Aubrey, Little Elm, McKinney (Dallas, Plano: real estate, houses, construction)

[packgirls]

We are going to be relocating to TX from FL. My husband will be working in Frisco. We looked at houses in both McKinney and Little Elm. When I was looking online I found that the houses in Aubrey seem to have a lot of space for a lot less money. Can anyone tell me if you live in these areas, what their best features are and worst? And what are the commute times? Where has the best schools!
Thank you!

[packgirls]

okay, I'm bumping myself. Looking for help here. Hubby has to move due to a job, and I can't make more than one more trip to look for houses, so any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

[nativeDallasite]

Originally Posted by packgirls

We are going to be relocating to TX from FL. My husband will be working in Frisco. We looked at houses in both McKinney and Little Elm. When I was looking online I found that the houses in Aubrey seem to have a lot of space for a lot less money. Can anyone tell me if you live in these areas, what their best features are and worst? And what are the commute times? Where has the best schools!
Thank you!

Aubrey is northeast of Denton, i.e. in B.F.E. Given the size of the roads there, I would imagine that a commute to Frisco would be interesting at best.

[TXTwizter]

Well it also depends on what ya'll are willing to pay for real estate. Whats your price range......Homes in Frisco can be as low as 200K or as high as 1M. Prosper is the NEXT up and coming suburb, and its just a few minutes north of Frisco. Alot of development planned there so you might wanna consider it before the prices skyrocket.

[nativeDallasite]

Originally Posted by JVTX72

Well it also depends on what ya'll are willing to pay for real estate. Whats your price range......Homes in Frisco can be as low as 200K or as high as 1M. Prosper is the NEXT up and coming suburb, and its just a few minutes north of Frisco. Alot of development planned there so you might wanna consider it before the prices skyrocket.

Good point; they just extended the tollroad to 380 so I would assume Prosper is about to explode.

[packgirls]

THANKS!!! We are looking to spend about $150... I know, not alot considering a lot of people on here are more like $350... but, I'd like to maintain a good budget I haven't even looked at Prosper. I did see some houses online in Plano that were decent, definitley seemed to be an older area though.

[packgirls]

Ummm, yeah... prosper seems to be outta my price range....

[nativeDallasite]

Originally Posted by packgirls

THANKS!!! We are looking to spend about $150... I know, not alot considering a lot of people on here are more like $350... but, I'd like to maintain a good budget I haven't even looked at Prosper. I did see some houses online in Plano that were decent, definitley seemed to be an older area though.

Some older areas of Plano aren't very nice; I'd be careful with that if I were you.

[packgirls]

Thanks for the heads up. I'm glad to know that Aubrey is out too cause of the drive. I guess it is little elm or mckinney... anyone live there? pros and cons???

[nativeDallasite]

Originally Posted by packgirls

Thanks for the heads up. I'm glad to know that Aubrey is out too cause of the drive. I guess it is little elm or mckinney... anyone live there? pros and cons???

I wouldn't count it out until you actually come to Texas and see it for yourself. I'm assuming you'll not want to live there when you see how far away it is, but that's the kind of thing y'all have to judge for yourselves.

I personally wouldn't live in McKinney because of the issues with traffic but the city's population has doubled recently so it clearly doesn't bother everyone. I was in McKinney just yesterday and most of it looked like it was built in the last few years, with major construction projects still underway for massive shopping centers.

The pain in McKinney is going to come when they widen 75, which will have to happen sooner or later to relieve the gridlock that occurs when 75 narrows from 4 lanes to 2 between Allen and McKinney. It was crowded at lunchtime, when a large percentage of McKinney's residents aren't even there (they're at work)...I can only imagine the pain at rush hour. Getting from where I am (75 and Walnut Hill) to Allen takes an hour in rush hour traffic and McKinney is further north than Allen is.

Then again, you said hubby's going to be working in Frisco, which is theoretically a straight shot on 121...but in practice that might not work either, since 121 is still being built in parts of Frisco. Between the tollroad and at least Preston Rd, there is no highway...only an access road that clogs very quickly.

All of these areas you've mentioned are "new" suburbs (the towns themselves have often been there as long as Dallas has) and they all have their own major growing pains and problems with traffic that are impossible to ignore. Frisco is particularly notorious for traffic problems.

As for Little Elm...I've never been there but looking at a map it looks like it may work, distance-wise...I have no idea what kind of roads they have up there. It's kind of isolated for work in Dallas, but it's close-ish to Frisco so that might not be too bad. Then again if it has Denton-style traffic problems...