Moving from south Fort Worth to north Dallas (Plano, Carrollton: renting, high crime)

[AgJack]

My husband has accepted a new job in Flower Mound (Lakeside business park area) and is currently commuting from Granbury. We are putting our house on the market, but are overwhelmed with how different the housing market is just a few hours north.

Many of his new coworkers live in Frisco and Plano, and when I search for homes under $215K there aren’t very many results. Those that do come up are frighteningly yellow, orange, and red in the crime map. Is this a true indication of how unsafe the areas are? Are there other areas that will give him a manageable commute with this minuscule budget? We currently reside in a gated, golf-course community, and though I know we won’t be able to afford anything close to that in this area, I hadn’t thought it would be THIS hard to find a home in a safe neighborhood.

Any ideas of what other cities or areas of Plano would be good for us? We are 27 and have a one-year-old, so schools are important but I don’t care too much about overarching SAT score statistics being 200 points higher at High school X vs High school Y.

Thanks!

[stephwin]

My dad lives in Pecan, so I know what you mean about nothing really existing in the northern burbs that is similar. There are some houses in Flower Mound that are in your price point and are zoned to Marcus or Flower Mound High School. They will be smaller and older, and probably need some updates. But they are sooo much closer than Frisco. Commuting from Frisco will also include tolls. He's probably looking at a 30-45 minute commute, depending on traffic.

You could also look at homes in Carrollton that are zoned to Hebron HS. They will also be older and smaller. I'm not sure if it would be worth looking at Grapevine too.

I'm surprised to see there are areas in Frisco or Plano that are red, but I'm assuming it is mostly car break-ins or other crimes of convenience because as a whole, both of those cities are very safe.

[4Movingeast]

What about Grapevine?

[ChristieP]

What about Flower Mound? There are some older homes there.
Grapevine would also be a great option.

[AgJack]

Originally Posted by stephwin

My dad lives in Pecan, so I know what you mean about nothing really existing in the northern burbs that is similar. There are some houses in Flower Mound that are in your price point and are zoned to Marcus or Flower Mound High School. They will be smaller and older, and probably need some updates. But they are sooo much closer than Frisco. Commuting from Frisco will also include tolls. He's probably looking at a 30-45 minute commute, depending on traffic.

You could also look at homes in Carrollton that are zoned to Hebron HS. They will also be older and smaller. I'm not sure if it would be worth looking at Grapevine too.

I'm surprised to see there are areas in Frisco or Plano that are red, but I'm assuming it is mostly car break-ins or other crimes of convenience because as a whole, both of those cities are very safe.

Yep. We live in Pecan and I'm dreading leaving this neighborhood behind. We don't mind a small, older home or something that needs work, so I will definitely broaden my search to include Flower Mound, Grapevine and Carrollton. I know when initially looked I didn't see anything, and I read that things priced low usually went fast and there were lots of bidding wars.

Thank you!

[AgJack]

Thanks everyone! We have broadened our search outside Plano/Frisco to include other cities. We are also considering renting for a bit while we try to get a feel for the area. We have friends in Coppell, Plano, and Wylie, so I'm hoping they will be able to give their opinions about certain areas (one couple did steer us away from The Colony, though this board could probably expand on that), and it would also be nice to be close to some of them, which is why were thinking of that area. My husband is also going to stay with some of them in the coming weeks to give himself a break from the commute and to get a feel for how far the morning commute would be for his job.

Thanks again! I know I'm scatterbrained and nowhere near ready to make a decision, but your advice so far has really helped.

[BCB]

Since when was Flower Mound considered North Dallas?

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by BCB

Since when was Flower Mound considered North Dallas?

None of the suburbs OP mentioned are North Dallas. Posters use North Dallas instead of north OF Dallas all the time....

[AgJack]

Originally Posted by BCB

Since when was Flower Mound considered North Dallas?

Sorry for the confusion. It's a bit of a colloquialism I didn't even think about. Technically north OF Dallas, but everything in that area is referred to 'north Dallas', at least by those around where I am currently.

[mSooner]

I cannot understand why on earth you would live in Plano or Frisco (which aren't high crime areas at all) if your job is in Flower Mound. They aren't any cheaper than Flower Mound or Grapevine and are a good toll ride away.

Focus on Flower Mound and Grapevine. Solid schools, lovely area, close commute. You will be at the bottom of the price range, but I think it is worth it to get into something smaller and maybe move up later. I'd say Coppell, but I think you are pretty much priced out.

The Colony's schools aren't awful, but really aren't great and the area is meh and far away, which is probably why you were steered away. You could look in Lewisville in the areas near Corporate Drive and be fine on the elementary level, but you may want to move when your kids hit middle school.