Lots of people think like that, right up until someone actually paints their house bright pink. It never ceased to amaze me how many people complain about their HOA and then don't show up to a single HOA meeting. I guess they think the HOA is some Illuminati organization operating in dark recesses of society with the sole purpose of measuring the height of their grass in the middle of the night.

I think there's a happy medium which can be found. There are those HOAs which look for ticky tack violations and use mistakes of homeowners to fund the HOA's leadership. That's not great. Then there are those HOAs which exist in name only.

I'm fortunate enough to live on a house in a neighborhood between two HOAs. My legal is metes and bounds, not part of HOA. There are some restricive covenants for both HOAs, but neither one fo them is active.

The concerning thing about being in one of those inactive HOAs is that someone might paint their house bright pink as you say, spurning their neighbors into activity, and then all of the sudden, you have every landscaping change of the last 20 years being cited as a violation.

You can easily plant flower beds that are friendly to bees and other pollinators.

We have a chaste tree which brings in pollinators from all over. So agreed on that count. And even though I nuke the yard with chemicals, the tree gets left alone and the pollinators keep showing up.

Same, single family zoning has a stranglehold over our country and prevents the construction of a great deal of housing that is desperately needed. At this point I'm pretty close to the opinion that it should be banned everywhere.

If we were living in Japan, I'd agree with you. In the U.S. and particularly in Oklahoma, we have pretty much unlimited space and if folks want to live in a community full of single housing, that doesn't mean that 15-20 minutes away, someone can't build multifamily dwellings or tiny houses.

But those folks in the sprawling single family homes are going to advocate on their behalf, and in communities where they are the great majority, they will tend to get their way--as they should.

There are a lot of developers on this site with very entitled views about being able to develop their land as they see fit. They fail to take into account an equally entitled group of folks who don't want that near their home and have ways to stop it. If developers would start by reaching out to the NIMBYs and building developments they want, everyone could be happy--and if that's still singel family housing, well, those developments still turn a profit, so don't despair.

The beef is bees dieing by landing or feeding or whatever bees do on the weeds that have chemicals on them. I’ve found that the pre emergent my spray company uses keeps weeds from even sprouting so there are no weeds to even spray. Ive been using this company for 1 year now and I’ve had zero weeds so far this spring.

If we were living in Japan, I'd agree with you. In the U.S. and particularly in Oklahoma, we have pretty much unlimited space and if folks want to live in a community full of single housing, that doesn't mean that 15-20 minutes away, someone can't build multifamily dwellings or tiny houses.

But those folks in the sprawling single family homes are going to advocate on their behalf, and in communities where they are the great majority, they will tend to get their way--as they should.

There are a lot of developers on this site with very entitled views about being able to develop their land as they see fit. They fail to take into account an equally entitled group of folks who don't want that near their home and have ways to stop it. If developers would start by reaching out to the NIMBYs and building developments they want, everyone could be happy--and if that's still singel family housing, well, those developments still turn a profit, so don't despair.

'The US has unlimited space' is how we collectively got cursed with endlessly sprawling pedestrian unfriendly suburbia. Might be time to try something else.

There are really three factors limiting development--energy, which we have plenty of, water, which we have for decades, and land, which we aren't close to running out of. There are some communities which don't aspire to be any more than suburban communities with a smattering of retail at the convergences of the section lines. If you're a developer and plan on building multifamily properties or tiny houses, purchase land at your own risk.

4th factor limiting development - money. Cities long ago stopped being a cash business and started funding operations on debt. First short term debt and then long term debt. Now some of the debt last longer than the infrastructure being built with it - which means we are now rolling negative equity into City finances. On top of that, the new developments aren't paying enough taxes to cover the costs of providing infrastructure and services to them.

Debt-service is becoming a huge portion of every government budget. Many cities can't even maintain their current infrastructure but keep adding to the burden on a daily basis.

This story is a few years old but probably still applies.

https://okcfox.com/news/local/oklahoma-city-needs-400-per-taxpayer-to-get-out-of-financial-trench-report-finds

4th factor limiting development - money. Cities long ago stopped being a cash business and started funding operations on debt. First short term debt and then long term debt. Now some of the debt last longer than the infrastructure being built with it - which means we are now rolling negative equity into City finances. On top of that, the new developments aren't paying enough taxes to cover the costs of providing infrastructure and services to them.

Debt-service is becoming a huge portion of every government budget. Many cities can't even maintain their current infrastructure but keep adding to the burden on a daily basis.

This story is a few years old but probably still applies.

https://okcfox.com/news/local/oklahoma-city-needs-400-per-taxpayer-to-get-out-of-financial-trench-report-finds

The federal govt can kinda sorta do this, but cities and states really can't, and for them to keep going down that path when it gets darker and darker and the light at the end of it keeps getting smaller and smaller is just insane, absolute lunacy...

Interesting Read

Downsizing in the Golden Years? Not So Fast

https://www.marnijameson.com/post/downsizing-in-the-golden-years-not-so-fast?fbclid=IwAR02dzgYudmk8fjgLl8VFZJXWnBlwHQ_Isce lZaN2ujbQ6u0zPD2SrMeRJY

Interesting Read

Downsizing in the Golden Years? Not So Fast

https://www.marnijameson.com/post/downsizing-in-the-golden-years-not-so-fast?fbclid=IwAR02dzgYudmk8fjgLl8VFZJXWnBlwHQ_Isce lZaN2ujbQ6u0zPD2SrMeRJY

anecdotally, my parents' neighbors of over 40 years did exactly this recently and they are in their early 80's... they stumbled onto the perfect property for them and decided that they needed more room for family gatherings, hobbies, and all their stuff.

anecdotally, my parents' neighbors of over 40 years did exactly this recently and they are in their early 80's... they stumbled onto the perfect property for them and decided that they needed more room for family gatherings, hobbies, and all their stuff.

Boomers generally have tons of money socked away and can easily pay for lawn service and a housekeeper, which are both pretty cheap these days.

True, but it's particularly shocking someone would pay $300K+ for a home and then not even make the slightest effort to maintain the yard.

Why spend all that money on something that looks great and then not bother to pay someone to cut the grass?

On my next walk, I'm going to take photos and post them. Beautifully remodeled (and expensive) homes where the new owners let things go as soon as they moved in. It's like it never occurred to them the grass would ever have to be mowed.

I think this is confirmation of people pricing themselves out of maintaining their property. Both of the homes my wife and I bought were well-cared-for older homes. To be honest, the first, a 1950s vintage, was a tiny bit of a stretch for us when we bought it, but we had rising incomes. The second, our current place, is a 1960s vintage that we can definitely afford. In both cases, they were in good shape to start, but required some updating, and then, lots of things like electrical upgrades, exterior trim painting, lawn care (we don't own a mower), fixing cracks in the driveway (real sexy stuff there).

If we didn't have the disposable income to make those changes (two new HVACs - one for each home, as an example), new hot water heater, appliances going kaput, etc. the place would fall apart.

That's why realtors who say, "Buy as much house as you can afford" are terrible people just looking for a nice commission. No, buy what you can afford mortgage-wise and what you can also afford to maintain. We haven't run a spreadsheet on this but I bet the average over the course of a year in such maintenance and improvements is at least another $400-$500 / month on the low end when it all averages out.

A lot of folks would be better off in a condo, where at least the exterior maintenance and common areas are taken care of. Or, just renting.

^

You can buy a good used lawnmower for $100 -- that's what I just sold my very nice Toro for after I upgraded to an electric model; and I was lucky to get that.

I don't buy for a minute that someone that purchases a house for $300K can't afford a hundred bucks for a mower. That's about what the average American spends to eat out every single week.

I paid 91.5k for my house in 2018. Ever since then I've been very anal about taking care of my yard. I even have TruGreen come out and treat it. Every time I mow, I'll edge, weed eat, and then use my leaf blower to get rid of the clippings. Then, some of my neighbors around me just let their yards go to crap. A few houses down from me, there's a house where the grass/weeds have been over a foot tall. I even went to my next door neighbors house one day last year and asked if they would want me to mow their yard.

The biggest house in our neighborhood -- a pretty big mansion-type property with over 6500 square feet -- was purchased by a physician. He is too cheap to pay for lawn service. It's ridiculous. Everyone in our cul-de-sac takes very good care of their lawns (and most of them are retired teachers and civil servants and such), and this young slob just does not care. And, it's a tremendously large lawn. The property is more than an acre at least. So, he bought the place knowing it has a gigantic lawn and just lets it go to crap. He will mow part of it and stop. it's ridiculous.

We report him to the city every time the grass gets above eight inches, which is often in summer because most of it is weeds and Johnson grass, which grows quickly.

^

You can buy a good used lawnmower for $100 -- that's what I just sold my very nice Toro for after I upgraded to an electric model; and I was lucky to get that.

I don't buy for a minute that someone that purchases a house for $300K can't afford a hundred bucks for a mower. That's about what the average American spends to eat out every single week.

Totally agree with this.

My point was, aside from the lawn care, there's a lot of non-sexy stuff that has to be maintained in a home after you buy it: plumbing, electric, peeling paint, rotting wood soffits, etc. So, people who stretch to pay mortgage and taxes aren't going to have the funds to fix anything but the most necessary, such as a water heater. They will let the exterior trim degrade, the driveway get beset by cracks, the roof cave in, etc. because they don't have enough to maintain their homes.

If you really care about it and do it it is expensive. A lot of homeowners don't take that into consideration when they buy a home they can barely afford.

^

I would say the people buying these flip houses like the ones in my neighborhood are seduced by the Instagram lifestyle to which flippers cater. They do a lot of superficial things that look good in the short term and then people move in and don't have the desire to put in any work or spend on necessary non-sexy stuff.

My house was a flip and one of the reasons I liked it so much is they didn't put in a bunch of high-end finishes but did the heavy lifting like completely replacing the roof & deck, HVAC, most of the electrical, and took down a bunch of walls. The finishes are just okay and I'm slowly changing everything out to suit my standards and taste.

But they said they completely replaced the plumbing and the inspector my realtor recommended didn't catch that slow-draining sinks and showers signaled a big sewer line problem, something I paid a small fortune to fix years later. They also just threw mulch over several disastrous planting beds which looked horrific within two weeks of me moving in; they also didn't touch the 2 dozen mature trees in the back that had been neglected for decades and that's something where you just have to write a big check to the guys with the heavy machinery.

It's all worked out because I've done a bunch of the work myself and I also knew this area would be coming up, and bought right before it really took off. But I will be forever suspicious of flippers and I know tons of other people get caught up in something with a pretty-looking new kitchen and don't realize that things are going to start looking pretty shabby very quickly if they aren't willing to do some work.

And most these people won't even buy a cheap mower and cut their front grass, so good luck with a 60-year-old house with only superficial improvements.

^

You can buy a good used lawnmower for $100 -- that's what I just sold my very nice Toro for after I upgraded to an electric model; and I was lucky to get that.

I don't buy for a minute that someone that purchases a house for $300K can't afford a hundred bucks for a mower. That's about what the average American spends to eat out every single week.

But Pete. I take genuine joy in my yard looking like I don't give a hoot. And I live in a very expensive house. And I can afford to maintain it.

But you can't put a price on my joy.

It is not really a political thing, or an environmental thing. I just kind of think putting time and energy and water into a yard in Oklahoma's climate is dumb.

I think there is another segment of people here. People who legitimately don't care how their home looks. There is a person like this down the street from me. Their house is paid off and only one person works. (I know this from the neighborhood old guy who talks with everyone). They just don't care. Lawn looks awful, beds overgrown, siding in bad shape. I am guessing there is one of these in just about everyones neighborhood.

I think there is another segment of people here. People who legitimately don't care how their home looks. There is a person like this down the street from me. Their house is paid off and only one person works. (I know this from the neighborhood old guy who talks with everyone). They just don't care. Lawn looks awful, beds overgrown, siding in bad shape. I am guessing there is one of these in just about everyones neighborhood.

I guess this is me. I am finally repainting my house because the old paint is starting to come off and I am worried about things beginning to rot underneath. But I am repainting in the same color because I don't feel like making any decisions. This will be the first paint job on this home in ~10 years meanwhile some of the neighbors have repainted 2-3 times for reasons I am completely unclear on or simply cannot relate to.

It's funny we are talking about this because yesterday, I just drove by a flip house I had considered when I first moved back.

It was a pretty little bungalow that had been remodeled but I could tell it was out of level and that the outside paint had just been slapped on over the badly pealing coat underneath. It ended up quickly selling so I never made an offer.

When I went by yesterday, it was a complete disaster. I should have taken a photo. They had all types of heavy machinery out there and the fence wasn't just down but completely gone -- maybe the foundation had finally given out? But even the cosmetics -- including the paint -- looked horrible. Now that I think about it, they may be planning to tear it down and rebuild as is happening all around (this is on 41st between Classen & Western).

This was the sales photo from about 5 years ago and now the entire place is in shambles. I looked it up and found the property recently sold for significantly less than what had been paid right after the remodel, so something must have gone catastrophically wrong... Beware of the flip house!

https://photos.zillowstatic.com/fp/b72a5e9e85e7ebdd1fe7995cd9cd6a63-uncropped_scaled_within_1536_1152.webp

It is not really a political thing, or an environmental thing. I just kind of think putting time and energy and water into a yard in Oklahoma's climate is dumb.

I don't water my yard and apart from last summer, it has looked great. I do maintain it very well, brown or not.

I think there is another segment of people here. People who legitimately don't care how their home looks. There is a person like this down the street from me. Their house is paid off and only one person works. (I know this from the neighborhood old guy who talks with everyone). They just don't care. Lawn looks awful, beds overgrown, siding in bad shape. I am guessing there is one of these in just about everyones neighborhood.

There are several within eyesight of my property. With one even when they do mow which might be 3 or 4 times throughout the whole growing season they miss large spots. And forget about weed eating or edging. Severely overgrown trees and shrubs. Paint peeling off the house. Broken garage doors.

^

I would say the people buying these flip houses like the ones in my neighborhood are seduced by the Instagram lifestyle to which flippers cater. They do a lot of superficial things that look good in the short term and then people move in and don't have the desire to put in any work or spend on necessary non-sexy stuff.

My house was a flip and one of the reasons I liked it so much is they didn't put in a bunch of high-end finishes but did the heavy lifting like completely replacing the roof & deck, HVAC, most of the electrical, and took down a bunch of walls. The finishes are just okay and I'm slowly changing everything out to suit my standards and taste.

But they said they completely replaced the plumbing and the inspector my realtor recommended didn't catch that slow-draining sinks and showers signaled a big sewer line problem, something I paid a small fortune to fix years later. They also just threw mulch over several disastrous planting beds which looked horrific within two weeks of me moving in; they also didn't touch the 2 dozen mature trees in the back that had been neglected for decades and that's something where you just have to write a big check to the guys with the heavy machinery.

It's all worked out because I've done a bunch of the work myself and I also knew this area would be coming up, and bought right before it really took off. But I will be forever suspicious of flippers and I know tons of other people get caught up in something with a pretty-looking new kitchen and don't realize that things are going to start looking pretty shabby very quickly if they aren't willing to do some work.

And most these people won't even buy a cheap mower and cut their front grass, so good luck with a 60-year-old house with only superficial improvements.

Did your house have a disclosure?

Only reason I ask is in Oklahoma, if you put your home on the MLS it requires either a property disclosure or disclaimer before it's allowed to be submitted. Disclosures are pretty straight forward, ie: does the water work, does electricity work, are you aware of.......

Disclaimers are there for if you've never occupied the property AND have no knowledge of anything about the property or what's wrong with it. Think of inheriting a home from a loved one who passed.

Too many flippers are using the disclaimer form and not filling out an actual disclosure and saying it's due to them "never occupying the home." However, you have knowledge of all the systems if you are working on it for months. If you answer yes to if the home has water or electricity, you must fill out a disclosure, but most don't cause they are lazy or their agent is lazy. There is no reason not to fill one out, it protects you more in case there is litigation. When I see a flip house with only a disclaimer all the red flags come up. I have requested a full disclosure many times from a flip house before submitting an offer and most comply. Just do it at the beginning.

Did your house have a disclosure?

Only reason I ask is in Oklahoma, if you put your home on the MLS it requires either a property disclosure or disclaimer before it's allowed to be submitted. Disclosures are pretty straight forward, ie: does the water work, does electricity work, are you aware of.......

Disclaimers are there for if you've never occupied the property AND have no knowledge of anything about the property or what's wrong with it. Think of inheriting a home from a loved one who passed.

Too many flippers are using the disclaimer form and not filling out an actual disclosure and saying it's due to them "never occupying the home." However, you have knowledge of all the systems if you are working on it for months. If you answer yes to if the home has water or electricity, you must fill out a disclosure, but most don't cause they are lazy or their agent is lazy. There is no reason not to fill one out, it protects you more in case there is litigation. When I see a flip house with only a disclaimer all the red flags come up. I have requested a full disclosure many times from a flip house before submitting an offer and most comply. Just do it at the beginning.

Was this in effect in 1996? Because there are foundation problems with the house I purchased then that were not disclosed by the seller. I know they were aware of them because several years down the road I discovered where they hap-hazardly attempted to repair them. They were not caught by the home inspector at the time of purchase either. I know it's too late to do anything about it but it still irks me to this day.

Was this in effect in 1996? Because there are foundation problems with the house I purchased then that were not disclosed by the seller. I know they were aware of them because several years down the road I discovered where they hap-hazardly attempted to repair them. They were not caught by the home inspector at the time of purchase either. I know it's too late to do anything about it but it still irks me to this day.

If you discover that the RPCDA form was filled out fraudulently, then you can sue regarding that. If you can prove that a Defendant had knowledge of a defect, though they've never occupied the home and they filled otu the RPCDA fraudulently, that's actionable.

But Pete. I take genuine joy in my yard looking like I don't give a hoot. And I live in a very expensive house. And I can afford to maintain it.

But you can't put a price on my joy.

It is not really a political thing, or an environmental thing. I just kind of think putting time and energy and water into a yard in Oklahoma's climate is dumb.

Zeroscape and plant native vegetation. Or if you want the do it once and forget approach put in artificial grass.

https://youtu.be/zAQvAUc-dLU

^
for those wanting to look it up, i think you mean 'xeriscape.'

But Pete. I take genuine joy in my yard looking like I don't give a hoot. And I live in a very expensive house. And I can afford to maintain it.

But you can't put a price on my joy.

It is not really a political thing, or an environmental thing. I just kind of think putting time and energy and water into a yard in Oklahoma's climate is dumb.

Hope you don't have neighbors near you.

^
for those wanting to look it up, i think you mean 'xeriscape.'

Yes I did mean xeriscape, although zeroscape is an option as well.

For whatever reason that area between Classen and Western consistently has some of the worst foundation problems I've ever seen.


It's funny we are talking about this because yesterday, I just drove by a flip house I had considered when I first moved back.

It was a pretty little bungalow that had been remodeled but I could tell it was out of level and that the outside paint had just been slapped on over the badly pealing coat underneath. It ended up quickly selling so I never made an offer.

When I went by yesterday, it was a complete disaster. I should have taken a photo. They had all types of heavy machinery out there and the fence wasn't just down but completely gone -- maybe the foundation had finally given out? But even the cosmetics -- including the paint -- looked horrible. Now that I think about it, they may be planning to tear it down and rebuild as is happening all around (this is on 41st between Classen & Western).

This was the sales photo from about 5 years ago and now the entire place is in shambles. I looked it up and found the property recently sold for significantly less than what had been paid right after the remodel, so something must have gone catastrophically wrong... Beware of the flip house!

https://photos.zillowstatic.com/fp/b72a5e9e85e7ebdd1fe7995cd9cd6a63-uncropped_scaled_within_1536_1152.webp

I can't tell you how many homes the wife and I looked at which were remodeled and the floor wasn't leveled first. All the remodeling in the world is 100% waste if they don't level the floor and shore up the foundation. I asked one flipper why he didn't level the floor and he said that would have taken his entire budget. Feel sorry for whomever bought that house.

Not every flipper is Chip and Joanna Gaines.

Not to re-derail this thread, but if anyone has any landscaper recommendations for one of the homeowners likely complained about up-thread, I would appreciate recommendations. (Penn Square Mall area. Private messages are fine.) My lawn guy is flaky and seems to only want to cut grass.

There are so many cleared pieces of land in far NW OKC close to Portland Ave I couldn’t even think of them all. If they all get built imminently I’m interested to know what that would do to the housing market.

There is a new addition going in off NW 150th, back west of Portland - Edgecreek. Lots start at $300k and the higher end lots along the creek ($400+) are all sold.

There is a new addition going in off NW 150th, back west of Portland - Edgecreek. Lots start at $300k and the higher end lots along the creek ($400+) are all sold.

Between that and the Annecy just west of Macarthur off 150th some really nice high end developments that aren't Gaillardia.

Between that and the Annecy just west of Macarthur off 150th some really nice high end developments that aren't Gaillardia.

There is another neighborhood going on the east side of Macarthur about 1/4 mile N of 150th. I think this one is starting in the $300's. Echo Park

There is another neighborhood going on the east side of Macarthur about 1/4 mile N of 150th. I think this one is starting in the $300's. Echo Park

Yea that's been in the works for awhile but progress has been very slow.. Timbercraft is the developer/builder. I think starting in the 400's now.

I can't tell you how many homes the wife and I looked at which were remodeled and the floor wasn't leveled first. All the remodeling in the world is 100% waste if they don't level the floor and shore up the foundation. I asked one flipper why he didn't level the floor and he said that would have taken his entire budget. Feel sorry for whomever bought that house.

Not every flipper is Chip and Joanna Gaines.

So I have been following this forum for years and recently decided to join and post. I renovate old houses in this neighborhood and the reason you see so many foundation issues in this neighborhood is because of the Murrah building bombing. The explosion shifted all of these old homes and causes damage to most of them. I 100% agree with the fact that there are several other house flippers who do not do a good job fixing major issues and simply put lipstick on it and try to resell it for top dollar. On the other hand, there are a lot of guys like me who put a lot into these properties to make them quality homes that should last another 100 years.

However, some of these old houses will NEVER be totally level. I just redid a foundation on a house in this neighborhood and spent nearly 15k on foundation work. I put in new beams and replaced several joists. The house is 100% architecturally stable and solid but at the end of the day the house is still not completely level (although it is much closer than it was when I started). This is because wood stiffens over time as it loses its moisture and there isn't a lot of flexibility in the joists and walls. these pieces often do not move together when lifted, and you run the risk of pieces breaking if lifted too much. The unlevel floors can be mitigated to some extent with floor levelers and shims after lifting the foundation, but having a slightly unlevel floor It is just a part of owning an old home and not always an indicator that the house has foundation issues.

My recommendation is to ask to see any reports from foundation repairs completed before purchasing and if they can't provide any then get an inspection done before closing. just my two cents in case anyone on here is interested in buying one of these older homes.

Intersection of NW 10th & Classen - noticed for sale signs on West side.theres a decent sized lot on the SW part if the Intersection.

I wonder what would be a good addition, pretty good location

Intersection of NW 10th & Classen - noticed for sale signs on West side.theres a decent sized lot on the SW part if the Intersection.

I wonder what would be a good addition, pretty good location

That area has been for sale for quite a while. If I recall correctly, there have been at least two plans to develop it within the last 10 years that have fallen through for one reason or another.

Relatedly, there are a lot of properties along the west side of Classen that are for sale. If a developer acquired all of those, they could do something really cool with that section of Classen.

The same out-of-state owner owns all the property along the west side of Classen on either side of 10th.

There was to be senior housing on the north side of 10th but that fell through.

They've owned all that for over a decade now and don't seem very motivated to sell.

What's the average time on market now? I only judge by houses I see on my routes around town. But for awhile a for sale sign went up and the house sold almost immediately. I'm seeing some now that have signs for a few weeks.

I had a relative recently sell a house on NW26th st just west of Taft Stadium. Realtor originally priced the house at 270K It took 4 months to sell and just sold for 205K. It was a nice house and not a dump. It was on the market for 4 months. About every month they dropped the asking price. I realize that in anecdotal and just one of many houses for sale. Back in 11/2020 the house next door to me sold in 2 weeks. It was a 1300 sq ft house brick 3 bed 2 bath on 1/2 acre lot and sold for 155K.

What's the average time on market now? I only judge by houses I see on my routes around town. But for awhile a for sale sign went up and the house sold almost immediately. I'm seeing some now that have signs for a few weeks.

Deer creek under 300k selling immediately. Nothing has changed except maybe there is even less coming available for sale which is creating the fast sell when they do become available. There have been 5-6 in my neighborhood sell in days over last 3 months.

Median days on the market in April trended down to just 12 from 18 in March. Sub 300k properties are still selling very quickly with a lot of multiple offers.

I had a relative recently sell a house on NW26th st just west of Taft Stadium. Realtor originally priced the house at 270K It took 4 months to sell and just sold for 205K. It was a nice house and not a dump. It was on the market for 4 months. About every month they dropped the asking price. I realize that in anecdotal and just one of many houses for sale. Back in 11/2020 the house next door to me sold in 2 weeks. It was a 1300 sq ft house brick 3 bed 2 bath on 1/2 acre lot and sold for 155K.

I think that might be about location (unless it was a small house). I've seen several houses in Cleveland (just east) sell in the $260k - $350k range.
-$294k: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2620-NW-28th-St-Oklahoma-City-OK-73107/21865567_zpid/
-$260k: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2624-NW-25th-St-Oklahoma-City-OK-73107/21864614_zpid/
-$335k: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2913-Cummings-Dr-Oklahoma-City-OK-73107/21865560_zpid/

I think that might be about location (unless it was a small house). I've seen several houses in Cleveland (just east) sell in the $260k - $350k range.
-$294k: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2620-NW-28th-St-Oklahoma-City-OK-73107/21865567_zpid/
-$260k: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2624-NW-25th-St-Oklahoma-City-OK-73107/21864614_zpid/
-$335k: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2913-Cummings-Dr-Oklahoma-City-OK-73107/21865560_zpid/

A bit similar to the first one you listed but about 200 sq ft bigger.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3131-NW-26th-St-Oklahoma-City-OK-73107/21865233_zpid/?

A bit similar to the first one you listed but about 200 sq ft bigger.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3131-NW-26th-St-Oklahoma-City-OK-73107/21865233_zpid/?

I am surprised that didn't sell for more!

I am surprised that didn't sell for more!

Well it's not like they didn't try for 4 months.

While so many other housing markets across the country (mostly west and south of here) are crashing, OKC is staying resilient. Just like the last housing crash.

One thing I am seeing is that acreage properties are hard to find. I am on 10 ac and want to go down to 2 1/2 to 5 ac with a larger house. Nothing out there. or nothing that is not so called updated that I dont have to un update. ugh. I dont want to pay for something that I will be tearing out and replacing with oak trim, cabinets doors and my Victorian brass light fixtures. Is there not any homes without texture on the walls? how the heck do you hand wall paper with that stuff?? ugh. Yep I hate what is "in style" now. REally there is not much on the market for less then 1 m unless its a mobile. ugh. I think a lot of people are holding off sellign there current home until they can find what they want to buy or can afford what they want to buy.

One thing I am seeing is that acreage properties are hard to find. I am on 10 ac and want to go down to 2 1/2 to 5 ac with a larger house. Nothing out there. or nothing that is not so called updated that I dont have to un update. ugh. I dont want to pay for something that I will be tearing out and replacing with oak trim, cabinets doors and my Victorian brass light fixtures. Is there not any homes without texture on the walls? how the heck do you hand wall paper with that stuff?? ugh. Yep I hate what is "in style" now. REally there is not much on the market for less then 1 m unless its a mobile. ugh. I think a lot of people are holding off sellign there current home until they can find what they want to buy or can afford what they want to buy.

don't know where you are but .. dividing your lot to 2 or 4 and selling the others seems like maybe the solution .

Cannot do that. Okla county requires a min. of 200 ft frontage on mile section roads. I have 330. House in the middle. I've talked to them and they say no, unless someone does a subdivision.

I read an interesting article in the Oklahoman on line this morning about the Oakdale area. And it reminded me that I had a friend growing up that lived in Oakdale Farms off of Coltrane and they were in that school district (although they didn't use those schools). The crux of the article was that a developer was trying to build a high-density subdivision in that area and the nearby neighbors were against it partially because they felt it would overwhelm the schools and partially because it was so out of character for the rest of the area. They were trying to do something different with their little area partially because of what has happened in Deer Creek. I was kind of surprised to read in the article that the average home prices in that district were $500K-1 million. Of course it raises a NIMBY debate but reminds me that the avenues to "growth" and what "growth" looks like are different based on where you stand.
This failed the city council vote today.

This failed the city council vote today.

Job well done current Oakdale residents! Now you'll have less poor people moving near you and possibly going to the same school as your kids!

Nothing like making the housing crisis worse by denying the ability to build starter homes.

Job well done current Oakdale residents! Now you'll have less poor people moving near you and possibly going to the same school as your kids!

You think "poor people" are buying $270k-$500k houses, like what were proposed here?

I suspect the opposition had more to do with the density than the price point.

Nothing like making the housing crisis worse by denying the ability to build starter homes.

Exactly


You think "poor people" are buying $270k-$500k houses, like what were proposed here?

Was being facetious, because thats basically why they oppose it. If there were 650 half acre lot 3,000+ homes being proposed, the opposition would be much quieter.


I suspect the opposition had more to do with the density than the price point.

Sure... We all know it boils down to existing homeowners not liking so many lower income people moving into their nice quaint school district.

I suspect the opposition had more to do with the density than the price point.
Density = greater affordability. The city has already paid to have sewer and water run to this area, so more neighborhoods are coming sooner or later.