Info on Hackberry Creek, Univ Hills, Univ Park areas of Irving (Dallas: HOA fees, custom home)

[TheotherMarie]

We are considering moving to north Irving, and are still doing research.
Can anybody give me pros and cons for the Hackberry Creek, University Hills, and University Park areas?
We like La Villita too, but the lots are tiny, for the most part. The Lakes area is beautiful, but that's out of the budget.

[vansgirl]

What's your budget? Any kids (school district preference)?

La Villita IS beautiful. There's a La Villita expert on here who can chime in

[TheotherMarie]

There are quite a few homes in these areas in our budget (under $450k-ish).
We don't have kids, so schools are not a huge issue for us.
We do have dogs, so want a decent yard for them.

We're really just looking for input on these particular areas.

[WorldKlas]

There's a gated community with homes about 15 years old in University Hills; they houses are pretty close together but its quite nice. The balance of University Hills is mostly homes built in the 80's and many of the homes in this hilly area have had foundation repairs and also have a lovely greenspace with walking paths behind them. There's also the great linear park thru there and an easy bike ride into the Lake Carolyn section of Las Colinas. Its my favorite part of Las Colinas.

Hackberry is a gated golf course community with homes built from the 80's and up to the mid 90's. Its a gated community with a pretty strong HOA and 24/7 guards. It is, for the most part, in the Carrollton Farmers Branch school district (tiny section is in Coppell ISD) and is served by the highly regarded Las Colinas Elementary School. There is an Irving community center right outside the community and its very well located to HWY 114. It is much less "custom" in the look and feel of the houses. University Hills feels a lot like a California community.

I think the houses in Hackberry probably have few foundation issues just because the land is not nearly as hilly in that area. Hackberry tends to have lots of families and golfers living there so if you are into golf its a good choice or if you are interested in a very secure area (and are willing to pay the corresponding high HOA fees) .

[Rakin]

Finding a home under $450k in Hackberry with a lot larger than La Villita is going to be extremely difficult.

Also, having 4 maned gates the HOA dues run $2000+ a year.

[TheotherMarie]

Originally Posted by WorldKlas

There's a gated community with homes about 15 years old in University Hills; they houses are pretty close together but its quite nice. The balance of University Hills is mostly homes built in the 80's and many of the homes in this hilly area have had foundation repairs and also have a lovely greenspace with walking paths behind them. There's also the great linear park thru there and an easy bike ride into the Lake Carolyn section of Las Colinas. Its my favorite part of Las Colinas.

Hackberry is a gated golf course community with homes built from the 80's and up to the mid 90's. Its a gated community with a pretty strong HOA and 24/7 guards. It is, for the most part, in the Carrollton Farmers Branch school district (tiny section is in Coppell ISD) and is served by the highly regarded Las Colinas Elementary School. There is an Irving community center right outside the community and its very well located to HWY 114. It is much less "custom" in the look and feel of the houses. University Hills feels a lot like a California community.

I think the houses in Hackberry probably have few foundation issues just because the land is not nearly as hilly in that area. Hackberry tends to have lots of families and golfers living there so if you are into golf its a good choice or if you are interested in a very secure area (and are willing to pay the corresponding high HOA fees) .

Awesome. Thank you.

[TheotherMarie]

Originally Posted by Rakin

Finding a home under $450k in Hackberry with a lot larger than La Villita is going to be extremely difficult.

Also, having 4 maned gates the HOA dues run $2000+ a year.

We've seen quite a few Hackberry homes online with big enough lots. And we're very aware of the HOA dues, which is one of the reasons why I'm looking for more information. We are fine with paying them, but the area needs to be worth the additional expense.

The lots in La Villita in our price range are often like .08! Way too small for us. Beautiful homes, though.

[GinaVol]

We looked at all of these areas on our first house hunting weekend and were not in love with the areas. We regrouped and wound up in Coppell. In late 2012, these homes were on the market much longer than anything in Coppell which made us more concerned about potential resale. Your budget would find something quite nice in Coppell too as long as you were open to an older (80s/90s) home.

As for The Lakes, when we were looking the Lakes had a new phase starting in the high 300s. I wish we had bought there as that neighborhood is so nice now and the prices have gone up, up, up. Hindsight = 20/20

[kt2le]

Hackberry Creek: My BIL & SIL have lived here for 20 years and like it very much. Now empty nesters, they're in the area closest to the country club where the homes are more custom and unique with many lining the golf course. The manned guardhouses provide iron-clad security (I have no idea what their annual fees are) and there's a strong sense of community. They and a lot of their neighbors are members of the country club and it's an amenity they enjoy. Their children originally started at the adjacent elementary school but they weren't pleased and shifted them to private schools.

University Hills: This is the original Las Colinas higher-end residential "village" and the neighborhood I grew up in. The oldest homes here date to the early 1960s with most built in the 1970s to early 1980s. Some homes have had foundation problems (current or previously repaired) so be aware when looking around. Las Colinas soil is notoriously unstable so it's critical to have a properly designed foundation - something the early homes here don't have. The neighborhood is served by the Irving school district, which was an excellent district when the area was built. Unfortunately, city demographics have changed so many put their kids in private schools and, also unfortunately, University Hills now abuts formerly middle class neighborhoods that have gotten run down.

University Park: I don't know anything about this neighborhood except that the houses look really close together and it's built alongside a railroad track. I may be wrong but wouldn't there be train noise?

[Texan#1]

I used to live in the University Park neighborhood, so I'll share some insight on that for you. Most of the homes were built by DR Horton, but there are some nice custom homes on University Park Lane itself. The slump in the housing market a few years ago left several lots on University Park Lane undeveloped. I do remember the train tracks behind the subdivision, but can't recall hearing any trains! The community itself is nice and it offers you a basic community pool. I do remember running around the ponds and fountains on Rochelle Blvd. I think the location is amazing, as it's a straight 10 minute drive into Dallas on 114.