Crazy to not look North of 635 (Dallas, Plano: crime rate, buying a house, neighborhoods)

[BellaO]

At least that's what people are telling us. My husband is being relocated to his company's Dallas headquarters from NJ. Our thought was to stay in Dallas, looking at Near North Dallas, Lakewood, maybe UP, maybe Richardson. Folks are telling us it's worth the commute to go more North in terms of quality of life and schools. Do you agree? How far would places like Plano, FlowerMound, Coppell actually take to commute to (S. Ackerd/commerce st)?

From everything I've read here, these towns sound like terrible commutes, but they are saying it's not that bad, or that it's just what you have to do. Except for some select elementary schools, we should not do DISD. I'm feeling really confused!

[CTR36]

Where will he be working and what is your housing budget?

[racehorse]

How long is your husband willing to drive?

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by BellaO

At least that's what people are telling us. My husband is being relocated to his company's Dallas headquarters from NJ. Our thought was to stay in Dallas, looking at Near North Dallas, Lakewood, maybe UP, maybe Richardson. Folks are telling us it's worth the commute to go more North in terms of quality of life and schools. Do you agree? How far would places like Plano, FlowerMound, Coppell actually take to commute to (S. Ackerd/commerce st)?

From everything I've read here, these towns sound like terrible commutes, but they are saying it's not that bad, or that it's just what you have to do. Except for some select elementary schools, we should not do DISD. I'm feeling really confused!

Your budget will dictate the answer to a lot of these questions. If you are spending $400k+, you are CRAZY TO LOOK NORTH of LBJ. You can get an absolutely excellent education in HPISD (UP & HP), the schools that ultimately feed into Woodrow Wilson HS & WT White HS in Dallas ISD, and Lake Highlands neighborhood (Richardson ISD)- all of which are within the 635 loop.

You need to research each school district/ school yourself- visit the campus, meet the principal, talk to parents. A lot of people have a negative opinion about DISD because they are not educated/informed and have never set foot inside a school. WT White and Woodrow Wilson (and the magnets, of course) consistently perform equal to or better than their sububran peers in terms of SAT scores, AP tests taken & passed, and college preparedness.

The commutes from Coppell and Plano woudl be about 30-40 minutes good day and 60-75 minutes bad day. The commute from Flower Mound would be about 40-45 minutes good day and 60-90 minutes bad day.

As for the commutes not being "that bad" and the attitude of "that's what you do"......each family must make their own decision. If you want a brand spanking new home and only have a $300-750k budget, then yes- the outer suburbs are your ONLY choice. If you are open to a 20+ year old home (gasp!!) and don't "need" 3,500-6,000sf, then definitely look within 635 for best commute & quality of life. You would need a $800k+ budget for a new home in Lakewood, Lake Highlands, or North Dallas and about $1.5-2.0M for a new home in the Park Cities.....although great older homes can be found in all of those areas for half the new home price.

[hamiltonpl]

You would be crazy to look north of LBJ if you or your husband works downtown and you can afford those neighborhoods south of LBJ. Please keep in mind that LBJ is a huge barrier. A wreck on that freeway can cause a traffic mess for any highway that crosses it. I would not waste my time looking north of 635. But if you want to check some out, I'd suggest driving up there during rush hour.

Some people are terrified of the big bad city of Dallas. Those people are usually from out of state and have never set foot in Dallas. They think the big city is full of highrises, gangs and taxicabs based on their understanding of other cities. Outside of neighborhoods abutting downtown, Dallas is a very suburban city, especially compared to anything on the east coast. Its crime rate today is the same as it was in the early sixties. There are good school choices in the parts of town you're looking in.

Natives, like me and TurtleCreek, will tell you that south of LBJ is much more desirable. North of LBJ is popular for corporate transients because it is new and not associated with the "big city." South of LBJ is desirable because of its location. When buying a house, I' would pick location over something being new.

[racehorse]

Originally Posted by hamiltonpl

You would be crazy to look north of LBJ if you or your husband works downtown. LBJ is a huge barrier. A wreck on LBJ can cause a traffic mess for any highway that crosses it. If you can afford the neighborhoods you're looking in, I would not waste my time looking north of 635.

Some people are terrified of the big bad city of Dallas. Those people are usually from out of state and have never set foot in Dallas. Natives will tell you that south of LBJ is much more desirable. North of LBJ is popular for corporate transients because it is new. South of LBJ is desirable because of its location. When buying a house, I'd pick location over something being new.

Eh, I think you just need to look at your own priorities as a family. I enjoy the city but could go months at a time never having to set foot within the city boundaries and be AOK.

Different people have different levels of tolerance for commuting. I moved here from Chicago, where 1 hour commutes were no big deal. I cut my commute to 20 minutes and thought I'd hit the jackpot--I would have been fine with an hour commute.

[Willsson]

Coming from New Jersey, are you city or country? If city then the Dallas 'burbs are going to be something foreign, as in culture shock. But I only say that considering that you might have an option for UP and HP schools. You'll have given your kids the jackpot.

And the commute from that area to downtown is slow (as in no rush) and sweet. There is ample surface and garage parking just north of N. Ackard and Commerce, or Jackson, the next street over. The intersection of Ackard at Commerce is the location of ATT Hq's where they have three large garages (for employees only).

If the worker takes the DART, he would unload at the Ackard station and walk three streets over to Commerce.

[Cowboys fan in Houston]

It really just depends on your situation. When I get back to Dallas this summer, we probably will buy north of 635. The reason being that my wife works in Carrollton and I work North (albeit just) of 635. For us it would make no sense to buy inside 635.

But it your husband will be working inside 635, you should definately give it a look. Look both inside and outside.

[mSooner]

I'd say it pretty exclusively depends on your budget. Under $400k? You can probably forget every area within 635 except Richardson.

[loves2read]

it is not just budget-- but what that budget will buy regarding house style, ISD, amenities of the area
and how you live

some people who don't live inside the Loop don't care about any of the positives that other people might see
they are happy with their suburban lifestyle in areas like Plano or Frisco--
they like new construction vs most of the older homes you will be choosing from inside the 635 area
they like "master planned communities"

you need to come and see before you make up your minds about where you want to live
there is lot to choose from if you are spending 400-500K for a house--
even if you have smaller budget there are still many nice areas

but the "look" of the areas/neighborhoods does change quite a bit depending on where you look

when we moved to DFW area 20+ yrs ago from short time in Shreveport--my husband was working in downtown Dallas office and his company was strongly suggesting he check out some of the houses company relocations had put into play in Richardson area or the new construction going on in Duncanville--at that time considered an "up and coming" suburb--
we looked at both but really wanted to move to the Mid-Cities area--we had friends who taught/lived in HEB and wanted to be close to them--
It was a fairly long commute for my husband that got more unpalitable when his company took away his company car and parking spot--so I know that commuting is a big deal for people who work away from home--
but we really liked the Tarrant side--my husband works in downtown FTW now and that is neat place to work most of the time with decent commute--plus he never faces the sun--

don't make a decision before you get a feel for the areas--
will PM a really good MLS site to get feel for housing in any area of metroplex

make a list of homes/neighborhoods you feel attracted to--
use the general search feature and categorize the results by price per sq ft so you can see the value location can put on homes in DFW area

even finding homes you like on MLS does not mean you will like that area in person--
and while all of our towns/suburbs/neighborhoods blend pretty effortlessly from one to another there are different atmospheres to each of them that you only get when you have been in area for while...