Melissa ISD (Dallas, Arlington, Plano: sales, real estate, houses)

[Philip T]

Anybody have anything good to say about Melissa ISD?

Or gossips that we are, we will also be amused about anything kind of bad or off-color.

Thanks!

[biafra4life]

We've got good friends that live in Melissa. While they love the city (quiet, away from the hustle and bustle of big city life), they send their kids to Sherman ISD schools (the wife is a teacher up there). They felt Sherman schools were better. Yeah I was surprised by that too. Take that for what you will.

[TurtleCreek80]

It's a rural district in a rural/ bedroom community. It will be years before - if ever- there is a critical mass of college & higher educated parents to push to caliber upwards.

If you hate Lovejoy, I can't imagine why you're even considering some of these fringed rural districts.

[TX75007]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

If you hate Lovejoy, I can't imagine why you're even considering some of these fringed rural districts.

In 2011 Melissa had zero NMSF which is how many Woodrow Wilson had in 2011 and Lovejoy in 2012.

OTOH, being the top grad at Melissa would gain one entrance to UT.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by TX75007

In 2011 Melissa had zero NMSF which is how many Woodrow Wilson had in 2011 and Lovejoy in 2012.

OTOH, being the top grad at Melissa would gain one entrance to UT.

Relevance?! You must have me confused with the resident Woodrow booster on this forum. WW will need to start getting NMSF accolades to gain credibility as a top high school.

The top Melissa grad will get into UT, but from what I saw over and over again in college, those top rural grads are usually not prepared for success at top state schools and are at high risk for not completing their degrees at a flagship school. Whereas a "B" student at HP / Plano/ other top college prep programs will typically do well even if he/she isn't "top 8%".

[Philip T]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

It's a rural district in a rural/ bedroom community. It will be years before - if ever- there is a critical mass of college & higher educated parents to push to caliber upwards.

If you hate Lovejoy, I can't imagine why you're even considering some of these fringed rural districts.

Well, as Eeyore says -- thanks for noticing me . . .

But if you look at those dates -- this is from last year -- we were considering Melissa, Lovejoy and Sunnyvale -- when we figured we were "stepping up" from Wylie.

Cue the George Jefferson and Weesie music here . . . "Moving on up to the East Side . . . "

Turns out we were totally vain idiots. Coming out of the Deep Hood the year prior, Wylie was pretty nice. We figured why not step it on up? Thing I had not considered so well about coming out of the hood was that it was a 4th Step thing for me, if you are familiar, and moving into a house in just 24 hours was very much a Pink Cloud event.

Rather than staying put there, after a year of that . . . . we sort of went leaning onto our own understanding. Leaned some things along the way. All that glitters is not gold. As discussed in depth on here -- much of the presentation is a farce for the sake of real estate sales and the various local grifters.

Learned a Really Big Lesson. And paid some "tuition" for the learning. The jump to Lovejoy and back out has probably cost us at least $20K, and we would have lost more if we had bought here. Our quickly to be ex-landlord is now about $100K upside down.

But we turned our Lovejoy house in last week -- real nice folks got it -- and I am cleaning the barn out tonight -- but we have been looking at this for over a month and we cannot get back to Wylie. He makes one hell of one-way door for the foolish.

TC -- I have to confess to you. You know what an arrogant ass I can be. At this point we are we are freaking homeless. Plenty of money, but homeless.

Like Mrs. Philip was saying to me a couple days ago -- you know she is a Social Worker, and does some homeless work -- The only folks homeless are broke or crazy. And we aint broke.

She and the kids are "on vacation" for the rest of the summer out in East Texas at her mom's house, and I am catching up on the weekends, and trying to sort all this mess out.

[TurtleCreek80]

Oh gosh, sorry! I didn't see the post was from last summer. I guess a "drive by" poster must have revived it. Oops!!

What districts are you looking in for this coming school year?

[Philip T]

Thanks TC, all good.

Just trying to get back to Wylie, at this point. That is sort of our last known good Return to Sanity point.

We tore hard into shopping in June.

I shopped projects (work) overseas (Europe), we would go accompanied -- but none are ready to start.

Hit several out of state -- Missouri, near Chicago, Colorado, and NJ -- but none of them are ready to start, yet.

Thought we had a bunch of houses in Wylie, too. All evaporated.

Went looking around here (DFW) -- but since now we know too much -- we are very cautious. Colleyville seemed nice, we have friends there, but after dealing with a total blonde bimbo real estate who went into a long explanation about since there is money in the area, things are "better," and "smarter," while also mispronouncing every 3 syllable word (think of George Bush as a blonde bimbo) . . . . that was giving us Lovejoy flashbacks and Mrs. Philip was about to take her out in a cat fight, so we scratched that area off.

We see some open in Southlake -- and the prices are looking low for what I think of Southlake, but again, is that not just Bling, Bling, West?

Plano in the Murphy area may be good. Personally I like Parker. Not the new Subdivision monstrosities -- but the stand-alone older houses. Murphy seems ok, too.

Like I say we are just looking for what once seemed like normal folks, not trying to dollar and dime their way up the Caterpillar Pillar (you know Hope for the Flowers, TC?). And not shooting Meth and raising Fighting dogs like in the hood.

Real question TC? Where is the Middle Class, here?

[TurtleCreek80]

The middle class- the true middle class, not the upper-middle class "middle" class found in most suburbs discussed as nausem on this forum - live in the "unsexy" parts of the metroplex rarely mentioned on this "aspirational" seeking forum. A "middle class" household income is in the $40-80k range so that would lend itself to homes in the $125-200 k range. This puts you in places like Cedar Hill, Lancaster, Desoto, Garland, Rockwall, Lake Highlands/ northeast Dallas, central/north Richardson, Carrollton, Irving, Arlington, Mansfield, Grand Prairie, Central/East Plano, Lewisville, etc. Schools are obviously hit & miss across these areas, although many have some really great schools and programs (CFBISD gifted program, Garland's IB program, Plano ISD overall, etc).

If you're looking for the "down to earth" folks among the $100-200k income BMW driving self-described "middle class" (who are only middle class if the three classes are poverty, middle, and $1M+ net worth folks), you're going to just have to find an environment where you feel comfortable. I prefer the more subtle "old money" areas, but YMMV.

[Philip T]

Good points, well taken.

I suppose we come closest to the $100K + income types who drive 17 year old pickup trucks, rather than BMWs. I suppose that is a lonely position in Bling, Bling, Texas.

It is that "Hit and Miss" thing with the schools that has us not diving back towards the areas with the folks we seem closer to. But we are pretty underwhelmed with supposed upper schools, as well.

So you say it is educated parents that drive up the schools in higher performance? Anywhere you know of where the educated culture also has some humble - or "down to earth" type folks?

As far as housing -- There is not much over $200K that we care for. Unless there is a lot of playground/land involved. Even Parker seems addicted towards Affluenza. I see their minimum build is now 2500 sq ft of "air conditioned" space.

dunno.

Thanks for the Real Estate Therapy session.