Need Plano neighborhood advice (Lewisville, Spring: for sale, real estate, HOA)

[tnk787]

We are currently living in Denver and my husband's company is relocating us to Plano in the near future. He'll be working in the Legacy/Headquarter area and I'll be staying with my present company and working from home. We have two kids currently in elementary school at a very good school district (Cherry Creek). Looking for advice on the neighborhoods. Recommendation on specific houses are also very helpful.

What we are looking for in order of importance,
- Comparable or better school district to our current one (should we only look in Plano ISD?)
- Easy commute (10 miles is probably the maximum distance; the shorter distance or time the better)
- Convenient location: close to shopping, groceries, fitness centers, trails/parks (bonus)
- Nice backyard and pool (we promise the kids that to leave their friends behind :-)
- Established neighborhood
- Single story is a plus

Budget is flexible with top range at $800K. Best scenario is a completely updated, great character, 3 bed, 3 bath, 3500 sqft or less house for ~$600K. Buying a much less expensive house with great bone and renovating it ourselves is a possibility. We do not want a brand new build (been there done that). For the sake of comparison, our current house is 5000 sqft, 5 bed, 6 bath with very nice custom finishes. We'd like a similar finished out house but much smaller. Did a quick search online and most houses for sale in West Plano and surrounding areas are ginormous.

Are our criteria realistic and non-conflicting? If so, what neighborhoods should we look into? What should we watch out for when buying an older house? Thanks in advance for your help.

[taroberts]

With an 800k budget the world is your oyster. Anything west of Coit and South of Hedgcoxe (basically 75093 and 75024) will meet your needs.

I personally will recommend PISD of FISD any day but that would and will prob spurn an argument later in this post. Anything west of Coit will give you West Plano Sr. High which is what you are going to want to be zoned to. There are a few pockets on the south bound side of Hedgecoxe like Deerfield North that will put in FISD so pay attention to the PISD school finder when picking your home. Deerfield (not to be confused with Deerfield North) will be a good bet for you.

Anything North of Parker will gut your husband to work in 10-15 mins tops in rush hour. You can go even further south in 75093 to open your choices and still be zoned to West Plano Sr High if you are open to extending his commute to 15-20 mins. Please not 10 miles can easily mean a 30 min commute in some areas around here.

All of 75093 and 75024 is going to be within 15 mins of a major mall and less than 2 miles to grocery stores and fitness centers. Parks and trails will always be less than a 10 minute drive in t hose zips.

Nice back yard. Hmm the lots are going to be huge in either of those zips but 75093 may meet that for you. Deerfield has an HOA pool and is an established neighborhood with larger lots. But most of 75024 and 75093 are going to be established neighborhoods. Lots of them will have an HOA pool. Everything on your want list is doable for your budget.

Make sure you get an engineer to check the foundation.

[Patrick_Midwest]

Originally Posted by tnk787

We are currently living in Denver and my husband's company is relocating us to Plano in the near future. He'll be working in the Legacy/Headquarter area and I'll be staying with my present company and working from home. We have two kids currently in elementary school at a very good school district (Cherry Creek). Looking for advice on the neighborhoods. Recommendation on specific houses are also very helpful.

What we are looking for in order of importance,
- Comparable or better school district to our current one (should we only look in Plano ISD?)
- Easy commute (10 miles is probably the maximum distance; the shorter distance or time the better)
- Convenient location: close to shopping, groceries, fitness centers, trails/parks (bonus)
- Nice backyard and pool (we promise the kids that to leave their friends behind :-)
- Established neighborhood
- Single story is a plus

Budget is flexible with top range at $800K. Best scenario is a completely updated, great character, 3 bed, 3 bath, 3500 sqft or less house for ~$600K. Buying a much less expensive house with great bone and renovating it ourselves is a possibility. We do not want a brand new build (been there done that). For the sake of comparison, our current house is 5000 sqft, 5 bed, 6 bath with very nice custom finishes. We'd like a similar finished out house but much smaller. Did a quick search online and most houses for sale in West Plano and surrounding areas are ginormous.

Are our criteria realistic and non-conflicting? If so, what neighborhoods should we look into? What should we watch out for when buying an older house? Thanks in advance for your help.

Like other poster said with this budget world is yours in this area!, I would also suggest 75013 in the mix to get you more options and keep you on lower end of your preferable range. 75013 is one of the most affluent zip codes in DFW metroplex to give you a perspective. Twin creeks is award winning master planned community with lots of amenities and character houses. Hope that helps!

[taroberts]

Its a nice are but it isn't Plano or excellent schools or a short commute to the work location

[nurider2002]

Does most or all of Plano have HOA's? I'm going to be looking in the area next week but loathe neighborhoods with endless rules about what I can and cannot do. Thanks.

[taroberts]

Originally Posted by nurider2002

Does most or all of Plano have HOA's? I'm going to be looking in the area next week but loathe neighborhoods with endless rules about what I can and cannot do. Thanks.

All no. Most yes.

[DallasG]

Most nice neighborhoods under a million come with an HOA. Some opt out and though usually things go well but when they don't then it's a nightmare. You should look at neighborhoods around Arborhills Nature preserve, lovely area. Both 75024 and 75093 would work well for you.

[tnk787]

Thank you all for your input! We saw some houses in far West Plano that fit our criteria except they are zoned to Lewisville ISD. We like them because they seem a bit newer than the rest of Plano. Is there a yay or nay opinion about this school district or specific schools in this area? Should we even bother?

[taroberts]

Originally Posted by tnk787

Should we even bother?

No, there is zero reason to live in Plano if you are willing to utilized LISD. Live in another city where you get more house/nicer house for less money and lower property tax.

I honestly can't see the point of living in Plano especially in this crazy market if you are not zoned to FISD or PISD schools.

[MckinneyOwnr]

Originally Posted by tnk787

Budget is flexible with top range at $800K. Best scenario is a completely updated, great character, 3 bed, 3 bath, 3500 sqft or less house for ~$600K. Buying a much less expensive house with great bone and renovating it ourselves is a possibility. We do not want a brand new build (been there done that). For the sake of comparison, our current house is 5000 sqft, 5 bed, 6 bath with very nice custom finishes. We'd like a similar finished out house but much smaller. Did a quick search online and most houses for sale in West Plano and surrounding areas are ginormous.

Taroberts has given you good advice already, I agree. The area you are referring to IS newer... and that's also why it's not zoned for PISD.

I think I can narrow down taroberts boundaries a bit... I would look for homes between Preston and Coit, and between Spring Creek and Park.

That area I think is the sweet spot for finding a nice home at around $600k, but they won't be huge homes at that price either. Probably more like 3600-4300 sqft for that price. The neighborhoods between Preston Meadow and Ohio Dr have both some newer and older developments. Be prepared for multiple offer type situations though, West Plano is arguably the hottest market for real estate in the area right now.