Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas > Dallas
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 05-28-2015, 02:49 AM
 
11 posts, read 10,574 times
Reputation: 10

Advertisements

Hi, my husband may accept a job in Arlington, TX and we would be relocating from Europe (we're American expats, lived in the Bay Area, CA before moving abroad in 2013). We are a family of 3, with another child in the oven so to speak. Our oldest will be starting kindergarten in the fall, and we also have a dog. I am overwhelmed with all of the factors to consider for this move and would greatly appreciate any insight you can share!

We would like to limit commute time to Arlington, and want to be in an area with good public schools. I am currently a SAHM and would like to continue until our 2nd child is pre-K age. It seems that the Arlington schools aren't great, and the folks who hubby will work with have confirmed this. I have found that zips 76016 and 76063 (Mansfield) appear to be decent. Where else should we be looking?

More details:

Budget - We should arrive by August and will rent first (2 bedroom, must accept dogs!) and hope to but within 6 months. Budget for rental is roughly $1000. When we buy, we want at least 3 bedrooms and budget will be about $150,000. Is this at all possible?

Transportation/Commute - We currently only own one car and love it that way, however, it seems pretty impossible to exist around Arlington without 1 car per adult. Is this true? We would also prefer my husband's commute not be over 30 minutes.

Green space - We are accustomed to having safe, clean areas to hike and exercise in nearby. I would love a great place to swim nearby as well. Will we find this?

Flooding - it seems terrible from what I can see online. Is this an annual issue? What should we be looking for to avoid buying a "money pit" in a flood zone?

Healthcare - our child has asthma, and I am considered "high risk" with this pregnancy. Can you recommend doctors or facilities? Where is the best place to give birth if you might need intervention (while I'd love to do waterbirth by candlelight I'm pretty sure this will be a c-section).

Mindset/vibe - coming from CA and Europe, we're pretty used to being in communities that are artistic, somewhat liberal... definitely the "Whole Foods" crowd. We are not religious (although 100% respect everyone's lifestyles and choices). Are we going to stick out like sore thumbs or will we find "our people?" Where should we look?

Safety - Is Arlington as unsafe as it seems to be when I just look at statistics online?

Thank you so much for your help. If you have any more info to share, I'll take it!

~citymice
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 05-28-2015, 06:02 AM
 
24,135 posts, read 10,449,310 times
Reputation: 46062
Welcome to Texas!
Weather is weather. This summer has brought excessive rains so far. Other recent summers brought weeks in the triple digits. Normally real estate purchases include determination of location on flood maps.
You will need a second vehicle unless your spouse can carpool or you will drive him to work.
Your budget for rental and purchase may not cover your expectations.
Depending on where you were in Europe you will grocery prices high.
Check with your health insurance regarding providers. Do you have free choice or are you limited to specific providers?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2015, 06:29 AM
 
Location: 89052 & 75206
8,103 posts, read 8,264,370 times
Reputation: 19901
Arlington has very highly rated elementary and middle schools in zip code 76016 that are zoned to the Martin High School district. The elementary and middle schools compare favorably to any in the commute area to Arlington. Look up the scores yourself and don't rely on others "opinions" I suggest you rent a place in the areas with high scoring elementary schools such as: Ditto Elementary or Moore. Be sure if you rent or buy that you know which elementary school serves your future residence.

In North Arlington, Butler Elementary is highly rated (zip code 76012) and people actually stand in line overnight to enroll kids outside of the attendance zone each year hoping to get coveted extra spaces, as available, for their children.

Ratings and Reviews for Arlington TX's Best Schools | Zillow

As far as safety, Arlington has 300,000+ population so its impossible to label a large metro area as "safe" or "unsafe". You have to narrow it down to the area where you will live. I live in an extremely safe part of Dallas -- a city with very high crime stats! Southwest Arlington is a typical quiet, clean and sleepy suburban area. Northwest Arlington is, too!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2015, 08:37 AM
 
11 posts, read 10,574 times
Reputation: 10
Thanks for the replies! I had figured out that Southwest Arlington seemed to be an area we'd like to be in, and then was looking at Mansfield too (for the schools). I will have to check out Northwest Arlington too!

I have been looking at homes on Zillow and have seen some things in the $130,000 - $170,000 range that *look* nice. What is the buying market like? Can we expect a home to sell for the listed price (or near to it) or is there a bidding war? When we lived in SF it was insane, you'd be outbid by double and the buyers would have all cash... we're not in that position at all. Do you think 6 months is a reasonable amount of time to give ourselves to find something to buy? Rentals seems sooooo expensive!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2015, 08:59 AM
 
Location: 89052 & 75206
8,103 posts, read 8,264,370 times
Reputation: 19901
I know a few people who have bought houses in SW Arlington between Fall 2013 and just last month. The Mansfield schools in SW Arlington are not as desirable as the Arlington schools there. Most of the apartments in SW Arlington feed into Mansfield schools in that area.

The real estate market in the Martin High School attendance zone is very dynamic. Expect to pay full asking - or w/in 99% to 102% -- for any house under $175K. Be very careful to ensure whatever home you view is served by Martin HS. Don't trust a realtor 100%

Right now the market will be extremely active before school starts, so there will be more competition but also more listings from now thru August. Rentals for a 3 bedroom house in good condition will be $1400 - $1700 a month and that is really a pretty good bargain! I would plan on spending about $160K - $170K this fall for a 3 bedroom house between 1700 and 2000 square feet. I know the market very well in that area.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2015, 09:23 AM
 
11 posts, read 10,574 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by WorldKlas View Post
Be very careful to ensure whatever home you view is served by Martin HS. Don't trust a realtor 100%
Any advice on how to double-check this? Is Zillow reliable?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2015, 09:41 AM
 
Location: 89052 & 75206
8,103 posts, read 8,264,370 times
Reputation: 19901
Quote:
Originally Posted by citymice View Post
Any advice on how to double-check this? Is Zillow reliable?
Texas sales prices are not public record. Zillow can report if a house sold above or below asking price. Zillow does an extremely poor job of "zestimating" home value in Texas because sales prices are not public record. Therefore Zillow relies on tax value. Homes that have had the same owners for many years are usually appraised significantly below market value because of the tax cap rules for homesteaded residential property taxes so in an area like SW Arlington with less tranfers the zillow estimates for home value are extremely unreliable. I bought a condo in Dallas a few months ago and Zillow reports the sale was $5 OVER asking. In fact it was $5 UNDER. I sold a townhouse in Irving in February and the zillow market value was $30K below what I sold it for and similar townhouses in the same subdivision have sold higher.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2015, 09:49 AM
 
Location: 89052 & 75206
8,103 posts, read 8,264,370 times
Reputation: 19901
Quote:
Originally Posted by citymice View Post
Any advice on how to double-check this? Is Zillow reliable?
Google Arlington School district, Arlington, TX -- they will have the published boundry school zones.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2015, 10:27 AM
 
13,194 posts, read 28,180,774 times
Reputation: 13135
Quote:
Originally Posted by citymice View Post
Any advice on how to double-check this? Is Zillow reliable?
No, not Zillow! You can verify which schools are zoned to an address directly with the ISD via the ISD's
website.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2015, 12:17 PM
 
11 posts, read 10,574 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by WorldKlas View Post
Texas sales prices are not public record. Zillow can report if a house sold above or below asking price. Zillow does an extremely poor job of "zestimating" home value in Texas because sales prices are not public record. Therefore Zillow relies on tax value. Homes that have had the same owners for many years are usually appraised significantly below market value because of the tax cap rules for homesteaded residential property taxes so in an area like SW Arlington with less tranfers the zillow estimates for home value are extremely unreliable. I bought a condo in Dallas a few months ago and Zillow reports the sale was $5 OVER asking. In fact it was $5 UNDER. I sold a townhouse in Irving in February and the zillow market value was $30K below what I sold it for and similar townhouses in the same subdivision have sold higher.
WOW! This is very helpful information!

We are first-time buyers (we've done a lot of traveling and city-living, now it's time to grow some roots). I feel so lost! I guess there really isn't a great way to "house shop" online, is there? It seems like we have to wait until we get there and find a reputable realtor who can help us. I hope it won't be too hard to find a liveable home in our budget!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas > Dallas
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:28 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top