DFW from Tampa (Dallas, Carrollton, Denton: transplants, sales, foreclose)

[Jesslyn848]

Hello,

I have lived in Tampa FL my whole life (23 years) and want to leave. I have researched CA, AZ, NV and now have taken a likeing to the DFW area. I have read that the job market is pretty good and the home prices are even better. I know that the property taxes are high but I think the Homeowners Insurance should be much lower.

In Tampa, our 1300 sq ft house is about $3000.00 for taxes and about $4700.00 for insurance. (Thank you hurricanes!) From looking online I see that we should be able to get a reasonably nice house in the $150-200k range. Is this true? What is the job market really like? I am a recent college grad and would love to find a Government Position (any level) in the HR or Community Planning areas (I have worked in both) I am currently finishing up my Masters in Public Admin.

My Fiancè works in the stucco industry, he is a local superintendent in this area and would need to find similar work. FL is LOADED with stucco, but from looking at new home sites it doesn't appear to be that big in DFW. Would he have problems finding work. He is bilingual and has about 15 years experience.

Also, how is the quality of life in the area? We love shopping, dining out, going to bars, professional sports events? I am sure there is much more to do in DFW than the Tampa area, but I would greatly miss the beach.

I know I have asked so much, but I haven't really visisted for more than a few days before. Any areas to avoid? We would like to live in a quieter area, but not too crazy far from shopping/dining, etc.

How are the areas of:
Denton
Little Elm
Lewisville
Carrollton
The Colony
Flower Mound
Frisco
Mckinney etc?

I know these areas are all over the place but I have no clue where to live, I just have heard that North of Dallas is the better area?

All honest opinions welcome!

[hamiltonpl]

North of Dallas is the cheaper area. Dallas is the better area (and the home values prove it).

So it depends on your price range. Stucco is not popular here because it has the tendency to grow lots of mold in our environment.

[mysterymachinebl]

The Dallas area job market is pretty good....better than a lot of areas. I would think your fiancee would be at an advantage being bilingual. I would check out areas of Dallas proper, especially since you like going out to bars/sporting events. Denton and McKinney may be a bit far out. There are plenty of nice areas of Dallas and not all are outrageously expensive.

[Jesslyn848]

I thought that only EIFS (synthetic stucco) had a tendency to grow mold? Mold comes from moisture, and FL is more humid than TX (in my experience) and 90% of the houses here are Stucco, both older and newer houses. We don't seem to have probs.

hmmm....

[Woodsy1]

Having applied many hundreds of gallons of paint to exteriors in the Dallas and Tampa areas, I can tell you without doubt that Florida has a much more severe mold problem. A paint job in north Texas will last two or three times as long as it does in Tampa. Wood decay and wood-eating insects are not near the problem either. You will find more problems with
concrete slab construction in north Texas due to the underlying clay soil sub-structure. It shrinks when it dries, and expands when it's wet which causes slab cracks and cracks at the upper corners of doorways, and occasionally roof leaks, generally around penetrations. Watering the foundation during dry periods seems to help stabilize the situation. You will see a lot more brick construction in Dallas than stucco. My impression of Dallas is somewhat dated, as we haven't live there in a good number of years, but my opinion of Dallas, and Texas as a whole, is if you can't find it there, you probably don't need it. Anyone who's willing to work can do well, and anyone who is willing to work hard can do extremely well. I have a deep and abiding respect for what Texans have done with their part of the country from its origins to present, and hope all who come here will be open to her history and her promise and help keep her what she is. I can tell you that I bawled like a baby when we crossed the state line moving back 5 years ago, and I look forward to being buried in what I consider the best place to live and die on the planet.

Originally Posted by Jesslyn848

I thought that only EIFS (synthetic stucco) had a tendency to grow mold? Mold comes from moisture, and FL is more humid than TX (in my experience) and 90% of the houses here are Stucco, both older and newer houses. We don't seem to have probs.

hmmm....

[Woodsy1]

Originally Posted by Jesslyn848

I thought that only EIFS (synthetic stucco) had a tendency to grow mold? Mold comes from moisture, and FL is more humid than TX (in my experience) and 90% of the houses here are Stucco, both older and newer houses. We don't seem to have probs.

hmmm....

As an added thought, you might take a trip over to Plant City before you leave and check out what they're doing at the Hardy-board plant. I suspect their products will elminate a lot of stucco work as time goes by. A lot of the new homes in my part of Texas are using it, and it makes a lot of sense. We happened on their representatives at a home show in Orlando, before they had decided where to locate their plant in this country, and it was interesting to watch their operation grow pretty much in our back yard. The current product is a re-formulation of what they were doing in Australia. They used asbestos as a binder over there, and that of course is a big no-no here. What a success story!

[Woodsy1]

Originally Posted by Jesslyn848

I thought that only EIFS (synthetic stucco) had a tendency to grow mold? Mold comes from moisture, and FL is more humid than TX (in my experience) and 90% of the houses here are Stucco, both older and newer houses. We don't seem to have probs.

hmmm....

As an additional added thought you might google concrete construction or something similar......concrete is being used is new and exciting ways, and we could well be on the verge of a revolution in that respect. Lots of new additives and combinations are being tried. Might be some ground-floor opportunities available for someone accustomed to working with stucco type products.

[jorywalker]

There are a few major homebuilders using stucco around the DFW area and although it is not nearly as common here as in Florida it is becoming pretty popular. Standard Pacific Homes is one that has really good sales with their Stucco option. If he has experience in that field and is bilingual he would have a lot of opportunities in other related fields as well. In your price range you will be able to purchase a nice home and the homeowners insurance will be MUCH lower, my homeowners insurance is around $500.00 a year. We have some neighbors down the street who moved from FL and they were amazed at what a great place it is to live here and how affordable the prices are!

[katrique]

Moderator cut: advertising there are a number of options that will work for you. Are school districts and issue? If so a suburb may be a better option but I caution you about some of the trendy "new Build" suburbs unless you plan to stay there about 10 years. trying to resell a house when builders are building new construction for the same price is a formula for low appreciation and forecloseures in the neighborhoods. No Kids? A lot more options open tof you...Dallas definitely has had the best appreciation.

Yes...stucco works here...the new build industry is a bit slow right now but there is a lot of remodelling including elevation changes to stucco etc. Matter of fact just have reliable contractors in this town that say what they mean, do what they say could make your husband a millionaire!! The population of the metroplex should double in the 13 years...it is a great time to move here.

No state income tax, like Florida but property tax is higher. The insurance is not so it should be a wash or a bit more to you favor. The Job market here is much much betterm

Moderator cut: advertising

[nsumner]

Hi Jesslyn848,
Dallas is a great place to live in right now. My husband and I are transplants as well and have been here for 12 years. And Yes, there are a lot more things to do than Tampa, without the thunderstorms. Our family is still in Tampa so we know first hand about real humidity.

Ok, you are young and have no kids and you like to go out. Denton, Little Elm, Flower Mound, Lewisville and Mckinney are just too far out. They may be great places to live but if you have an active lifestyle and like the night life, you want to be much closer to Downtown Dallas/Addison area where it's more convenient to the Tollway.

The employment opportunity in your line of work is very good here. Dallas is the HUB for many large corporations.

Woodsy made a great point about stucco construction here. It doesn't do well here. Although your homeowner's insurance may be lower because of lack of hurricanes, however, it will be higher because of the stucco on any home. In North Texas, only custom builders use real stucco, and that usually means the price range is above 400K. Some builders are using the concrete look that kind of looks like stucco but it's not, it's not EIFS either.

As far as miissing the beach, sorry can't do anything about that... but we have some a few lakes that are great.

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