Great places to raise a family in the DFW area??? (Dallas: foreclosures, rentals)

[Momof2girlsmovingfromPA]

My husband has recently accepted a job offer in the DFW area working for an architectural firm. He starts at the beginning of January (2008). Since we do not know the area we are planning on renting until our home, here in PA, sells. I would like to rent in an area where there is a great school district because my daughter starts kindergarten in September and when our home does sell I don`t want to have to transfer her between schools. I was raised in a "cookie-cutter" type neighborhood and would LOVE for my girls to also. KID FRIENDLY IS A MUST!!

Please help because I don`t really even know where to start looking!!

[hamiltonpl]

Check out Lakewood and East Dallas. Also North Dallas, Preston Hollow, Highland Park and University Park (aka the "Park Cities").

http://www.city-data.com/forum/dalla...od-photos.html

[nativeDallasite]

Originally Posted by hamiltonpl

Check out Lakewood and East Dallas. Also North Dallas, Preston Hollow, Highland Park and University Park (aka the "Park Cities").

http://www.city-data.com/forum/dalla...od-photos.html

She said she wanted a great school district and a cookie-cutter area. None of those fit the bill. Sounds like a classic Plano/Allen/McKinney/Frisco candidate to me.

[FarNorthDallas]

Cookie cutter - Frisco, Allen, McKinney, Keller, Forney, etc. We have lots of cookie cutter neighborhoods in DFW. Where will the job be? How much do you want to spend?

[MyNameIsKyle]

Don't forget Coppell, Flower Mound, Grapevine, and Southlake. Really, I lot will depend upon the location of the new job.

[Lakewooder]

A lot of those schools are overrated because they are mostly white -- keep that in mind - Frisco especially. Also they are growing so fast that the school lines are in a constant chaos. That plus the corporate nomad mentality of moving every few years hurts your children's chances of forming life-long friends.

My area is more like a small-town - if you insist on something far out, I would look for smaller schools in areas which started out as small towns that have grown organically.

[Momof2girlsmovingfromPA]

We would like to stay around $200,000 (if possible), for a 4 bedroom home. His job is in Dallas, right next to the Love Field Airport.

p.s. thanks for the info so far. I will be looking into these areas!

[momof2dfw]

If you can get away from wanting a "cookie cutter" neighborhood I'd go w/ Lake Highlands. It would be inside of LBJ/6-35 and a easy commute for your husband. The area is SUPER family friendly and has been since inception and probably always will be. Part of the Richardson ISD so you will find the diversity of a city but a more stable environment w/ students/families staying put and school attendance boundries pretty darn set in stone. The Lake Highlands area has not been plagued by foreclosures, builders throwing up junk and rentals/investors. In your price range in the northern burbs your going to be looking at houses on the low end of the totem pole and will run across the foreclosures & investors/rentals. Granted in that price range it still is going to be on the lower end of the spectrum but your going to be in a MUCH more stable environment that is desireable. It may be you have to find an older home that has not been updated but the outlook could be tremendous when you complete your own updates and put your own mark on the house. The return/appreciation will be there for sure over a house in the northern burbs in that price range.

[Momof2girlsmovingfromPA]

By cookie cutter, I meant a neighborhood where you can walk to a friends home, that has sidewalks (sidewalks are a BIG thing for me. I love to walk and here in PA there are NO sidewalks anywhere and it is very difficult venturing out with a 6 month old and a 5 year old on the side of the road), a place where if we go on vacation we would not have to worry about our house being left alone, plus a friendly area, especially with us being from out of state and not really having any friends or family close by, that is very important.

thanks for the information momof2dfw: I would have loved to stay within our $200,000 budget because I wanted to a low mortgage (with our PA home selling) but if you are telling me that I would not find a home within that then what is the median price range in the suburbs of dallas??

[momof2dfw]

Okay, your definition of "cookie cutter" is VASTLY different than what it is here in the DFW area. "Cookie Cutter" here means every 4 houses is the same, yuck. Lake Highlands would fit your bill being it does have sidewalks, family friendly, easy to get to know neighbors (if your outgoing and personable of course ), good schools and easy commute for your husband. You could find a home under $200 in the burbs (my parents just did a few months ago in the Firewheel area of Garland but it is not a brand new home but a 15 year old updated custom home). But in the far reaching burbs like McKinney, Allen & Frisco your going to be in the DFW area of a "cookie cutter" neighborhood that is always in transition and dealing w/ constant school boundries changing. Not to mention the rentals/investors and foreclosures that tend to haunt that segment in those areas or the much longer commute. Another area to look at might be Richardson Heights. You can find homes in your price range there for sure that may be updated. Still in the Richardson ISD but on the outside of LBJ but not by much so it would still be an easy commute. This area and Lake Highlands would provide more than 1 or 2 routes for your husband to take.