Updated 5/24/17, Originally published 10/8/15
Takeaways
- Homes tend to be newer in our area – and often in good condition as a result
- There is not a lot of opportunity for “gentrification” with competition from home builders
- The builders show no signs of stopping anytime soon
My wife is British. She scoffs when I talk about an “older” home in the Fort Hood area. When I think “older” in Killeen, I think the early ’90s. Definitely ’80s. My wife is from London, and when she thinks “older”, she also thinks the ’80s and ’90s. But more like the 1680s and 1690s.
Killeen, TX is a very “new” area. Its population in 2000 was a mere 80,000, and the subsequent War on Terror and dramatic expansion of US military forces and the Fort Hood installation swelled Killeen’s numbers to approximately 130,000 today. That is more than a 50% growth in population in 15 years. A lot of housing was built in that time to accommodate all the new Soldiers and local development.
The median year built for a home sold in Killeen in 2016 was 2004. That is up from 2001 when I last did this analysis in 2015.
Barely 10 years old! It is pretty incredible, but locals probably wouldn’t be surprised. The builders have been running hot for decades now. Most folks who have been here even just a few years probably remember a piece of town that used to be vacant land, and is now a sprawling subdivision, or new Wal-Mart.
The Parts of Killeen
The median age by Zip Code tells some stories. Obviously north Killeen, nearest Fort Hood and including downtown, is the original Killeen. Hwy 190 used to run through here, which is now Business 190, or Veterans Memorial. The median year built was 1961 (up from 1959 when I last did this analysis).
On the other extreme are some of the newer and trending areas like Nolanville and SW Killeen, whose median year built was 2006. Both these areas boast significant new developments, like Bella Charca in Nolanville, or the many new subdivisions on the SW side of Killeen where there is extensive commercial development in the past several years.
The Trendlines
Since last doing this analysis in 2015, the biggest gainers were Salado (4 years newer), Killeen (3 years newer), and Harker Heights and Copperas Cove (2 years newer).
Of course, keep in mind that newer is not always better. Older neighborhoods built in the ’80s and ’90s like Turtlebend, Highland Oaks, Briarwood and the Falls at Fox Creek are still quality subdivisions that have maintained values well in competition with the newer developments. Meanwhile, sometimes newer neighborhoods have seen property values plummet after the builders finished in the neighborhood.
Conclusion
The last year has seen still more builder activity, and an uptick in commercial activity to boot. The Killeen area continues to grow, and builders and developers still have large neighborhoods still growing like Tuscany Meadows and other neighborhoods in the works like Estancia West and Rocky Creek Ranch. It is likely that if you live in Killeen, you likely live in a “newer” home.
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