Anyone Have Dr. Horton Home? How Do You like It? What Do They Offer?

STay in the NE side for schools - NW is overcrowded, the schools seem to have too many problems. Live there now, sending our children to private schools.
KB - for many years they were a sub-par builder. The houses would fall apart before 1 year. There have been improvements in quality over the recent years, but I would watch out. Don't buy an older one. IF YOU CAN FIND A WAY TO AFFORD IT<find a place in the Alamo Heights distrrict. The extra tax dollars have built up incredible schools and support for all children. If I had to do it overagain, wewould have bought there.

KB homes have had a bad reputation for some time. I, however, own a KB home and am very happy with it. The one thing I know of KB homes is that they are great for utilizing each space in the home. As for good areas in NISD I live NW San Antonio off 1604 and Braun Rd. Silverbrook is a subdivision with KB Homes which are 6 years old. On Potranco Rd, outside Loop 1604 KB is building a two new communities. The are other builders in that area, one being DH Horton. You can walk through model homes in that area. Good Luck!

Hi M. - K. here again. Our current home was built by KB, and our new home will be built by Centex. KB is OK, but if you use them, I'd highly recommend hiring a professional inspector at critical building phases. KB construction can be a little sloppy. Also, if your neighborhood is in a hilly area, KB won't level the lots; they just build your house on a slope. Sounds like no big deal, but it leaves ugly foundations exposed and makes it hard for the kiddos to play in the back yard. Centex terraces the lots if necessary so that you have a flatter yard.

Differences I've seen with Centex in the neighborhood we're building in (Park at University Hills): Centex fully sods front and back yards in Bermuda (KB uses water hog St. Augustine and only sods part of the back yard). Centex installs a privacy fence. Centex installs "orange peel" textured ceilings; KB installs "popcorn" acoustic ceiling, probably to help cover shoddy construction. We found a huge arch in our bedroom ceiling while installing a border.

If you want lots of customization, use KB. Centex packages their interior color schemes (carpet, tile, countertop) and exteriors. KB lets you choose any combination you want and will even let you move walls / windows / doors in the house layout. Centex won't let you do that, even for a price. We've found Centex employees to be much more personable and responsive than KB, and overall we're more satisfied with Centex so far...time will tell.

Hope this insight helps.
K.

I think Julie said it just right. KB is good if you want the most space for your money. The others might have more architectural features at the cost of space. Depends on your preference. As far as quality. KB got a bad rap mostly due to one subdivision. But, just recently they were rated in the top 4 favorites by home-owners in SA. (Centex was first, I believe) Alamo Heights is definitely a great district. But, you really pay for location. I like Northside because my sister teaches in it! Personally, I think it's all relative to your child's age and how long you plan on living in an area. Maybe the high school has a bad rap (or a good rep) and you have a 2nd grader. Well, by the time he/she is in high school, the school may be better/worse. Some of the high schools on the southside had horrible reps and now are very good. I like the central SA area because there are also great private schools. But, again, central costs more for less (housewise). We've been home shopping too. Be happy to give you thoughts on what we've seen. (We have looked just about everywhere, I think!)

Well, here is my scoop. I have two friends who live in KB homes and so far, they had no problems. We were looking at having a KB home built but we noticed that the neighborhoods don't look very nice after a while...note, that we were looking in a lower price range, too. What I have heard is that KB Hom will qualify pretty much anyone and they will finance. Very often they overqualify you and they are quick in foreclosing. Since they are builder and money lender, they always come out ahead...so watch out for that. Also, the yards are VERY small, and there is no parking! Alamo Heights is very expensive and you could pays as much as $200+ for 900sqf!!!
Stay on the NE side! I think it is the nicest part of town and the schools are all pretty good. Overcrowding happens everywhere. No matter who you choose make sure you find out what kind of wood they use for the 2x4's!!! I heard that some builders use this kind that is made from leftover scraps glued together...it is supposed to be not very sturdy, but cheaper as lumber costs have skyrocketed....and BTW: we bought a nice home in an established neighborhood and frankly, I prefer that to any new home...we have a huge backyard and a large street with plenty room for parking and stuff....the choice is up to you....GOOD LUCK on whatever you may decide.

Hello there M.,

You know you will get different opinions it all depends on what you are looking for, but I currently own a KB home, and have not had any problems. We are actually looking to buy another new home possibly a KB home again. We have looked at over 5-8 different home builders. Each builder has their own pros and cons. EX. with KB homes you will be paying for space with a bit of elegance with 2 boys who will grow we need spacious rooms, living roms, kitchens etc. Then there is Pulte Homes, you will be paying for Beautiful elegance with less space so that they can focus on huge ceilings arch ways etc. Same with DR Hortons and Medallion homes. Dont get me wrong elegance is what I adore but I look for more space nowadays. But KB has nice models also. So your best bet is to look at different models from different builders they have them all over town. We live in the NE side and love it here. Regarding how they are built I wouldnt worry too much about homes not being built correctly, becuse these companies wouldnt be in business if they dont build homes properly. They have certain rules and codes they have to go by in order to build a safe reliable home. But you cant go wrong with KB. Good luck and have fun house hunting. Julie