Safest areas in north Dallas (Plano, Garland: apartment complex, HOA fees, condos)

[user01234]

Hello. I'm looking for a small home under 1500 sq. ft. in a very safe neighborhood within a 20 minute drive from Richardson area code 75248. Budget is up to around 280,000. I'm hoping to find something that isn't old and needs updating. Is there anything that doesn't have an HOA in Dallas? from what I hear, most houses come with an HOA. What does that include?

[WorldKlas]

Many HOA’s in the DFW area are simple and only have an annual fee under $200 that goes to mow common areas or keep up the community entrance signage. Some HOA neighborhoods may have a shared community pool or private park. It becomes a bit more expensive and they might have more rules if there is a gated entrance.

HOA’s are really no problem —— unless you have several vehicles and want to park on the lawn or even street all the time overnight, or you want to keep a boat or storage unit in a visible spot, or perhaps paint your house a very unusual color, or put garbage or old appliances/furniture on the curb way before pickup, not put your trash cans away, not mow, not irrigate, not weed the lawn or not trim bushes and trees. If all the “unless” stuff applies to you, don’t move into an HOA community because you will be unwelcome.

I have lived in DFW HOA communities for over 20 years and I’m happy to say that the people who want to do all those things don’t reside in our neighborhoods. They move to places w/o HOA’s.

[Sunbather]

while I get the intent of HOAs, they have proved more of a PITA full of busy-bodies in my limited anecdotal experience than anything else. I am a very neat and tidy person whose passion is Architecture. My yard is neat, my trash cans are never left out, I renovate or remodel my houses and keep them in pristine condition.

However, experience with HOAs is going to depend explicitly with the specific HOA. I had a very bad experience with my first house and have said never again, unless absolutely everything else about the house is perfect. Just look at the by-laws carefully before purchasing and hope that they don't change while you live there.

To me HOA= fees that typically don't go to anything I care about, drama and friction within the neighborhood, architectural restrictions forced to keep people into boring cookie-cutter choices, people out literally measuring your grass with a ruler, and people who don't welcome creativity with your house if the choices you're making don't mimic what everyone else in the neighborhood is doing or has done. But that's based on a sour experience. I'm sure there certainly exist basic HOAs that are nothing more than common area care and reasonable architectural vetting.

[ChristieP]

I agree! The HOAs that restrict what flowers/shrubs you can plant, require permission before doing anything to the exterior of your house (such as repairing a storm-damaged fence), or that restrict you from parking your own vehicles in your own driveway are why I have no desire to live in a a HOA neighborhood! My city’s Code Enforcement Department is very responsive to junk appliances or remodeling debris on the curb too early, boats parked in driveways, vehicles parked in the grass, and homes with unkept yards. I don’t see the need to pay a HOA to do these things, too.

[Katana49]

Originally Posted by user01234

Hello. I'm looking for a small home under 1500 sq. ft. in a very safe neighborhood within a 20 minute drive from Richardson area code 75248. Budget is up to around 280,000. I'm hoping to find something that isn't old and needs updating. Is there anything that doesn't have an HOA in Dallas? from what I hear, most houses come with an HOA. What does that include?

Your best bet is to find something in Richardson. 1500 sq ft is a small size for TX, so I think with your budget you can find something in Richardson. Now it will be old, but for your budget, you should be able to find something that has been updated/renovated for that size home. Prices will increase if you go north to Plano, Addison doesn't have many SFH to choose from, but if you're ok with a condo/townhome, you could look in Addison. I would rule Garland out, and Murphy will have mostly larger homes than you're looking for.



You can't look south, because then you're in Dallas and prices are higher. So, Richardson is probably your best bet for a SFH, or as I said possibly Addison if you consider condos and townhomes.

[mastershake575]

Originally Posted by user01234

Hello. I'm looking for a small home under 1500 sq. ft. in a very safe neighborhood within a 20 minute drive from Richardson area code 75248. Budget is up to around 280,000.

If you want a 20 minute drive from Richardson why not just live in Richardson ? They have a decent amount of neighbhorhoods with older houses that are 1500sq ft or less. On the West Side (75080) Northrich, Greenwood hills, and the Eastern portion of heights

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5...27170165_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...27166633_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...27166738_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/8...27164353_zpid/


All these neighborhoods are very school dependent so you could get some decent deals in the Winter since school has just started



On the East Side (75081) you have neighborhoods like Highland Terrance near downtown Richardson and Mark Twain

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4...27165204_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...27163722_zpid/

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/6...96534468_zpid/

[Katana49]

^^^^^ Some very good choices there OP.

[TeamLynn]

Not sure if you can make it in 20 minutes, but might look at Wylie, McKinney, Anna.
Most of the newer neighborhoods if not all new neighborhoods will have HOA.
Lowest ones seem to be about $400/year. You don't get much other than letters to obey the rules if you don't mow or put your trash bin away, etc.
With that said I can tell the difference normally between a neighborhood with an HOA and one without when I drive in....most of the ones without HOA just look messier. Not 100%, but that is common.

[FindingZen]

If by North Dallas you mean north of 635, then I would not say that there are any particularly *un*safe areas with homes within your budget. I mean, you are still in the city but other than some apartment complex that is infamous on a particular neighborhood website, safety shouldn't be much of an issue.

Looking at realtor.com, there are currently five SFHs in your price range. They all happen to exceed your square footage requirement which is almost a pleasant problem to have. Three of them appear to be in or around the Prestonwood community which is nice. I assume there will be an HOA involved, however.

[Soccernerd]

Depending on exactly which neighborhood, school zone, or suburb you’re looking, homes can vary widely.

I don’t think you’re going find a house that’s 280,000, that’s within twenty minutes drive time to that ZIP code, in a safe neighborhood, isn’t old or needs updating on top of having no or low-cost HOA fees. You can maybe pick three or four of those things.

The HOA in a subdivision at that price-point will probably only maintain common areas and enforce codes and rules. It’s possible that there might be a small clubhouse.

Good luck.