Scoop,

Why the driveway and not the ally? Is that proven to add value or just your personal preferance? I'm wondering because I know several people like myself who prefer the alley because we hate looking at garages and we have more "usable" yard that is not in the front of the house under concrete. Also, driving gymnastics are not required to use a 3 car garage. We also love the added space between us and rear neighbors that the alley provides. We would all be willing to pay more for that. I'm sure not everyone feels the same. And that is why I ask.

I am not sure about the true value the driveway factor, I just have been told my some realtors and brokers that since there are less homes with driveways they tend to have a faster sell rate. And the 3 car garage factor is bacause the 2 car garages are more like 1.5 car garages so the bigger the garage (3 car) the better.

I agree about the skimpy garages. The house we rented while building was a Holmes home and its "2" car garage was so short our mini van had to pull in at an angle. Crazy! I think our 3 car garage now is generously sized. Interesting side note: With our house the alley load had the 3rd bay as standard but with the street load it was an upgrade.

Only from my own personal observation of the market last year comparing "older" homes in Founder's Village (and new ones in Eastlake) it seems that lot size is a HUGE factor in determining house price, and resale value, in Daybreak. Homes with comparable square footage were priced considerably lower with smaller lots--especially those with 0.07 acres in the Parkside Homes. And the super small lots didn't seem to be selling very well--sitting for sale for months in a still-hot market. Maybe the concept of "shared yard" wasn't catching on very well to resale buyers. But with this new market where cheaper homes are selling better than more expensive ones, maybe things have changed.

Since all the homes in our price range in Founder's Village seemed to be trashed rentals with goofy floor-plans, poorly finished basements, and unfinished yards--we opted for the biggest lot size we could afford in Eastlake (and a 2.5 garage with additional parking pad, incidentally). I don't think the front-entry garage makes much of a difference with resale. If people are looking in Daybreak, they're buying into the whole concept of porches out front, garages in back.