Can I make the commute from Allen to downtown Dallas at rush hour?

[biafra4life]

Originally Posted by bencronin04

That's honestly going to be impossible on that budget and close to UTSW. You either need to add on a zero to the budget, or consider further out suburbs.

And there, in a nutshell explains why people take up crazy commutes...lack of viable options. If one works in Dallas (especially downtown), then your options become either very expensive (Park Cities, Lakewood), or very dicey (sketchy parts of Dallas, DISD). Moving out to the suburbs eliminates those two obstacles for the average Joe. Of course, Joe then gets to deal with the crappy commute. But life is about trade offs, and many of us Joes make that decision and deal with it.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by biafra4life

And there, in a nutshell explains why people take up crazy commutes...lack of viable options. If one works in Dallas (especially downtown), then your options become either very expensive (Park Cities, Lakewood), or very dicey (sketchy parts of Dallas, DISD). Moving out to the suburbs eliminates those two obstacles for the average Joe. Of course, Joe then gets to deal with the crappy commute. But life is about trade offs, and many of us Joes make that decision and deal with it.

Richardson is a sweet spot if you work downtown but don't want to deal with Dallas prices or schools. Downtown Dallas isn't too horrid of a commute down 75 if you leave early, and there's always the DART rail with a park and ride station on Spring Valley.

[wallawallahoohoo]

Originally Posted by biafra4life

And there, in a nutshell explains why people take up crazy commutes...lack of viable options. If one works in Dallas (especially downtown), then your options become either very expensive (Park Cities, Lakewood), or very dicey (sketchy parts of Dallas, DISD). Moving out to the suburbs eliminates those two obstacles for the average Joe. Of course, Joe then gets to deal with the crappy commute. But life is about trade offs, and many of us Joes make that decision and deal with it.

Agreed. Anything <10-15 minutes to downtown is an excellent commute, either by walking, subway, or car (plus parking and walking which can be an additional 5 minutes). There is hardly any place close to downtown that even meets the criteria of good public schools within a real estate price range that is comparable to anything 30+ minutes out (eg: $100/sq ft.)

[biafra4life]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Richardson is a sweet spot if you work downtown but don't want to deal with Dallas prices or schools. Downtown Dallas isn't too horrid of a commute down 75 if you leave early, and there's always the DART rail with a park and ride station on Spring Valley.

I was including Richardson in the suburbs...although to be honest, Richardson is one of those "quietly expensive" suburbs. It doesnt get the hype and buzz of Frisco/Plano/Allen, but try finding a 3000 square ft plus home for under $200K that doesnt require extensive remodeling/upgrades/repairs...not easy to find in Richardson these days.

[Aceraceae]

I didn't know 3000 square feet under 200k existed anywhere remotely desirable.

[biafra4life]

Originally Posted by Aceraceae

I didn't know 3000 square feet under 200k existed anywhere remotely desirable.

I think you could still get that here in Wylie for now...whether that is 'desirable' to you maybe a different matter. But even here, I'm seeing a bunch of new developments in my area, all starting at $300K which of course means that you will have to spend at least $350K and I'm thinking "really??? people are willing to spend close to $400K to live in WYLIE??? but then a buddy of mine who lives in Frisco says you will struggle to find anything starting at under $500K in his neck of the woods, so I guess that is the new reality in the DFW...in about 30 years or so we will no longer be a low COD area.

[Lakewooder]

If you live in DISD and you are not in the attendance zone of a good school, there is a good possibility of transferring. It's done all the time for curriculum, hardship and other reasons. Many of the high schools have been redesigned into academies and if the one where you are zoned doesn't have the one you want, you can apply to transfer. There are also magnets and my alma mater offers IB - about half enrolled are transfers.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by biafra4life

I was including Richardson in the suburbs...although to be honest, Richardson is one of those "quietly expensive" suburbs. It doesnt get the hype and buzz of Frisco/Plano/Allen, but try finding a 3000 square ft plus home for under $200K that doesnt require extensive remodeling/upgrades/repairs...not easy to find in Richardson these days.

There are almost no houses that large in my neighborhood anyway. There are some in Heights Park Estates, but bear in mind that back in those days they didn't build all houses that large. 3,000 sq ft is about triple what the average house was in the 1950s.

And yes, it's not dirt cheap to buy real estate here but it's certainly more reasonable than some areas of Dallas. Better schools too.

People are figuring that out, which is why our average list AND sold price per square foot has shot up over the last few years.

[Rob.]

I have a co-worker who commutes from Allen to South Fort Worth 5 days a week. He has done this for several years and it doesn't seem to bother him.

I couldn't do it...

[CREW747]

Originally Posted by bencronin04

Exactly. It's usually if people want a "nicer" house for a better cost, a newer house or more land that they move out to the likes of Frisco, Allen, McKinney, Prosper, etc. and have to commute far distances to their office. Heck I did it for a few years, but won't again.

Prosper,Mc Kinney and Frisco are horrible ideas if you work in Downtown Dallas...the commute in my opinion would be a nightmare.Many people that live in these areas do not work downtown or in Dallas.Richardson,Lewisville,Denton,Frisco,Plano,M c Kinney ect. are/becoming major work areas.

I can enjoy my 10 minute ride to work in Prosper and hop on the tollway when and if I need to go to Dallas or the airport.DFW is a beast...traffic is bad,but since so many people actually work in places other than Dallas,it really opens up the suburbs for living.