How do you afford a $350K plus home? (Houston, Dallas: balloon payment, transplants)

[galore]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

Goodness, I must be white trash then. I only have a 150K home and I always thought it was a nice neighborhood until now, when I learn that it is "trashy."

The intricacies of the double (or triple or quadruple) negative !

I meant that you can easily find a nice home <$250k in DFW.

[lh_newbie]

Definitely doable in Dallas. The "L-Streets" are chock full of nice homes in a very stable neighborhood. Homes there average $180K or so.

[jorywalker]

Originally Posted by shaxs

On a side note: Are utilities really that much higher in Texas? I just got a Electric and gas bill for $150 for 1000 square foot place.

It depends on who you can choose for service & if the home is energy efficient. You can't beat the charm of older homes in established areas, and mature trees are priceless! My wife & I really had a tough choice between the older homes in dallas and around white rock lake but went with a new Highland Home out in the burbs for the schools & everything they use in their building materials such as Low E windows & radiant barrier roof decking. We are fortunate to have a Eletric Co-Op out here which have awesome rates, you can check them out on Trinity Valley Electric Cooperative - TVEC vs. Other Utilities (http://www.tvec.net/about-us/tvec-vs.-other-utilities.html - broken link) . We keep our a/c at 72 during the summer and our bill was not over $170, our home is 2400sq ft, the rear of our home faces the rising east & the front faces the setting west so our windows get a lot of exposure. No shade trees yet, just shade shrubs! lol

[MurphyPl1]

Originally Posted by CallMeLaura

And why does it bother you that I feel this way? Or a better question, why do you feel the need to 'prove' you're better than me because of the $400,000 house and trips to Ruth's Chris?

It doesn't bother me so much as I think it's a very narrow view of the world. You get to spout off how you think that all blue collar workers like NASCAR and I just wanted to point out that your jump to conclusions was wrong.

[CallMeLaura]

Originally Posted by MurphyPl1

It doesn't bother me so much as I think it's a very narrow view of the world. You get to spout off how you think that all blue collar workers like NASCAR and I just wanted to point out that your jump to conclusions was wrong.

I never said all blue collar workers like NASCAR. I believe I said they were more likely to like it. Some of us understand that *generalities* do not apply to everyone, but most of them.

I wasn't the one to jump to conclusions, it appears.

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by new2sa

I believe the point made was that they are as good or better off without all the trappings of status symbols, i.e., to each their own.

What I found when I moved here in 1980 was that the very ones that you would least expect to really have boatloads of money based on appearances and monetary "symbols" were the ones that actually were the most wealthy... that holds true to this day, i.e., the next-door neighbor millionaires.

I still remember a National Geographic article on Dallas that came out in 1984 that discussed the "spending culture" of Dallasites. The priceless line in there was a society type telling the author: "they're not rich dear....they just spend a lot of money."

[BstYet2Be]

Originally Posted by BRMan

I still remember a National Geographic article on Dallas that came out in 1984 that discussed the "spending culture" of Dallasites. The priceless line in there was a society type telling the author: "they're not rich dear....they just spend a lot of money."

Pretty much sums it up, i.e, the 30k millionaires!

[Lakewooder]

Well 1984 was the polar opposite of 1986 or 1987.

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

Well 1984 was the polar opposite of 1986 or 1987.

Did Dallas get hit that hard ? I thought Houston bore the brunt of the oil price crash, since its economy was heavily dependent on oil back then.

[lh_newbie]

Could someone that lived here provide some historical reference? I didn't move her until 2000.