Moving to Dallas area and working in Richardson....hoa's? (Plano: top neighborhoods, city hall)

[merrylegs]

I have been researching the area for awhile.. I am moving from Pennsylvania where i have a single home with a half acre yard and no hoa. I am looking at $250.000 tops. We have no children so school district is not a consideration. Looking for a quiet community and that is dog friendly . Also how are the hoa's? Are they expensive? Do you have to pay monthly or annually? Are they strict? I am finding that there are not that many places available without them. Not that we are wild and crazy but...I find it a little stifling. can anyone give me ideas? I do want a little elbow room, though I am not expecting to get a half acre unless I move an hour away. Thank you.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by merrylegs

I have been researching the area for awhile.. I am moving from Pennsylvania where i have a single home with a half acre yard and no hoa. I am looking at $250.000 tops. We have no children so school district is not a consideration. Looking for a quiet community and that is dog friendly . Also how are the hoa's? Are they expensive? Do you have to pay monthly or annually? Are they strict? I am finding that there are not that many places available without them. Not that we are wild and crazy but...I find it a little stifling. can anyone give me ideas? I do want a little elbow room, though I am not expecting to get a half acre unless I move an hour away. Thank you.

Most of Richardson is HOA-free. We have voluntary neighborhood associations; membership is not a requirement and is usually 15-20 bucks a year. Some NAs will even paint your address on the curb for you as part of your dues.

HOAs are rife in Frisco, McKinney, and Allen...there are also quite a few in Plano. Generally speaking, the older the neighborhood the less likely it is to be under the thumb of an HOA. They became a plague here from the 1990s onward.

My neighborhood is mostly on quarter-acre plots and the homes are well-kept and many have had extensive renovations. You could easily afford it on your budget. It's very dog-friendly and there's no HOA. The local schools are great, which is good for resale. It's also very quiet and safe. Check out Heights Park in Richardson in the 75080 zip code.

Our area was also recently named one of the top neighborhoods for foodies, if you're into that sort of thing.

[merrylegs]

Thank you! I was wondering about Richardson! That gives me a place to start!

[TurtleCreek80]

I would definitely look in Richardson first. It's perfect for your price point & commute and also will give you a larger lot than in the HOA master-planned communities. Not .5 acre but more than the typical new suburb's .15-.2 "acre" lots. Richardson has stellar city services, well regarded public schools (good for resale & involved neifhborboods), and is quite safe.

[hell_storm2004]

Richardson is a nice place to be for me!

[merrylegs]

That is great info. Thanks! I am also looking at Murphy and Sachse.

[MurphyPl1]

Murphy south of 544 has some acreage lots. Although at the moment, there's only one available on Moonlight. Close knit street considering how long it is. Those homes don't turn over that often.

Willow Wood, north of 544 and behind City Hall, also has acreage lots, but those turn over even less often. There's a quite a large number of original owners still there 4 decades later.

[Pete53FR]

I would avoid HOA like the plague. They end up being run by control freaks.