If you asked advice of this Forum -Where did you settle in Dallas (Plano: crime rate, buying a house)

[WorldKlas]

I am curious about where former posters on this forum settled when they made their moves and if comments on City Data helped shape their searches. So, if you did move to the DFW area and had inquired on this forum, please post an update on where you finally decided to live and what were the compelling factors in the decisions you made.

Also, are you happy with your choice and why, or are you unhappy and are going to move. If you are going to move again, where to and why......

[lovethisarea]

I think this website is a great tool to solicit opinions of locals etc. But don't rely solely on it to make a decision. Instead use it as additional data point in decision making.

This is the process we followed to narrow down area/s.

1. Draw the radius from workplace considering acceptable commute time. Some folks don't mind an hour of commute but for me it was 20 minutes max. Use this site to ask around for actual commute time or you can try commutes yourself.
2. Within this radius apply other filters like school ratings, shopping, crime rate etc. If you see any surprises (statistically speaking anomalies), come back to this forum and solicit opinion of locals.
3. Drive around areas to get actual feel. This is a big step and never rule out any areas based on other opinions unless you personally visit. After you visit areas, you can use this and other forums to validate facts you have gathered.
4. Now you should have very few (ideally 2-3) areas for house search. This is when you look for houses in those areas for your specific needs like budget, size, year built etc.

So this and other forums are very useful as additional data points. Also train your brain to ignore swayed opinions and stay balanced.

[Clonelion]

I was undecided between a new home in other suburbs such as Frisco vs. existing home in Plano. I finally bought an existing home in Plano and the compelling reasons are schools and proximity to my work.

Many senior members in this forum helped me. They even responded to DMs and one person even took the time to have a phone conversation. I have so much respect all those members who took the time and shared their point of view which is very valuable for newbies like me with no knowledge of the local area.

[lovethisarea]

By the way we signed contract to build in Wylie (PISD).

[marek11222]

Closing next week - website definitely helped push my wife towards Sunnyvale due to proximity to downtown.

[JenG1974]

I used this site heavily to make the decision to move out of Frisco into East Dallas. I am so so happy with the decision and I have many members here to thank for that!

[ordopao]

I moved from the West Chicago suburbs to Plano in 2011 because I have family that has lived in Plano for 20+ years. At that time, I was graduating with my BS and my wife with her MS and we visited a few months before graduation. We both returned back to IL with job offers. Strong economy, good schools, cheap housing, and warm climate brought us here.

Fast forward to today and we have mixed feelings. People are generally more friendly here. First thing my wife had noticed (she had never been to Texas before). We ended up buying a house in West Frisco in 2012. We both have great careers, cheap fixed housing cost, and good schools for our kids.

It sounds perfect, and we thought this was the best path for our family. I mean, this is how our parents raised us. However we are both strongly considering a move to a more urban area. Where to? No idea. Plenty of time to decide though.

Regarding City Data; it's the internet. You have to filter the good from the bad; and what applies to you and what doesn't.

[veuvegirl]

I wish I listened more to the forum. I had a couple of friends that lived here and encouraged us to move to Allen. I like it, but think we would have been better off with commutes if I listened to the posters.

[mami2emily]

We have been here 4 years already! At the time we were considering Southlake, Park Cities, and Lakewood. This forum was extremely helpful with my many questions. We did spend time in each area during Christmas 2010 to get a feel for the different areas we were interested in. In the end we felt most comfortable in University Park even though there are not a lot of people here that look like us. Husband commutes to Las Colinas...my commute is less than 2 miles. The kids have adjusted to social life here.

[Texas Minded]

We bought in Forney a year ago.

I can't remember if City Data comments had much to do with it, but from my research at the time, I discovered that this was one of the least developed areas still close to downtown Dallas. It was not yet on peoples radar the way that other areas were (we started out looking at Sachse, Wylie and Rowlett) so prices were quite a bit lower.

For us, it was all about bang for your buck (house wise) and the fact that there were nice quiet (newer) neighborhoods here. We were able to get into a newer house that is more than big enough for us, has a huge lot and a 3 car garage (my favorite feature) for a really low price compared to other Dallas areas.

1 year later and we are still very happy with our choice.