Where would suit us? (Houston, Dallas: fit in, crime, home)

[Beetlemama]

We're moving back to TX (previously in Houston) but it's hard to choose a neighborhood from 4000 miles away. We're pretty much going to have to choose and buy from here, then make our move to a place we've never seen.

What we are looking for is something within driving distance of Dallas for my husbands work, but we are looking for some land, maybe 100 acres or so, with a house, so downtown Dallas is out and so are the new communities they are building, we want space, not a back yard. Money isn't a huge issue, we can spend some on the right property, but we need help with the right area.

There are three of us, Dad, Mom and 5 year old boy. I would say we were pretty old fashioned, we're white, we're not religious, we're of differing ages, but this doesn't mean I want nightclubs and he wants a rocking chair , we're both past our mid thirties - but we want to fit in - or not particularly stand out - where ever we go.

We'd like it to be green and pretty, trees, no big crime problem, an older house, that sort of thing, but I'd also like to be near some kind of shopping area so I don't have to drive miles to pick up coffee. We've looked at Ellis, Kaufman, Hunt, Collin, Denton, Van Zandt, Tarrant, Parker, and as far over as Erath, but we have not found the perfect property or area.

Anyone got any suggestions please?


We're planning to have cattle and horses and a few other things. We're sending Bu to private school so the school district isn't a huge issue.

Where would suit us?

[FarNorthDallas]

Have you looked at Grayson County?

[ChristieP]

100-acre tracts within driving distance of Dallas are quite rare these days... you might have to settle for 20-25 acres.

[Beetlemama]

Dan defines driving distance as anything up to two hours each way...I don't, but I don't have to drive it. I think we need to be about an hour out at most.

[nsumner]

Lots of properties on the market. Have you considered buying just acreage and building a home that would fit your needs?

Naima

[momof2dfw]

I've seen some signs out along Hwy 276 between Rockwall and Quinlan for huge acreage parcels. You would be w/in the 2 hour drive into downtown Dallas for sure. Wise County would be another choice but it would be further and the area is getting pretty developed.

[Beetlemama]

We have considered buying land and building, there are lots of areas that have land w/house that we could live in until we built, but we wanted an old property - and we don't know the neighborhoods, that's the biggest catch.

FarNorthDallas - I looked at Grayson, I could only find two properties in the area, but neither of them was *perfect* and we are only going to move once and we want to get it right first time.

Bu likes anything with a swimming pool and DH doesn't like anything built after 1899, and I just want it to not be too far away from town because I worry about him driving all that way every day