East or West Frisco? (Dallas, Plano: section 8, for sale, 2013)

[DFWNewHomeBuyer1541]

My husband and I are looking to purchase a house in Frisco. We have looked at houses in both East Frisco, near McKinney, and West Frisco, north of El Dorado. However, we are unsure of which area is better.

Does anyone have any opinions on if one side of Frisco is a better investment than the other? Thanks for your help!

[CREW747]

If you are looking north of Eldorado ,check out Prosper.The entire town has overall larger lots( but also higher home prices ) It is shaping up to be a great area.Drive around and take a look for yourself.The terrain could be described as rolling,unlike Frisco.If your budget is above $240,000 and you want to be in a community with houses not on top of each other it would be a good fit.Some great communities.....

Willow ridge
Lakes of la Cima
Cedar ridge
Deer run
Saddle creek
Whispering farms
Whitley place
Gentle creek

Price range would greatly dictate where to buy.If you were looking to spend anything over $300,000 I would not do so in Frisco.Land appreciates faster than the house on it.Buying a 3000 square foot house on a 6000 lot in west Frisco does need seem like a great investment right now.Frisco will soon have section 8 housing ( look up the Frisco vs ICP lawsuit ).It is being put directly next to the Chapel creek subdivision where homes are $700,000 plus.A friend my spouse works with put their home up for sale upon hearing that the development was approved.There are currently some problems going on between the Trails subdivision and the Little Elm zoning dept. because they are trying to build about 900 apartments right next to them.This is going to impact the schools in that area ( look that up as well).

http://www.the33tv.com/news/kdaf-fri...,1664250.story

http://frisco-online.com/forums/showthread.php?t=770272


As far as Frisco goes,the west side tends to have smaller lots and much tighter neighborhoods.Many subdivisions on the west side are zoned lewisville ISD.The east side is a bit older and the subdivisions are less expensive.There are many homes available under $160,000. Overall Frisco has many nice homes at good prices.The best thing to do is drive around and get a feel for the neighborhoods.Newman Ranch off Eldorado should be nice when it is built out.The subdivisions off of reel pkwy that are very popular were way to close together when we had looked.I did not want o be 5 feet away from my neighbor and have a tiny yard.That is why we ended up going with Prosper a few minutes away.With the tollway extended soon and Preston rd widening, it is very accessible.The new Costco is now 10 minutes away. We built new and are thrilled with what we got.

[mikeh19468]

Originally Posted by DFWNewHomeBuyer1541

My husband and I are looking to purchase a house in Frisco. We have looked at houses in both East Frisco, near McKinney, and West Frisco, north of El Dorado. However, we are unsure of which area is better.

Does anyone have any opinions on if one side of Frisco is a better investment than the other? Thanks for your help!

Few people these days are buying houses as investments, unless they're foreclosures. Better to buy based on your needs and what you can get now, not based on potential (unless you have plenty of cash to burn, in which case I'd be looking in Southlake, HP, and several other locations first).

Where will you or your spouse be working (since commute times would vary greatly between the two locations unless you're working in downtown Frisco), do you have any kids, what are some of the activities you like to do? Those, along with price range will be the bigger deciding factors. If you don't have kids, and the commute wouldn't be a factor, you might also consider going a little more east into McKinney.

I purchased in East Frisco near the McKinney border, and am very happy (enough yard space, not on top of my neighbor, and plenty of amenities close by). Less built up out there, and close to lots of great shopping in Allen and McKinney. But not recommended if you're somewhere closer to Dallas, obviously...

[DFWNewHomeBuyer1541]

My spouse works off of Legacy in West Plano (by the Shop of Legacy), and I am currently working in Valley Ranch in Irving. However, I am hoping to transfer my job to the Plano/Frisco area.

We are planning on having children in the next 2 or 3 years, so we definitely are looking for a house to accommodate a growing family. Therefore, we are looking for a house with at least 2400 or more square feet, with our budget being $230,000 maximum.

We looked in East Frisco this afternoon at the Frisco Heights subdivision (off of Durango Drive). We really liked the house, but just want to make sure it's in a good area and neighborhood. We noticed that the lot sizes are a bit bigger in East Frisco as well. As for commuting, it's only 10 miles away from where my husband works- not a big deal. However, I would definitely need to find a job closer to that area.

Due to being a young couple, and not knowing where our jobs could take us, we initially started looking in the Plantation Resort subdivision, which is closer to West Plano and my husband's work.

With all of the above information taken into account, would you suggest that the Plantation Resort area (which is more central it seems) would be a wiser decision than East or West Frisco?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[CREW747]

Plantation resort is one of the best subdivisions on the east side of Frisco for what you will pay.There are some very affordable prices.If your price range is under $230,00 you could easily get something in there as low as $160,000. Curtsinger elementary is fantastic and serves that area.There is also a new subdivision called Richwwoods.It will be near Plantation.I think it should start developing within the next year.Check out Hunters Creek in East Frisco as well.Frisco also has some of the lowest property taxes compared to Southlake,Coppell,Colleyville,Prosper etc.

[ggolf]

Originally Posted by DFWNewHomeBuyer1541

My spouse works off of Legacy in West Plano (by the Shop of Legacy), and I am currently working in Valley Ranch in Irving. However, I am hoping to transfer my job to the Plano/Frisco area.

We are planning on having children in the next 2 or 3 years, so we definitely are looking for a house to accommodate a growing family. Therefore, we are looking for a house with at least 2400 or more square feet, with our budget being $230,000 maximum.

We looked in East Frisco this afternoon at the Frisco Heights subdivision (off of Durango Drive). We really liked the house, but just want to make sure it's in a good area and neighborhood. We noticed that the lot sizes are a bit bigger in East Frisco as well. As for commuting, it's only 10 miles away from where my husband works- not a big deal. However, I would definitely need to find a job closer to that area.

Due to being a young couple, and not knowing where our jobs could take us, we initially started looking in the Plantation Resort subdivision, which is closer to West Plano and my husband's work.

With all of the above information taken into account, would you suggest that the Plantation Resort area (which is more central it seems) would be a wiser decision than East or West Frisco?

Thanks in advance for your help.

I lived in Plantation in the early 2000s, overlooking the 11th green. It was a nice area. The only downside that I noticed was the clubhouse and the housing stock near the first hole and driving range. All built in the early 80's, almost like the old Flair houses in the 70's. The people who live there now simply don't care about upkeep, and it shows.

[skids929]

Honestly, I would try and stay south of Virginia if possible, especially with a commute to irving..Anything further North will take (alot) longer to appreciate if at all, and make for a much longer commute.

Have you look n Castle Hills? There are some 40 foot lots I think, which would be new, might stretch your budget a bit but you might offset some expenses a bit with the location being super close to your work.

[CREW747]

Good point about ambiance and up keep in Plantation golf.Some of the houses are older ( built in the 80's). It is not a perfect neighborhood aesthetically,but if your paying $160,000 and don't mind the feel,it is not a poor neighborhood to be in.Any subdivision with alot of houses for rent usually has some issues with up keep.There is a huge rental market in Frisco. When you have alot of lower priced houses on smaller lots,that equals low rental prices.Frisco has that and a good school district which draws renters.

[TurtleCreek80]

Since your job location may be in flux and you don't even have kids yet, I'd keep renting and socking away money so that you can afford a better home (location, school district) when you eventually buy. Don't stretch yourself now when you have no reason to buy & we are in a housing market where prices are fairly stagnant and interest rates aren't going to increase through at least 2013.

You should spend more time investigating schools. I'd encourage you to look in Plano ISD (if you can both work in Plano/Frisco) or the Flower Mound part of Lewisville ISD (if your job stays in Irving). They are the best schools - BY FAR- in the northern suburbs. You may not ge a shiny new house on a $200k-range budget, but you'll get a better investment potential since Plano is nearly 100% built out. You won't compete with new homes when you sell- which will be a major issue/drag on appreciation in Frisco, Prosper,McKinney, etc for decades to come as those area are only 30-50% bui
lt out.

Please research schools and don't just take someone's word that xyz school is "good." crew747 just told you a school is good when it's high school students have the 30th-something ranked SAT scores in North Texas. Plano ISD, by comparison, has all 3 high schools scoring in the top 10 in the metroplex. Which district would you rather educate your children in??

[ggolf]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

Since your job location may be in flux and you don't even have kids yet, I'd keep renting and socking away money so that you can afford a better home (location, school district) when you eventually buy. Don't stretch yourself now when you have no reason to buy & we are in a housing market where prices are fairly stagnant and interest rates aren't going to increase through at least 2013.

You should spend more time investigating schools. I'd encourage you to look in Plano ISD (if you can both work in Plano/Frisco) or the Flower Mound part of Lewisville ISD (if your job stays in Irving). They are the best schools - BY FAR- in the northern suburbs. You may not ge a shiny new house on a $200k-range budget, but you'll get a better investment potential since Plano is nearly 100% built out. You won't compete with new homes when you sell- which will be a major issue/drag on appreciation in Frisco, Prosper,McKinney, etc for decades to come as those area are only 30-50% bui
lt out.

Please research schools and don't just take someone's word that xyz school is "good." crew747 just told you a school is good when it's high school students have the 30th-something ranked SAT scores in North Texas. Plano ISD, by comparison, has all 3 high schools scoring in the top 10 in the metroplex. Which district would you rather educate your children in??

good advice.... rent for a while to get a good feeling for different areas, schools, etc. Then you can pull the trigger and maybe get a deal on a house with an owner's financial stress, or a foreclosure. It worked for us although it took about a year to find just the right home. But they are out there.