Moving to DFW area from Chicago.... part deux! (Dallas, Plano: rent, insurance)

[pinipig523]

So, my wife and I had just visited DFW area a few days ago after months of reading and posting threads regarding a possible move from Chicago - I had questions regarding which suburbs to consider, where are the hotspots of Dallas and neighboring areas, etc...

Well... we visited DFW for 3 days, met with a realtor, looked at several suburbs, looked at many homes, toured the Dallas area.

We have decided to MOVE!

It was a great visit, we learned a lot from the actual experience of being there. We found a few suburbs (particularly Southlake and Colleyville) that we really liked and would probably like to move to with homes/communities in our price range. We enjoyed the shopping centers including Dallas Galleria, Southlake Town Center. We found the many numerous highways/expressways to make everything so much more convenient than the tollways we have here in Chicagoland. We found the people to be quite friendly. We liked the weather. We enjoyed the feel of the place!

The best way I could describe the places we visited Southlake, Colleyville, Lewisville, Plano, Frisco, Allen, and Keller... and to compare it to DFW to Chicago is:

1. The suburbs I mentioned above are VERY similar to suburbs of Chicago. Similar architecture of buildings, homes. Similar stores, similar layouts. Even the grass is similar - unlike when I visited Orlando or Scottsdale - crabgrass, desert soil, cactus, rock formations. The only difference between the suburbs of Chicago and Dallas is that I felt that the ones I visited were far better than those I'm used to here in Chicago. It felt more upscale, open, cleaner.

2. The large cities are different. Dallas is NO Chicago, but it's still quite a bit better than other cities such Milwaukee.

Basically, we felt that the suburbs were better in Dallas area, but the city itself is better in Chicago.

Thanks all... the info from this forum helped us out greatly! We even found our realtor through CD!

[nsumner]

Originally Posted by pinipig523

Basically, we felt that the suburbs were better in Dallas area, but the city itself is better in Chicago.

Former Chicagoan here too.

Very true statement. C'mon down and leave the shovels behind you.

Naima

[racehorse]

I'm from Chicago as well, and I agree with your assessment. I have a barely used winter down coat that I brought with me from Chi town that is ten years old and looks practically new!

[blssed2bme]

I live in Minnesota and am really considering moving to the Dallas area. I have heard lots of folks mention that the Plano, Allen and McKinney areas are great with good schools and safe community. As a divorced mom of 4 with income in the $50K range, how affordable would the homes be in these areas (renting is my first option at this point). Thanks

[pinipig523]

Originally Posted by blssed2bme

I live in Minnesota and am really considering moving to the Dallas area. I have heard lots of folks mention that the Plano, Allen and McKinney areas are great with good schools and safe community. As a divorced mom of 4 with income in the $50K range, how affordable would the homes be in these areas (renting is my first option at this point). Thanks

I don't know this info too well since our budget topped at about 900... however, I do recall seeing some 300-400K homes in those areas. That said, the realtor told us that the average is around 170K in DFW generally, but a lot can be found for 250K.

An income of 50K should have you looking at 150K at most, don't know any of your other financial obligations though. I would go online and see how much you can afford - usually it is 28% of your monthly gross (28% includes monthly mortgage, monthly property taxes, monthly insurance, monthly PMI) - that's the max.

So about 2-3x your annual gross is a good barometer of your house price. 2x would obviously be more affordable.

[Moving to TX]

We will move to McKinney from Chicago in July. Does anyone know a good and trusted moving company? Thank you so much

[PlanoGirl]

We used Apple Movers twice and have loved them...however, they may just move locally.

[chitowngirl70]

Originally Posted by nsumner

Former Chicagoan here too.

Very true statement. C'mon down and leave the shovels behind you.

Naima

Ditto!

[loves2read]

50K w/4 children is frankly going to have some trouble
Dallas and its suburbs are not cheap places to live--
no state income tax but high property taxes and you pay that toll even if you rent cause the landlord just passes it along in the rent amount

schools are good for the most part but just think your income level is going to have you living with little safety net since you will have lot of outgo to cover 5 people's needs

[nsumner]

Originally Posted by blssed2bme

I live in Minnesota and am really considering moving to the Dallas area. I have heard lots of folks mention that the Plano, Allen and McKinney areas are great with good schools and safe community. As a divorced mom of 4 with income in the $50K range, how affordable would the homes be in these areas (renting is my first option at this point). Thanks

For 50K income assuming that you are not getting any other income such as child support or else you can qualify for a $1400 monthly rent.

You can get a very decent house in any of these towns in that rent range.

NaIma