Moving from Northern Va to Dallas - help appreciated (Houston: apartment complexes, foreclosure)

[JTC Mom]

Originally Posted by Nhb212

Thanks for your input! Are the taxes in Coppell more than those of SOuthlake and/or Colleyville?

Property taxes here are about 2-2.25x higher than NoVA. There is no income tax and no similar vehicle tax. The property tax RATE in Coppell is about 10% higher in Coppell vs Southlake. For the price point you are talking about the difference in taxes between Coppell and Southlake is about 1300-1500/year.

[ChristieP]

So basically, you give up the cost of a family getaway each year by paying additional property taxes to live in Coppell vs. Southlake. You really need to come see the area before making a decision. Each city has its own personality.

[Nhb212]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

So basically, you give up the cost of a family getaway each year by paying additional property taxes to live in Coppell vs. Southlake. You really need to come see the area before making a decision. Each city has its own personality.

I have driven through Southlake during daytime and had lunch at the town center. We drove through a bit of Colleyville (mostly at night). I also drove through West Plano area and also a bit of flower mound (the south east Flower Mound area I think). We will most probably rent in Las Colinas for about 3-6 months depending on the circumstances.

[Nhb212]

Originally Posted by Tamara0914

Welcome to Dallas I moved here from Falls Church.. you will love the reduced cost of living and no state income tax If you make smart choices, your money will go much, much further here for sure!

Thank you! Very nice to hear that. How do you like Dallas as compared to Nova? ?And how long have you been here? What made you move here?

Regarding traffic and schools, how would you rate as compared to northern Va?

[WorldKlas]

Renting in Las Colinas while you become acquainted with the area is a great solution!

[Tamara0914]

Originally Posted by Nhb212

Thank you! Very nice to hear that. How do you like Dallas as compared to Nova? ?And how long have you been here? What made you move here?

Regarding traffic and schools, how would you rate as compared to northern Va?

I moved with my company, it is an adjustment for sure. I grew up on the East Coast so coming here almost a year ago was quite the change, but I am finally adjusted and have grown to like it for the most part. You have to be open to the change, and definitely not expect to find DC in Dallas, bc you will not find it. You will find other things here though, that are just as enjoyable. Summer was HOT (and I heard this past summer was not even as hot as it normally is), but you do get less of the humidity that you're used to in the DC area for sure. So it is a bit of a trade off. People are much nicer and helpful, you'll notice that almost right away. On that same note, Dallas can be a bit prententious.. but nothing too far off from what you probably ran into in some areas of Nova.

Traffic can be bad, BUT not nearly as bad as what you are used to in the DC area.. not by a long shot. You wil hear people in Dallas talk about the horrendous traffic, and I always say to them try driving on 95 South anytime between 4pm-7pm, or 66W.. both my biggest nightmares LOL. DFW is large, you will want to live relatively close to where you need to commute to for work, or have a reverse commute. Commuting across town (i.e. Coppell to Richardson) is normally far worse than commuting up or down.

I would say schools vary based on where you are - but there are some great schools in the areas you are talking about. Like others have mentioned, Coppell, Southlake, Richardson, and Plano all have great school systems. You can compare them to schools like Langley HS, Woodson, and George Mason in NOVA.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Nhb212

Hi all!

I got a new job in Dallas (Las Colinas) and I'll be moving to Dallas in a few months. We are excited about this prospect because of cheaper/more affordable housing in good/well reputed school districts and overall nicer/milder winter.

My husband works as a federal contractor and he will have to find a job here once we move specially after we have settled our 2.5 year old in a good daycare or Montessori. Ideally we would like to buy a house within a few months of moving to Dallas area but I know that won't be feasible as my husband won't know where his job would be.

We would like some input regarding neighborhoods to target once we do settle in and start our house hunt. Our budget would be 550k and we want excellent schools. We would like for a neighborhood that is close to grocery stores, a recreation center and some parks.


We want a couple of more bedrooms on the main floor. I also would like to mention that a short commute like 25 mins to 30 mins (maximum) is a priority for me. I can have flexible hours at my job. Like leaving a little late and working from home.


Any suggestions would be appreciated!!


Thanks a lot!

Depending on how prepared you really are to stretch the housing budget I would say Coppell would be number 1, followed by Grapevine and maybe Lewisville. They all have great schools. Highland village and Flower Mound are other nearby communities where your commute wouldn't be bad. We moved from No. VA to Dallas many, many years ago.WE ended up in Lewisville. We would have chosen Coppell, but our housing budget told us differently. Southlake might be a little pricey for you, but they have good schools. As for places like Plano,the commute would not be a fun one, but I will add, being you are moving from N.VA you know about traffic more than any who come to Dallas from other areas.

[Nhb212]

Originally Posted by Tamara0914

I moved with my company, it is an adjustment for sure. I grew up on the East Coast so coming here almost a year ago was quite the change, but I am finally adjusted and have grown to like it for the most part. You have to be open to the change, and definitely not expect to find DC in Dallas, bc you will not find it. You will find other things here though, that are just as enjoyable. Summer was HOT (and I heard this past summer was not even as hot as it normally is), but you do get less of the humidity that you're used to in the DC area for sure. So it is a bit of a trade off. People are much nicer and helpful, you'll notice that almost right away. On that same note, Dallas can be a bit prententious.. but nothing too far off from what you probably ran into in some areas of Nova.

Traffic can be bad, BUT not nearly as bad as what you are used to in the DC area.. not by a long shot. You wil hear people in Dallas talk about the horrendous traffic, and I always say to them try driving on 95 South anytime between 4pm-7pm, or 66W.. both my biggest nightmares LOL. DFW is large, you will want to live relatively close to where you need to commute to for work, or have a reverse commute. Commuting across town (i.e. Coppell to Richardson) is normally far worse than commuting up or down.

I would say schools vary based on where you are - but there are some great schools in the areas you are talking about. Like others have mentioned, Coppell, Southlake, Richardson, and Plano all have great school systems. You can compare them to schools like Langley HS, Woodson, and George Mason in NOVA.

Thank you, Tamara0914! This was very, very helpful specially because it came from someone who has been through the same route .. somewhat. I have lived in Leesburg for the past 5 years and have really liked the small town feel and my commute to Reston was not bad at all. I also commuted from Fairfax to Dupont Circle when we first moved to the DC area. I remember it took us 40 minutes to get to West Falls Church Metro as 66E was a nightmare. In fact, even at night on a weekend was a nightmare.

I look forward to making the move sometime in the next few months. The winter here is bad and I can't wait for spring.
When we do move, I would like to settle down and rent at first before we find a place that fits our needs.


I just hope I like it!!

[Nhb212]

What do you guys think of Grapevine? I saw new homes being built in Grapevine Elementary attendance (which I think a 10 according to Great schools. It shows a 12 min commute to Las Colinas at this time (10 pm EST).

How much of a commute would that be during rush hour?

[ChristieP]

I live in Grapevine, and my husband and I are very happy here. We have been here for about 12 years now. It's a nice town with a small town feel even though it's in the middle of DFW. They city has really nice parks, library and services. The property taxes are some of the lowest in Tarrant County thanks to all of the retail and businesses in town.

The new houses in that area are along Hwy 121. It's not the best land since it's close to the highway, but it is in a great school feeder pattern. Las Colinas would be an essay commute from there, too.