Help with some approximate insurance/utility costs? (Dallas, Plano: foreclosures, to rent)

[pmason2005]

Hi all,

First of all thanks to this forum as its been very helpful. We have been planning our move for a while and visited Dallas last month and are moving in Aug. We do plan to rent for a while but i do have couple of questions:

1] We might buy 3000 sq ft house. How much does home insurance cost that includes everything. lets say max house price is 400k?
2] Same question #1 if we buy one with pool?
3] Has anyone who has moved from bay area seen any drastic cost increase in gas, utility, cable etc?
4] I really liked the area near preston and spring creek intersection in plano? is that a good area and are there houses for less than 400k?
5] Last one -- We really liked this house from centex amongst all that we saw. Knolls of Frisco - any suggestions? -- Centex Homes - Knolls of Frisco - MODELS OPEN! neighborhood in Frisco TX

Thanks ...

[TexasNina83]

Originally Posted by pmason2005

Hi all,

First of all thanks to this forum as its been very helpful. We have been planning our move for a while and visited Dallas last month and are moving in Aug. We do plan to rent for a while but i do have couple of questions:

1] We might buy 3000 sq ft house. How much does home insurance cost that includes everything. lets say max house price is 400k?
2] Same question #1 if we buy one with pool?
3] Has anyone who has moved from bay area seen any drastic cost increase in gas, utility, cable etc?
4] I really liked the area near preston and spring creek intersection in plano? is that a good area and are there houses for less than 400k?
5] Last one -- We really liked this house from centex amongst all that we saw. Knolls of Frisco - any suggestions? -- Centex Homes - Knolls of Frisco - MODELS OPEN! neighborhood in Frisco TX

Thanks ...

Hi,

I have lived in the Plano/Frisco area for several years, and the specific area you mention is very nice. Plano schools are highly rated, so if you have children, it would be an excellent choice.

Depending on where you will be working, and what size house you need, you could move in almost any direction from Spring Creek and Preston and find equally nice homes/neighborhoods. Traffic gets pretty congested in areas, so if you'd like a recommendation on the best place to live based on your work location, I'd be happy to offer my opinion.

We had a 4200 square foot home in Frisco, built in 2002. During the extreme heat of the summer, when temps are 100 degrees or above, our highest monthly utility bill was $600. They were usually more around $300. Water will vary depending on the municipality. Frisco wasn't bad, but Little Elm and Celina (a bit further west or north, respectively) are high. My water bill (including trash pickup) was rarely over $100 in Frisco, for 3 people.

Insurance can vary tremendously. On a $400K home in Frisco, we had State Farm and paid around $2000 a year, but we have discounts for being with them for many years as well as having our auto insurance with them, too. I've heard that Texas (especially Dallas) car insurance rates are much higher than nearly anywhere in the country, so don't be surprised if you see an increase in that, too. Property taxes also vary dramatically by municipality. For the general area you mention, if you move to Frisco but stay in Denton County, that's about the lowest property tax rate in the area. Plano tends to be higher, and McKinney is about the worst, over 3% of appraised value last time I checked.

Hope this is helpful... if you have any questions, just ask!

[pmason2005]

Thanks for your response. I am trying to sell my house and get there. Since you have lived in frisco, any idea on this construction. I believe this falls under Denton so are schools good. I have 2 yr old and ll be ready for school soon so surely thats a criteria. i like plano but houses r bit old. So we like this property but not sure of any details and also how is the traffic on dallas north tollway. is it as bad as 121?

Centex Homes - Knolls of Frisco - MODELS OPEN! neighborhood in Frisco TX

Thanks,
PM

[mnm2008]

Originally Posted by pmason2005

Thanks for your response. I am trying to sell my house and get there. Since you have lived in frisco, any idea on this construction. I believe this falls under Denton so are schools good. I have 2 yr old and ll be ready for school soon so surely thats a criteria. i like plano but houses r bit old. So we like this property but not sure of any details and also how is the traffic on dallas north tollway. is it as bad as 121?

Centex Homes - Knolls of Frisco - MODELS OPEN! neighborhood in Frisco TX

Thanks,
PM

Dallas North Tollway is almost built out around the area you are mentioning.
I been there @ Knolls of Frisco -- You might need to spend a good 15 mts trying to get onto Dallas North Tollway from ur location on Eldorado Pkwy during peak hours even though the distance is less than 2 miles (Single Lanes with 2 signal lights before u hit DNTollway)

[Rakin]

Centex is a large builder that does a fair job building. For $400k the best 3 builders IMO is Highland, Darling, Drees and there may be a few other medium builders that are locally owned and build for the homeowner and not the stock holder.

[Grainraiser]

The utility prices given have changed quite a bit since 2002. My house is half that size and my summer bill runs close to $500 a month. My non-summer rates runs $150 a month or less. Granted my A/C is electric while my heat is gas. I'm sure other mileage will vary

[Lakewooder]

The Denton County portion of Frisco has the most foreclosures -- how long are you going to want to stay in this house?

[pmason2005]

Originally Posted by Lakewooder

The Denton County portion of Frisco has the most foreclosures -- how long are you going to want to stay in this house?

I would like to say min 5 yrs once we buy it as we do not plan to move. I like Plano west but not sure if 350k range will get me decent house. I was planning to rent for 6 months and then buy but when I do look at the following options:

Plano - near preston / spring creek intersection- is it east or west plano and how r schools?

Frisco - newer house - good schools a requirement.

I have heard re selling the house is not easy in texas so if I do buy, I would like to say its long term.

[Jherbst]

Just a question. Why does it seem that the new construction homes are more expensive then existing homes in the area? Usually new construction is more affordable, however I am not seeing it thus far.

[Lakewooder]

Don't forget that in Frisco the school attendance zones are constantly changing as new schools open.