One thing buyers seem to often want when looking for a home is elbow room. I’m not sure exactly the real-estate-technical term for this, other than perhaps the frontage (the width of the lot). It is not the easiest criteria to search for online as it is not really a searchable option and can be further hard to tell in pictures alone.
It’s additionally difficult because different buyers mean different things when they say they want some space and privacy. I grew up on 40 acres in the boonies, so when I hear space, my mind automatically goes to washboarded gravel roads and horses. But I have learned that usually when buyers are asking me for some space, they aren’t looking for acreage. They still want to be in the suburbs. They just want enough elbow room between their home and their neighbors so that you can’t travel the neighborhood jumping from roof to roof.
Most builders don’t care a lot for that kind of elbow room. They make massive capital investments into the land they develop, and their goal is to fit as many homes into that land as practical. Many of Killeen’s available homes are in neighborhoods recently developed and therefore it is difficult to find a subdivision with that kind of space.
There are pricey Fort Hood area neighborhoods with great space, like Deerwood Estates, River Ridge Ranch, or Bella Charca, in which you can easily get yourself half an acre with a great house … for $350,000 and counting. It’s also easy to find the other extreme – lots of space and land in a $60,000 single-wide.
But for space-seekers with a reasonable budget, one possible option is Chaparral West. It is not a large neighborhood – only 3 homes sold in the past year. But they were all on half an acre with a LOT of “elbow room” and under $200,000. And they aren’t crummy homes, either. One sold around $150,000, 4 beds, 2 baths, and over 1800 sq. ft. built in 2007.
The neighborhood is on the south side of town and while still a subdivision, it has a very “outside of town” feel. It even has a few homes with what might be described as a “view”, something few other Killeen neighborhoods can claim conscientiously. It is also a short and convenient hop to Hwy-195, which will take you straight to Fort Hood or straight to Georgetown and Austin beyond. It is in the path of development, as Killeen has nowhere to grow but south, which may be either a plus or a minus if you’re hanging around for the long term (10 years +).
There may or may not be a lot of options, but I recommend checking out Chaparral West if you want a house that doesn’t like its personal space being violated.