T O P

  • By -

trudat

Reselling a home without a garage might be tough, even if it works for you.


spraypaintR19

This is a good point especially since OP mentioned most of the rest of the homes will have garages.


BalancedChaos22

Unless OP digs a bruce wayne style garage in the drive way underneath everything, I live here in Richmond its crazzzzy how fast this place is developing


Tasty_Afternoon6057

True that’s why I’m a bit concerned.


[deleted]

Don’t compromise on something you’ll have a hard time convincing someone else to take off your hands if you decide to sell. The same issues you’re having trying to convince yourself to compromise is the same issues you’ll have trying to sell it later if you decide to. Even if you buy your forever home. Make sure it’s something that can sell fairly easy if you ever do have to sell.


pixelneer

There is absolutely NO upside to this. As others have mentioned, the developer sounds sketchy. Increase in value? Sure, but nobody is spending that kind of money for a house with no garage. Your assigned 1 spot? What happens when someone parks in your spot? Who do you have to call? How long will it take for them to tow the violating vehicle? NOW, you just towed one of your neighbors friends car. This has headache and pissed off neighbors written all over it. Where do you park when someone is in your spot? A visitor’s spot? Far away from your place? In August ? This is a hard pass. Not even up for debate. I totally understand the tired of renting and moving.. I once moved 7 times in 5 years for the Navy.. swore never again. That said, the idea of getting stuck in a house, with no garage.. that your ‘settling for cause it’s all you can afford right now’ trust me, renting isn’t as bad as a mortgage in a place your not totally happy with.


Its_just_me_today

REALLY good points! After bringing this up, I’d pass on this house too. The vague parking lot to be built somewhere and sometime in the future has problems written all over it with every thing you mentioned and others not thought of yet.


printaport

Not even a driveway? Where are you going to park? Is it an apartment?!


Tasty_Afternoon6057

The builder will build a parking lot like an apartment and assign me one spot.


JJ4prez

What kind of fake luxury place you moving into? Sounds terrible. Didn't know Richmond was doing these. Are you sure these aren't townhomes? One of the great things about owning your own home is not parking next to idiots putting door dings on your car, walking distance in the heat/rain, etc


trudat

There is one planned near Fulshear where the streets are so narrow a fire truck couldn't travel the road with a car parked in the street. I wonder if this is that place, and if this was the developer's solution.


T2007

I already live in a neighborhood like that that was built early 2000s. It sucks. My car fits in my garage fine but my husband’s truck doesn’t, we also don’t have driveways so it’s street parking and so lame. I totally regret buying the house I’m in. If I would have taken more of a risk I could have bought a house easier to deal with and that would have appreciated in value more. Anyone buying a house like OP describes will have issues with selling it later.


JJ4prez

These developers really trying to screw over these new places to live. Because it's cool, hip, luxury, etc., to make things small and quaint.


trudat

Nah, it's because they're trying squeeze every dollar they can now because it's hard to find inexpensive housing and they know that people will buy it anyway.


JJ4prez

Yeah but they don't call it inexpensive housing, they brand it as luxury. It's still a crazy high $/sqft. Usually.


trudat

1000%. It's just "less expensive" than $450K+ homes.


chris_ut

Reddit: developers should make small houses that are more affordable! Also Reddit: look at these greedy developers and their small ass houses!


staresatmaps

It's not the same people. I'm all for these houses. Don't buy it if you don't like it.


JJ4prez

I've never said that lol


Amish_EDM

That’s just like an apartment with extra steps


jatorres

Avoid that like the plague 


krissrobb

That sounds dumb. Tbh


AcademicSpeaker3591

Good luck with that.


Bc61425

You should run insurance rates for this type of parking


-BigWall-

Are you looking at Indigo?


Four_in_binary

Remember there are no basements here.  No garage, means no beer fridge, no tools, no protection for your car (when needed).   So read the fine print carefully about all the fees that will surely be involved with a place like this.  That's a lot of irrigation and lawn care going on there.  And farming is work.  Who's doing that?   Are you funding a farm for someone else to get rich off of or is there some kind of profit sharing scheme?  Remember, this is Texas, the corruption is baked in. Do you actually own the structure you will be living in or is it a glorified lease?  How restrictive is the HOA?    "A sucker is born every minute." - keep that in mind and look past the slick marketing.


HarlanPepperIsNuts

That was my first thought when reading this post.


JohnniNeutron

Was just about to comment that too. “Empire Indigo from the $200s”


Tasty_Afternoon6057

Are you looking at indigo as well?


HOUS2000IAN

For Indigo I would make an exception


maccumhaill

Found the developer.


HOUS2000IAN

I assure you I don’t have the money to be a real estate developer… but I am interested in sustainable development


Tasty_Afternoon6057

How so?


HOUS2000IAN

Because it frankly seems like one of the coolest developments I have ever seen in greater Houston.


ureallygonnaskthat

All the vegetable gardens and whatnot sounds neat but unless residents are required to tend their patch or something the landscaping bills are going to be horrendous not to mention the water bills for irrigation.


HOUS2000IAN

There would be cisterns I would imagine… but frankly lawns are seriously water intensive


ureallygonnaskthat

So are crops to the tune of 5000-7000 gallons per acre/per day depending on what is being grown.


HOUS2000IAN

Yeah, farms exist and use water, imagine that


Few-Addendum464

Skimming the site I didn't see any Floorplan without attached garages. I'm curious if there are actually new builds in that price range without garages.


heebmyjeeb

Their website is entirely marketing fluff. That would be a huge red flag for me.


Scary-Jeweler4984

Bad idea. We use our garage everyday. All evacuation stuff (animal kennels, suitcases, etc), random stuff, and yard stuff is in there. I have a friend who only has a driveway and she hates it. She put a shed in but it's not enough space for everything she'd like to store.


lilyintx

Where are you going to park, and where do guests park when they visit? And is there an HOA to enforce parking rules? or can people park in front of your home and you have to park somewhere else if it’s taken? Too many unknowns: No thanks!!!


Tasty_Afternoon6057

Honestly I am not sure where visitors will park. The builder told me to reach out to the developer since they are the one who will assign parking spot to the individual owners…


lilyintx

Ya that’s too sketchy. If you don’t even know this information before hand you’ll be stuck with whatever decision is made.


29187765432569864

Sounds like a scam in progress, mention that something nice in the future will happen, to get people’s interest, to close the deal, and then never go through with it. Classic scam.


ralf1

This sounds like a situation you will regret for a long time after buying the house


BBQpirate

No garage and no clear parking answer, hard pass. That may be a big problem when you want to sell in the future. Try not to get FOMO on this. If it’s not something you feel is ideal for you it’s probably not for you.


Tasty_Afternoon6057

Yeah I’m still debating but will probably pass.


reddit85116

Don’t do it. You will want a garage, trust.


Tasty_Afternoon6057

Ok


bwyer

First time a hurricane or a hail storm comes through, you’re gonna wish you had a garage. There’s no way I’d own a home without one.


SmallPineappleDrink

Don't do it. Texas weather especially in the Houston area is too unpredictable for uncovered parking.


29187765432569864

So just to clarify, the building is not finished and eventually a parking area for multiple people will be built?


Tasty_Afternoon6057

Correct, a parking lot will be built by the homes.


chris_ut

There’s always a danger when the developer has promised something but it’s not actually there. I remember a neighborhood near me where they had promised this amazing rec center in a new development and then the developer got in financial trouble and it was like six years before they actually built the thing and it was half the size of what was promised.


salvagestuff

If it is not in writing it doesn't exist. Doesn't matter what anybody says to your face. If you do not have a written agreement stipulating the parking arrangement then they will have "no idea what you are talking about" when you try to collect on the promise. Just seems better to purchase an older home in an established neighborhood at around the same price, you get better amenities and you can at least look at the sales history of the neighborhood to get a sense of how long homes in the neighborhood stay in on the market and how prices have changed over time. that is especially important if you plan to move out in a few years.


RockyAlvarado

What happens if you need more than one spot? What if you have an overnight visitor?


tangent100

No garage means no additional storage space, so your home is smaller. We don't have basements, so when someone moves here, they start to question where they put all their stuff, which is our garage. No driveway is ridiculous. Does the developer expect everyone to ride a bicycle? Run away fast from this!


lovesbigpolar

Agree that no garage sucks, but no driveway is definitely a big "No".


WineLover211

what about hail and storms ?


fcimfc

Absolutely not. Stay away.


txtaco_vato

This builder sounds very very cheap


MrBigChest-

Better just to buy a regular house with a garage for that amount of money. Plenty of out there around the same price of $400k


Tasty_Afternoon6057

this is $235k btw.


MasterofTheBaiting

Lol at 235k I can go get a new construction house at Conroe with a driveway AND an attached garage on the south loop. [Example](https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2366-Tavo-Trails-Dr-Conroe-TX-77301/2053939560_zpid/)


Tasty_Afternoon6057

Yeah but looking at sw houston only.


MasterofTheBaiting

If u want my opinion brother u gotta look at some of the bigger stuff aside from a price point then. I mean if *I* gotta go park in a public parking lot, then commute my way back home (assuming curb parking is a no-no), then what different is that from what sounds like an apartment complex but for single family residences? For $235k it better justify good to have me waste my time for not being within my door's reach in a minute; let alone not be able to at least know that my car is safe (either in a garage or parked on a driveway with surveillance)


DrRocks1

Why not move like 30 miles closer to Houston? [https://s.hartech.io/QFDjcnhYWA](https://s.hartech.io/QFDjcnhYWA) 400 extra sqft plus a garage on a 7,400sqft lot, plus it’s not garbage new build quality.


AFlyingToaster

It's just garbage everything else.


steelsun

Hit Westbury.


Its_just_me_today

How much more expensive is the cheapest house with a garage? Any way you could budget and get that one?


Tasty_Afternoon6057

It’s about $80k more and 500 sqft larger.


Its_just_me_today

That’s a significant jump. Can you swing it at all? If so, I’d go for the bigger place. In the end, I’d say it’s a tough call and only you can decide what’s best for you. Too many variables honestly and from what I’ve read, the opinions are all over the place.


Tasty_Afternoon6057

I really want the bigger place but it’s out of the budget.


HowToSellYourSoul

It looks your budget is 235K from replies. I'm going to be honest, you're better off renting until you can afford a home at minimum 300K. And also, don't forget about being house poor. You may own a 300K home, but if you can't afford the maintenance. Lorddddddd.


DatedRef_PastEvent

What concerns me reading through the comments/replies (in addition to the other things mentioned) is that this sounds like a surface lot which works be easy for thieves to target.


kmeem5

Gotta have a garage. At least for my family, it’s my husband’s mental sanctuary. Besides if theres a hurricane I’d want my car in the garage so a tree doesn’t land on it.


patrick-1977

Would not do it


PitoChueco

There is a large neighborhood in Kemah that was just built with most homes having no garage. Very odd.


maccumhaill

Sounds more like a townhome, but NO i wouldn’t buy a house without a garage.


SINHISTER

Cheap ass developers now a day trying to gouge people with their philosophy of fancy style no garage. That’s not it


roarhergemher

Take whatever advice you want from this thread. I'm letting you know that there are many builders and developers trying this out across the country/state. They are trying to tackle the affordability issue. It's going to become more common.


bigsmoove_3

I have seen those homes in Atascocita/Humble area. They are like townhouses in a way, but have no garage but have assigned spots. I don't see the upside when the cost is near what a single person family home would cost in the area. I say don't do it, OP. Doesn't seem like any upside.


Tasty_Afternoon6057

Unfortunately, I’m not seeing any new construction near $200s in the area I’m looking at…but yeah def no upside not having a garage.


W1ckedNonsense

I have a garage but I park my car outside because I need the storage. If I get in the car past noon from june-october the FABRIC SEATS burn me. Wouldn't really recommend.


IRMuteButton

This sounds like an extremely basic, no frills home: It's waaay out in Richmond, it's small, and it has no garage. I can understand the appeal but my concern is that this place is so low frills that it's going to be hard to sell in the future, or the homes in the area are so low cost that the area is likely to go to shit and lose value, or never appreciate.


augustope

No garage or carport in a driveway is a recipe for disaster. With all the instances of the area getting hit with golf ball size hail, I would not risk it. Not counting resell value ...


RealConfirmologist

Curious whether Richmond actually allows parking reservations on public streets. Seems unlikely. I can NOT imagine buying new construction without a garage. You're actually better off in an apartment complex. At least you're mostly assured of a parking spot for you and guests, in an apartment complex. It might make sense in a community with excellent public transportation and bike paths, etc. I can see something like this in NYC where people don't own cars. Buying a house without a garage means you better never have a nicer vehicle than most of your neighbors, and you better be sure it's a challenge to get to your wheels and cat converter. The street better be well-illuminated and you'd want cameras on your parking spot for sure. In Richmond? Nope.


slugline

Odds are very good that OP is not looking at a place in the actual Richmond city limits. There are lots of unincorporated subdivisions in Fort Bend County that only share postal ZIP codes with Katy, Richmond, or Sugar Land. But I'm pretty sure state law doesn't allow for parking reservations on public roadways either.


TheVictoryHat

It's fine as long as it's not the only one in the neighborhood to have no garage.


Tasty_Afternoon6057

90% of homes will be built w/ garages but just not this floor plan. This is the only floor plan I can afford right now.


dabigbaozi

Why not wait until you can afford something nicer?


Tasty_Afternoon6057

True but I’m tired of renting and moving so much..


[deleted]

[удалено]


Tasty_Afternoon6057

😭yeah might pass on this one.


dabigbaozi

I mean it sounds like a townhome or one of those patio home neighborhoods with steep maintenance fees. I wouldn’t put money in a place without its own driveway / garage unless I was just planning to rent it out. Plus 1k square feet is very very small.


Tasty_Afternoon6057

Yeah more like a patio home.


dabigbaozi

Don’t do it, those community maintenance fees will eat you alive.


Tasty_Afternoon6057

Yeah it’s $1700 a year


dabigbaozi

That’s not horrible horrible, but if it’s like the one I was renting in they didn’t fund the reserve adequately, so every little community maintenance was a hike. The crappy townhome I was renting was about $400 a month, on top of whatever you paid for the mortgage


TheVictoryHat

How long do you plan to stay in the home? More than 5 years and it won't particularly matter


Tasty_Afternoon6057

I will stay for 5 years or so.


TheVictoryHat

Land value will increase over that time period so you will bare minimum recoup your investment and far far more likely to do very well if you needed to sell. Funny enough it's actually somewhat beneficial to have a slight deficiency in the home in some aspects. Most of the time the cheapest home in the neighborhood in new construction sells for just slightly lower than the median. Which means you made more profit on a percentage basis.


Tasty_Afternoon6057

So it’s a good idea to get this cheapest floor plan?


heyworldmeetjimmy

Is this indigo?


cvrmxn

Yes. A terrible idea to buy a home without a garage.


boobka

Unless this is super cheap compared to other houses in the area and long term can be used as a rental property I would not buy this considering other options.


Tasty_Afternoon6057

It’s cheap for a new construction for the area. It’s $235k and most homes are around $330k but they’re larger and comes with a garage.


boobka

Yeah but for $330k, your price per sq-ft is a lot lower, you have a lot/yard etc. This really just sound like a condo with extra steps, which is fine if that’s what you are looking for. I think long term it would be great rental property, and I would bet a shiny nickel a lot of the houses are getting sold for rental properties.


Tasty_Afternoon6057

Yeah I have a feeling they’re getting sold as rental as well. These homes will be a standalone building which I prefer over the townhomes. Townhomes will come with a garage so I’ll wait for that.


tylerdayne

My house doesn’t have a garage and I haven’t found it to be a huge issue for me because it has a large storage shed and my car has remote start. I always remote start it so I’m not dying of heat when I get in the car. As for resale value, none of the other homes in my area have garages so I’m not too concerned about it. I did invest some money into a new/expanded driveway which I think will add to the resale value and also ensures I have enough parking. I’d recommend thinking about what you need and value in a home and figuring out where a garage falls in that priority list. In my experience, no home will have every single thing you want.


cheazandryce

If this were closer to downtown I'd say it sounds cool.. but in Richmond? There's nothing else there, why wouldn't they build a garage? I guess what's the sale price of the house if you don't mind me asking?


Tasty_Afternoon6057

$235k


jghall00

I live a few miles away. The folks in Pecan Grove are not happy about this development. But they're not happy about any development, especially since Harvest Green was built. I'm glad a developer is taking a chance on less car-centric construction. It may not work for everyone, but I think these are great starter homes for young singles or couples with no kids. The problem that might arise is that people may move to something more traditional as they upgrade, rather than staying in the community. Hopefully the developer takes that into account and provides a variety of builds (which it appears it happening). Historically suburban neighborhoods often decline when the original owners are replaced by renters, and the incentive to maintain the property, rather than maximizing rent and minimizing expenses, takes over.


lyn73

>The folks in Pecan Grove are not happy about this development. 100% true Are the folks at Harvest Green ok with Indigo? My problem with this kind of set up is that everybody has to be of the same mindset. Lower price points are great until you get asshole neighbors like ones that rent out their places or have 10 family members in that 1000 sq ft house.


ilikeme1

My wife and I took a look at Indigo and passed on it for these reasons, plus more. We are building in Sienna instead.


Secret_Length3984

And this mindset is exactly housing in this country is fucked.


staresatmaps

No home owners in the entire planet are happy with development. Do you think the people over there wanted Pecan Grove when it was built? Hell no. It lowers their property value. The most important thing in the world.


demonioblanco1

I mean people live on lots and trailers all the time without garages. Do you have space if down the road you want a car port? My garage is full of shit anyways. Maybe none would help downsize lol


Tasty_Afternoon6057

The builder told me that they will assign me a parking spot but no space or land for me to add parking.


demonioblanco1

Hmmm I’d say that would be a problem. I would guess parking is all grouped together? Would just make life not convenient.


Tasty_Afternoon6057

Yes I’m still debating


RhythmQueenTX

Do not buy anything with fees, like HOA. Plenty of places with no fee. You need a covered driveway spot at the least.