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Yes, if we end up moving we will definitely look in Richardson. However, I do not want to limit myself to that and want to understand what the commute would be like (in terms of time) from some of the other areas as well.
There are great choices in Richardson. We who live here well know the impact of commuting has on one's life and are hoping you trust us and try and confine your search there.
Rockwall is a nice place. My parents have lived in/near there for 20 years, and they love it. There's lots of shopping, restaurants, good public schools, etc. Houses are less expensive than other suburbs, but the trade-off for this is longer commutes, mostly involving the PGBT toll road. I can't speak about commute times during the week since neither they nor I make that drive except on weekends, when it only takes 20 minutes. I'm sure it's a lot longer with traffic during the week. The PGBT also gets expensive. To get from Rockwall to Richardson round trip will cost about $5 a day, which will add up quickly. Add to this the additional gas and wear and tear on your car, and that cheaper house isn't really as cheap as it initially seems.
Richardson is a great place to live as I live here myself and the school system is wonderful. My commute to that exact area would be 8-10mins and not even on 75 unless I chose to do so.
I'm guessing you're wanting newer construction houses rather than the older ranch style homes available in much of Richardson since you're suggesting Rockwall and Frisco? Yes, you're budget will get you newer construction in those areas, but I ask that you really consider the commute in your decision as 30-40 mins can easily become 1.5-2 hours or more when their is an accident or several, which happens every day. Rockwall commute wouldn't be bad on the toll road portion, but you'd have to use 30 to cross the lake and get home. I've been trapped in stopped traffic going over the lake and wouldn't wish that on anyone.
I'd really seriously look at neighborhoods in Richardson, Plano, maybe North Garland near Firewheel, but Garland doesn't have the school system Richardson and Plano does). Murphy may also be on my list, but not sure about their schools.
Yes, if we end up moving we will definitely look in Richardson. However, I do not want to limit myself to that and want to understand what the commute would be like (in terms of time) from some of the other areas as well.
That is exactly what you should do. While Richarsdon is a very nice place to live , it has a very distinct feeling to it that does not fit everybody. You have a lot of choices around with still a very reasonable commute. I know that we looked around but didn't like it , we did prefer Plano in the end. I'm not starting a war against Richardson I just let you know that you should look around first, it may be the place you pick in the end
We do seem to find a fair amount of homes in Rockwall, at least online, that might meet our needs. How long would the commute be from Rockwall to Richardson/Plano where 75 and the George Bush meet?
Would Frisco be a long commute to that area? Just want to make sure we aren't ruling out areas if the "right" property appears.
Richardson to Rockwall in light weekend traffic is at least half an hour for me...and that's tearing down the highway at 75-80mph. There is no way you'd get across the lake in a decent amount of time in morning rush hour traffic.
DNT southbound out of Frisco is a parking lot in the morning. So is PGBT (a.k.a. 190, "The Bush", etc) eastbound in the morning. I go 75 north then PGBT westbound so I get a pretty good view of all of it, plus I shake my head in pity at the traffic southbound as I pass over DNT. So you'll be sitting in traffic hating life for probably an hour in the morning, possibly more in the afternoon depending on when you leave. And depending on which route you take to/from Rockwall, you'll be paying tolls to do it. There's no way you can get to Richardson from Frisco in any decent amount of time without paying tolls.
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Originally Posted by Souleiado
That is exactly what you should do. While Richarsdon is a very nice place to live , it has a very distinct feeling to it that does not fit everybody. You have a lot of choices around with still a very reasonable commute. I know that we looked around but didn't like it , we did prefer Plano in the end. I'm not starting a war against Richardson I just let you know that you should look around first, it may be the place you pick in the end
I dunno, I disagree. There are three zip codes in Richardson and they all have their own distinctive look and feel. 75080 (where I live) isn't for everyone, but if you find huge trees and 50s houses charming...then it's a good choice. Canyon Creek and The Reservation have some beautiful large homes too. And 75082 has a lot of newer houses and looks nothing like the rest of Richardson; it looks more like Plano to me.
Personally I think the OP should look in 75082 or even parts of 75081. Maybe even Garland by Firewheel. But Rockwall and Frisco? Not unless they want to sit in traffic for a couple of hours each day.
I dunno, I disagree. There are three zip codes in Richardson and they all have their own distinctive look and feel. 75080 (where I live) isn't for everyone, but if you find huge trees and 50s houses charming...then it's a good choice. Canyon Creek and The Reservation have some beautiful large homes too. And 75082 has a lot of newer houses and looks nothing like the rest of Richardson; it looks more like Plano to me.
Personally I think the OP should look in 75082 or even parts of 75081. Maybe even Garland by Firewheel. But Rockwall and Frisco? Not unless they want to sit in traffic for a couple of hours each day.
I would agree that the northern part of Richardson looks like a lot of the southern east part of Plano, but this is exactly what we avoided in the first place , for us it still looked old. The only newer part of Richardson is really on the East side of 75, and over there there is barely any stores , restaurants, most of the places we shop is on the Western part in Plano. ( I'm not big fan of moms and pops style stores and restaurants in Richardson) For us it was worst it to add 20mn to the daily commute and find the neighborhood we wanted, we even moved further north on the border of Frisco in the last few years to find the perfect house , we have not regretted it. Many people do it all the time , even knowing that it adds commute. Most of my husband's colleagues live around us , we were not the only one to prefer further north. Imagine if all of us had the same taste , you would not be able to afford your house, it is already crazy with higher prices
The OP still should look around and that would include all the zip codes that you listed , that I totally agree with you. I was just stating that he should visit the surroundings areas , and not restrict himself to one city. In the end he may find exactly what he wants in Richardson
I would agree that the northern part of Richardson looks like a lot of the southern east part of Plano, but this is exactly what we avoided in the first place , for us it still looked old. The only newer part of Richardson is really on the East side of 75, and over there there is barely any stores , restaurants, most of the places we shop is on the Western part in Plano. ( I'm not big fan of moms and pops style stores and restaurants in Richardson) For us it was worst it to add 20mn to the daily commute and find the neighborhood we wanted, we even moved further north on the border of Frisco in the last few years to find the perfect house , we have not regretted it. Many people do it all the time , even knowing that it adds commute. Most of my husband's colleagues live around us , we were not the only one to prefer further north. Imagine if all of us had the same taste , you would not be able to afford your house, it is already crazy with higher prices
The OP still should look around and that would include all the zip codes that you listed , that I totally agree with you. I was just stating that he should visit the surroundings areas , and not restrict himself to one city. In the end he may find exactly what he wants in Richardson
I'm biased in that I really dislike long commutes, distance-wise or time-wise. So with that bias in mind, I'd tell the OP to start his search in Richardson and surrounding nearby areas first. Why buy yourself a long commute if you don't have to? That's how I approach it. When I bought my house, my job was close enough to ride a bike to. I knew I wouldn't be at that job forever, though, so I also thought about Richardson's location in relation to other areas of DFW and concluded that it was a good spot for commuting to various areas. It's not perfect, but no area is.
There are parts of DFW I wouldn't even consider commuting to from here...like Las Colinas, north Irving, west Carrollton, etc. Basically if it's west of 35, forget it. Trying to get that far west on 190 or 635 is a beating. Right now my job is near DNT and 190 which looks far away on a map but time-wise it's pretty easy since it's all on the highway and it's against the dominant flow of traffic. I do come to a complete stop on 190 at least once a morning, but it's not really all that bad.
My company keeps making noise about moving their office, though. If they move to Frisco, I'm going to look for another gig.
But back to the OP's issue...I wouldn't ever even consider Rockwall or Frisco for a commute to Richardson. For me it's a non-starter. If you want a great area with great schools, low crime, good shopping and services, and easy access to most of DFW...you really can't beat Richardson. Sure, our housing stock is mostly older...but older does not mean crappy! There are lots of old homes in Highland Park and Lakewood selling for top dollar, so age obviously does not dictate quality.
And while I am not comparing Richardson to the PCs or Lakewood, the build quality of the housing stock in my neighborhood is equal to those areas even though the finish might not be as fancy. These houses are extremely well-built and solid and with proper maintenance are no more of a pain to own than a newer house. With a new house all you're doing is delaying the inevitable pain of systems repair/replacement and really...if you hate that aspect of homeownership that much...you should ask yourself if you wouldn't be happier renting.
Richardson is a great place to live as I live here myself and the school system is wonderful. My commute to that exact area would be 8-10mins and not even on 75 unless I chose to do so.
I'm guessing you're wanting newer construction houses rather than the older ranch style homes available in much of Richardson since you're suggesting Rockwall and Frisco? Yes, you're budget will get you newer construction in those areas, but I ask that you really consider the commute in your decision as 30-40 mins can easily become 1.5-2 hours or more when their is an accident or several, which happens every day. Rockwall commute wouldn't be bad on the toll road portion, but you'd have to use 30 to cross the lake and get home. I've been trapped in stopped traffic going over the lake and wouldn't wish that on anyone.
I'd really seriously look at neighborhoods in Richardson, Plano, maybe North Garland near Firewheel, but Garland doesn't have the school system Richardson and Plano does). Murphy may also be on my list, but not sure about their schools.
Actually Murphy has the same PISD schools as east Richardson 75082. As does a the northern portion of Firewheel.
And there's a lot of new and newer construction in that area as well.
Actually Murphy has the same PISD schools as east Richardson 75082. As does a the northern portion of Firewheel.
And there's a lot of new and newer construction in that area as well.
That's great then for the OP, I did not know that. I'd definitely look into those areas. Would offer a fairly easy commute to work, be in a good school district, and have choice of new and newer construction homes.
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I just let you know that you should look around first, it may be the place you pick in the end 
