Good places to live around the Dallas/Fortworth area? (Arlington: real estate, apartments)

[OkieJoe86]

Hey yall, I have a possible job opportunity in Dallas after I graduate in April. I have only visited Dallas maybe twice and know nothing about the town and its surroundings. Where would be a good area to move to that isn't to overpriced? I am a single man looking to rent around $800-$900 for a small 1br house with a garage. longer commutes like 30-40 minutes do not bother me at all.

Which towns should I avoid due to crime and what not? Any info would be greatly appreciated!
-Joe

[TurtleCreek80]

$800-900 is an apartment budget, not a house budget.

[BeenThereDunThat]

Ditto on the budget being more suited to an apartment rent...not a house. You should browse the real estate websites like realtor.com and zillow.com and use the free search filters to see what's out there. The further the distance, usually the less expensive the rents but there are even some places where that doesn't hold true.

Right off the top of my head, you may want to look at Richardson, Garland, Mesquite communities for lower costing rentals but some folks will say that some of those areas aren't good. I think each area has its good and bad points. Only you will be able to make that call.

Good luck!

[ChristieP]

We also need to know WHERE in Dallas. The metro area is huge, and Dallas itself has several million people. You don't want a lengthy commute here.

I agree with everyone else that you need to focus on apartments. 1 bedroom houses are basically nonexistent.

[OkieJoe86]

The location can pretty much be anywhere in the metro area. If I do get the job, I will be traveling all over the metro everyday. Thanks for the websites to check out!
-Joe

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by BeenThereDunThat

Ditto on the budget being more suited to an apartment rent...not a house. You should browse the real estate websites like realtor.com and zillow.com and use the free search filters to see what's out there. The further the distance, usually the less expensive the rents but there are even some places where that doesn't hold true.

Right off the top of my head, you may want to look at Richardson, Garland, Mesquite communities for lower costing rentals but some folks will say that some of those areas aren't good. I think each area has its good and bad points. Only you will be able to make that call.

Good luck!

Um...who told you that? Unless you're renting on Spring Valley between Coit and 75, you'll be 100% fine in Richardson. There aren't all that many 'apartment farms' around here since it's an older, established area. There are some nice newer complexes in 75081. Check it out. We're very centrally located here so you'd be close to 75, 635, and 190 which makes commuting much easier.

[Rakin]

West of DFW airport - Euless, Bedford, Hurst, North Arlington is cheaper than east of the airport.

A decent small home to rent will probably run you $1000-1200 if you can find one.

Also, add Irving to your list.

[BeenThereDunThat]

"Right off the top of my head, you may want to look at Richardson, Garland, Mesquite communities for lower costing rentals but some folks will say that some of those areas aren't good. I think each area has its good and bad points. Only you will be able to make that call. "

Emphasis was on "some"... all one has to do is conduct a simple search of the Dallas forums to get a variety of opinions both pro & con as to the areas I brought up.

FWIW.