Is the new "East End" area a decent neighborhood? (Dallas: apartment, townhomes)

[SmartGXL]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

That complex is gorgeous, but I believe it's in foreclosure, no??

I am not sure about that; when I was in Dallas over thanksgiving, I was driving around and saw the property. When I looked it up on the internet, it is an apartment complex that has heavy mediterranean/southwest/california/spanish decorations (stucco, the orange clay roof, palm trees and cacti) etc. I cannot remember the name of the development, but the units are being marketed as rentals.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by SmartGXL

I am not sure about that; when I was in Dallas over thanksgiving, I was driving around and saw the property. When I looked it up on the internet, it is an apartment complex that has heavy mediterranean/southwest/california/spanish decorations (stucco, the orange clay roof, palm trees and cacti) etc. I cannot remember the name of the development, but the units are being marketed as rentals.

Yes, I know they're rentals, but I believe the building is in foreclosure...as in the original developer was not covering the loans with the bank.

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by SmartGXL

By thwe way, DN, have you seen that place at the corner of Henderson and Belmont? It is an apartment complex that looks like it is straight out of Spain or California; the place is beautiful!

Oh, I misunderstood your original post. Thought you were looking to lease.

The place you refer to on Henderson @ Belmont is called Paseo. http://www.paseoresidences.com/ It appears to have been airlifted from the Costa del Sol or Santa Babs and dropped into E. Dallas. I looked at them out of curiosity when they first came on the market and they were just priced WAY too high. I remember one unit was priced at about $300/sf. The architecture, design and quality was extremely impressive though. Paseo just hit the market at the worst possible time and consequently they ended up leasing the place. Don't know what the current status is, but I would not be surprised if they had been foreclosed. It's conceivable that they could come back on the market at some point, but I think they have leased very well so they will probably stay rentals for a few years at least.

Regarding the "East End", I don't know how spectacular the deals are there but I do know that you can find bargains all over the place. I've been selling condos/townhomes in inner-city 'hoods for about 10 years now and I can tell you that prices have dropped in even the best areas by at least 25% since 2008 in the condo/townhome market. This is because too many of them were built during the last several years. Fortunately, very little new construction is going on and the remaining inventory is becoming picked over. However, there are still lots of foreclosures out there that are dragging the market down. So, I think you still have plenty of time to find the perfect place for yourself without risking an increase in pricing. Have you considered leasing for maybe 6 months when you move here and spending your time looking around for what might be an even better deal than you've found at the East End? Or, have you considered a single family home in a close-in 'hood? Those have not been hit nearly as hard as the condo/townhome market during the recent unpleasantness.

[SmartGXL]

Originally Posted by Dallas native

Oh, I misunderstood your original post. Thought you were looking to lease.

The place you refer to on Henderson @ Belmont is called Paseo. Paseo :•: Home

Yes! That is it - Paseo! You mentioned that they have leased well; I was considering just calling them and finding out what they are charging for a 2 bed 2 bath, as that is what I am looking for. Hopefully they have not all rented out. And you are right, it does look like something that was airlifted right out of Santa Barbara.

Regarding single family homes - the thing is, when I look at SFH's, they are either not appealing visually, or they are in the wrong location, or they are too much money. This is an issue that occurs with a lot of 'hot' neighborhoods, whether they are in Dallas, Chicago, NYC, SF, etc, is that unless you have a LOT of money to spend, it is very very difficult to get EXACTLY what you want, without sacrificing something important (I think that is the only thing that is appealing to me about the suburbs - you can pretty much custom order a brand-new, never lived in home, to the exact specs that you want). And now that we have the real estate downturn, it seems like all development of new property has HALTED, at least here in Chicago...I can only think of ONE new property being built in ALL of the 'cool/hip' neighborhoods here (Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Wicker Park/Bucktown). It is like everything has ground to a halt, so now it is going to be very hard to find anything that I specifically want, until all of the existing inventory is cleared. That could be a VERY long time.

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by SmartGXL

Yes! That is it - Paseo! You mentioned that they have leased well; I was considering just calling them and finding out what they are charging for a 2 bed 2 bath, as that is what I am looking for.

Yea, I've only heard on an anecdotal basis that they are fully leased. Don't know for sure. The rental market in Dallas is pretty healthy. If there is anything available at Paseo, it won't be cheap (by Dallas standards). It might be cheap by Chicago standards though. Good luck to you!

[SmartGXL]

Thanks, DN, (and everyone else, too) for your help!!

[pepper131]

I have a friend on Cabell and she loves her little home. A high end landscape architect has a home in this area behind the Sonic on Ross (he has two places on Prairie). We looked in this area 7 years ago - on Grigsby where it ends, but this particular house was too much work to update, but it had a huge yard and was the last house making it feel very private. I wouldn't totally discount this area, but look carefully block by block and realize that the neighbors who have lived there for decades may not be leaving any time soon.

[Mister Nifty]

Originally Posted by SmartGXL

Hey everyone,

I am, once again, considering moving to Dallas from Chicago, and have found a potential place to live that is in what the agent described as the new "East End" neighborhood...it is east of Uptown, accross 75, and basically a few blocks east of CityPlace...and is south of Fitzhugh. Is this a decent area yet, or, does it still have a long way to go to be considered desirable? I have checked it out on Google Maps, and I can tell that there is a lot of tear-down activity, where older structures are being torn down and replaced with apartment buildings and that is a good sign, but other than that, is this going to be a good place to live, or should I hold out and find something more desirable over in Uptown or further up in the M Streets area? It looks to me like the neighborhood is currently "block to block", meaning some blocks are nice looking and some are still sort of ratty. There isnt really anything to walk to (although I could drive to Uptown and be there, with the bars etc in about 5 mins).

Thought, suggestions?

If desiring my honest opinion, then I wouldn't live anywhere within the Dallas city limits. Figure most of the crime existing today in most cities isn't because of shear poverty but because of political corruption. One of the best ways to combat this type of corruption is to choose to live in an area with less of it.
So, reconsider your choice altogether by considering living in places like Richardson or Plano. Another option is Las Colinas which, in the near future, will have lots of upside.

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by Mister Nifty

If desiring my honest opinion, then I wouldn't live anywhere within the Dallas city limits. Figure most of the crime existing today in most cities isn't because of shear poverty but because of political corruption. One of the best ways to combat this type of corruption is to choose to live in an area with less of it.
So, reconsider your choice altogether by considering living in places like Richardson or Plano. Another option is Las Colinas which, in the near future, will have lots of upside.

Oy vey. What a STUPID analysis. What does a burglary or a car theft have to do with political corruption? I've lived in my house just 2 miles north of Downtown Dallas for almost 8 years and I have NEVER been a victim of crime. Many others can say the same. If crime were rampant in Dallas, then why would it cost so much more to live here than in the burbs? Everyone would abandon the city.

[Lakewooder]

Former Craft Dallas chef to open restaurant on Fitzhugh | Advocate Magazine


Jeff Harris, who recently stepped down as chef de cuisine of Craft Dallas, has announced plans for a new restaurant on Fitzhugh near Capitol.

Harris expects to open the new restaurant in April with former York Street sous chef Matt Balkie and former Dragonfly general manager James Cobb.

The location is interesting. DMN real estate reporter Steve Brown last year reported that commercial property owners along the stretch of Fitzhugh just east of Central Expressway are working to draw more upscale tenants. That story quotes a real estate developer who says the area could “wind up just like Henderson”.