some things off in the end. Just think seriously about what you want in your mortgage and what you'll want to have done custom/play around with. From experience, having a unique backyard, basement, etc. (unless "unique" means busy patterns or random trellises everywhere, haha) instead of one that looks the exact same as your neighbors will be a huge help if you ever want to sell sooner than you expect. One pieces of advice if you're thinking through how to prioritize your money--you WILL want to change your kitchen and basements eventually so really, don't sink a ton of money in the secondary baths even though it can be super tempting. Prioritize getting the upgraded kitchen cabinets in a neutral color with soft-close (this can be done at level 2) and nice stone in kitchen, but try to be a little more basic in the bathrooms besides upgrading tile and fixtures in the owner's bathroom. |
Anonymous
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One consideration when choosing upgrades is the location and comp market. In areas this far out where people are stretching to buy the basic house, most buyers choose fewer upgrades. This results in houses with cheaper finishes and fewer amenities but when time comes to sell your house your comps will be those with the cheap finishes. You are unlikely to get anywhere near what you paid in upgrades because your comp market doesn't have them. If you sell many years later, its a double hit because you are still within comps for houses that have cheap choices and your expensive ones look dated.
Choose only the upgrades that you can not live without and be ready to not see any return the dollar. |
Anonymous
Folks, this is way too high. Yes, can you spend this? Absolutely. But, you can get a perfectly fine house with all this stuff. Your prices is to essentially max out options. I've gone through the home build in a community and I don't know anyone that spent this much. |
Anonymous
You were more direct than me (I was the PP who listed common prices, etc. above) but totally agree. Your neighbors' homes will still be lovely despite spending a sane amount, while you are sure to have one of the most expensive houses on the block, which is not a good thing. |
Anonymous
| Is TB that bad that we can't just purchase a home with the basic options that they provide? |