Hillwood planning new Red Oak development

[St-T]

Hillwood planning new Red Oak development



03:18 PM CST on Monday, January 31, 2005

By STEVE BROWN

Ross Perot Jr’s Hillwood Residential said Monday it plans to build a large residential community in Red Oak south of Dallas.

Red Oak and much of northern Ellis County are enjoying a housing boom.

Home sales in Ellis County were up by more than 25 percent last year and developers are targeting the area for new home subdivisions.

“What was lacking down there was a master planned affordable community — something we do very well,” said Fred Balda, president of Hillwood Residential. “There is a lot of demand down there, and it has easy access to employment centers.”

Hillwood will build 650 home lots in the project, which it’s calling Harmony. The 166-acre development is on Ovilla Road just west of Interstate 35E.

Along with the residential lots, the project will include a pool, cabana, a park and meandering trails.

Builders First Texas Homes, Gehan Homes and Newmark Homes have signed up to build house in the project that will be from $130,000 to $200,000.

Construction is set to begin on the first phase of the development in April with lots coming on the market later this year, according to Hillwood.

Hillwood previously built a successful residential community called Gateway Estates in nearby Glenn Heights.

The developer has 13 subdivisions underway in North Texas. It has developed more than 17,000 single-family home lots in the D-FW area.

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

[drumguy8800]

::cowers::

[texman]

We might actually see a balance in DFW growth North vs South in the next 20 years.

[Columbus Civil]

Frisco South

[CTroyMathis]

NoEl.

[noelamador]

Ellis County lures homebuyers

Mix of old and new homes helps fuel sales boom
11:49 PM CST on Thursday, March 10, 2005
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/031105dnbusellis.4a0b5.html

WAXAHACHIE ? With 3,200 square feet of living space and a pool in the back yard, sales agent Jon Warren's Marvin Street listing is always a hit on open house days.The 100-year-old, restored Greek Revival home attracts shoppers from Dallas and elsewhere.

"We've had people moving from California look at it," Mr. Warren said. "A lot of people from Dallas have looked at the house, but so far no one has bought it."

Homes in Waxahachie, where this four-bedroom historic house lists for $250,000, are still lower than in many Dallas neighborhoods. 'It's a great buy,' says sales agent Jon Warren. 'We're just waiting for the right person to come in the door.'

At $250,000, "it's a great buy," he said. "We're just waiting for the right person to come in the door."

A mix of moderately priced older homes and hundreds of new houses is drawing more and more buyers to Ellis County communities south of Dallas.

Last year, pre-owned home sales in Ellis County rose by more than 20 percent, more than twice the sales increase for the Dallas-Fort Worth area as a whole. And new home starts have jumped by almost 50 percent over the last two years.

Housing analysts say the combination of affordable land 20 to 30 miles from downtown Dallas and expanding employment centers in Ellis County makes the area attractive to builders.

"In the last three years, there has been quite a bit of growth down there," said Ted Wilson of Residential Strategies. Building sites in closer communities like Lancaster and Cedar Hill are increasingly hard to find, he said.

"And some of the other traditionally strong building markets like southeast Arlington are starting to run out of lots," Mr. Wilson said. "Development activity continues to march further down Interstate 35."

Last year, builders started almost 1,200 homes in Ellis County, up from fewer than 800 single-family home starts in 2002, according to Residential Strategies.

Most of the home starts are in Waxahachie, Red Oak and Midlothian. Construction is also picking up in nearby Ferris and Ovilla.

Clyde Hargrove has three subdivisions in Red Oak and two in Waxahachie.

"We're seeing buyers from all over the Dallas-Fort Worth area ? not just Lancaster, DeSoto and Cedar Hill," Mr. Hargrove said. "We are even getting some from the northern suburbs and people moving in from out of state."

He said lower land prices and fewer municipal building fees make northern Ellis County popular with both builders and buyers.

"There's some job creation going on down here in Waxahachie and Ennis," Mr. Hargrove said. "A lot of builders and developers are jumping over Red Oak and going further down to Waxahachie."

Arlington-based builder Ron Formby has been in Waxahachie for more than two years.

"When we went down there, there were very few builders in the Waxahachie market, but today there are more every day," Mr. Formby said. "The market there has some limitations, but it's getting better all the time.

"There is a lot of interest from builders because of the affordable land," he said.

Mr. Formby's new Antares Homes in Waxahachie start at under $100,000.

New development

In Red Oak, just south of the Dallas County line, 261 residential building permits were issued in 2004, up 38 percent.
TOM SETZER/Staff Artist

Rich Berquist of Ryland Homes said buyers in his company's Oak Tree Estates subdivision in Red Oak have been a combination of locals and out-of-towners.

"We've had several buyers from California who come down here to see how much home they can get 45 minutes from downtown Dallas," said Mr. Berquist.

Ryland's new homes in Red Oak are priced from around $163,000 to just under $220,000. The 1,800- to 3,200-square-foot houses are built on oversize lots.

"We have 70 lots in the subdivision and are down to about 36," Mr. Berquist said. "I would be shocked if we have anything left by the end of the summer."

One of North Texas' biggest residential developers, Hillwood, recently announced plans for a 650-home subdivision in Red Oak.

Called Harmony, the project will have houses built by First Texas Homes, Gehan Homes and Newmark Homes.

"We expect to break ground on April first and will complete the lots in late November," said Hillwood vice president Angie Waddle. The first model homes will be ready next spring.

Historic lure

Sales of pre-owned homes in Ellis County set a record last year at more than 1,400. The median price was $120,000, about $20,000 less than for all of North Texas.

Waxahachie, which is known for its Victorian courthouse and neighborhoods of gingerbread homes, continues to lure buyers looking for affordable historic homes.

"This week I'm working with a couple from California and one from Florida," says real estate agent Claire Crabb. "The people from California are looking at the vintage homes, and the ones from Florida are looking at a big new home."

One of Ms. Crabb's listings is a turn-of-the-century showplace on more than two acres.

"They've recently redone all the floors in the house, and the lot's big enough for horses," she said.

With about 2,700 square feet, the big orange and green house with a turret on the front is priced at less than $200,000.

"You can still get a lot of house for your money here," Ms. Crabb said. "A lot of buyers are deciding that Waxahachie is the place to be, and of course I agree."

E-mail stevebrown@dallasnews.com

[barrycb]

The growth of families with disposable income in the southern suburbs will help advance Dallas' center city initiatives. There are plenty of things to do and places to shop and eat between Frisco and Downtown/Uptown Dallas, but very few between Red Oak and downtown Dallas. It gives Dallas a bigger pool to market to, without having to overcome the competition of the amenities of the "Great White North".

[Cole]

FYI - Waxahachie people are weird.

[Kelley USA]

Dale Hansen lives in Waxahachie...

[tamtagon]

The growth of families with disposable income in the southern suburbs will help advance Dallas' center city initiatives.

Absolutely.

The greater the population living within 15 miles of the CBD, the greater the potential of centralized activities. NE Tarrant and S Denton Counties is considered the newest rapid population growth area. I dont think S Dallas County will continue as a DFW slow growth area but will join other regions as a viable option for new home construction. Other industry players get increased comfort level through Hillwood's Red Oak project, easing (but not squelching) the concerns among locals regarding the perceived danger of neighboring South Dallas, and contribute toward the reality for the area to provide secure the investment profitability of home ownership.

[texman]

So Waxahachie is the next Frisco?