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Old 05-02-2008, 04:45 PM
 
Location: Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
4,207 posts, read 15,252,969 times
Reputation: 2720

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Quote:
Originally Posted by jpeagle21 View Post
I haven't checked recently, but wouldn't it be hard to find a nice home in a nice community (ammenities, HOA, parks, etc) in McKinney for $175,000? I have always though of homes there being pretty pricey.
Here are some communities in McKinney that have homes with neighborhood amenities and lots of homes priced below 180K

Robinson Ridge
Heatherwood
Craig Ranch (lots on the market therefore more to choose from)
Westridge Heights
Windsor Meadows (has a golf course)
Eagles Nest
Harvest Bend
The fairways
Pine Ridge
Fountainview
Villages of Lake Forest

There are more...

Naima
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Old 05-04-2008, 03:12 PM
 
Location: Dallas area
171 posts, read 790,553 times
Reputation: 156
I just want to chime in and say I am SOOO thankful we didn't move to McKinney. DH just got transferred from Austin and i read many threads on this board before deciding we should just live within 3 miles of his work. We found a great house in Plano.
All of my friends that have transferred here moved to McKinney and I was really feeling the pressure. When I see the traffic backed up on 75 every day I know we made the right choice. Many thank you's to all of you who informed me of this!
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Old 05-04-2008, 07:43 PM
 
Location: Lake Highlands (Dallas)
2,394 posts, read 8,594,433 times
Reputation: 1040
In my opinion, living close to work directly equates to quality of life. I want to spend my time with my wife, not my car. Excellent choice, Art_Teacher.

Brian
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Old 05-04-2008, 07:58 PM
 
Location: Garland Texas
1,533 posts, read 7,238,506 times
Reputation: 653
There's a joke among some of native Dallas folk, and it's that McKinney is closer to the OK border than it is to downtown Dallas.

With gas approaching $4/gal it's not worth it. In light traffic its a drive, and its that much more time spent away from home and family.
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Old 05-04-2008, 09:39 PM
 
1,004 posts, read 3,754,245 times
Reputation: 652
Quote:
Originally Posted by Babyneedsahome View Post
but had to cut back on our housing budget and thought we could get a lot more in McKinney.
If a bigger house for the money is a motivation to move to McKinney, BEWARE !!!

House prices are low in TX, all right, but utilities (esp. electricity - those new shade tree-less houses are energy hogs), property taxes and insurance are all sky high here. Add gas (66 miles roundtrip McKinney - Downtown Dallas, $3.4/gal, 25mpg = $9/day commute just for gas) and you'll risk paying through your nose living in the "affordable" house.

There are LOTS of affordable and nice houses close to Downtown Dallas. It can be a costly mistake to give in to the lure of the new, big and shiny.
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Old 05-05-2008, 10:15 AM
 
164 posts, read 792,341 times
Reputation: 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by galore View Post
If a bigger house for the money is a motivation to move to McKinney, BEWARE !!!

House prices are low in TX, all right, but utilities (esp. electricity - those new shade tree-less houses are energy hogs), property taxes and insurance are all sky high here. Add gas (66 miles roundtrip McKinney - Downtown Dallas, $3.4/gal, 25mpg = $9/day commute just for gas) and you'll risk paying through your nose living in the "affordable" house.

There are LOTS of affordable and nice houses close to Downtown Dallas. It can be a costly mistake to give in to the lure of the new, big and shiny.
I am afraid $3 to $4 a gallon gas is here to stay. That will sure change peoples habits. Namely living in the northern suburbs and driving 50 to 60 miles a day to get to work.
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Old 05-05-2008, 01:41 PM
 
16,087 posts, read 41,152,085 times
Reputation: 6376
Some parents aren't on board with McKinney ISD's zoning procedures | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Breaking News for Dallas-Fort Worth | Dallas Morning News (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-mckinneybus_04met.ART0.State.Bulldog.464f1e6.html - broken link)
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Old 05-05-2008, 01:49 PM
 
16,087 posts, read 41,152,085 times
Reputation: 6376
The Associated Press: Oil passes $120 a barrel on supply threats, dollar (broken link)
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Old 05-05-2008, 02:02 PM
 
Location: Lake Highlands (Dallas)
2,394 posts, read 8,594,433 times
Reputation: 1040
Quote:
Originally Posted by galore View Post
If a bigger house for the money is a motivation to move to McKinney, BEWARE !!!

House prices are low in TX, all right, but utilities (esp. electricity - those new shade tree-less houses are energy hogs), property taxes and insurance are all sky high here. Add gas (66 miles roundtrip McKinney - Downtown Dallas, $3.4/gal, 25mpg = $9/day commute just for gas) and you'll risk paying through your nose living in the "affordable" house.

There are LOTS of affordable and nice houses close to Downtown Dallas. It can be a costly mistake to give in to the lure of the new, big and shiny.

Very wise words here. Live close to work = save on gas + save on car maint + more time with your family.

Additionally, a big home has to be heated, cooled, furnished, maintained and have lighting. The windows (presumably more windows on a larger home) mean more drapes, blinds, etc. There may be two hot water heaters in a larger home... meaning 2x the energy + 2x the cost when they go bad. Might have multiple HVAC units that need replacing periodically. At the very least, they need yearly tune-ups (x2). It is absolutely amazing how many hidden costs are in a larger home.

We have a 2500 sq ft home, and I personally think this is already too much for us. Luckily, we make decent money, are close to work and wanted to plan for the future (either a child or possibly having aging parents move in with us if the need arises).

Compare vehicle costs/lifespans between a 15 mile round trip -vs- 60 mile round trip to work.

15 miles/day x 5 days/week x 50 weeks/year = 3,750 commuting miles/year
60 miles/day x 5 days/week x 50 weeks/year = 15,000 commuting miles/year

Obviously, it doesn't take a rocket science to see that the vehicle with a shorter commute will not only have lower fuel bills, but will have less required oil changes, tire changes - and the vehicle itself will last longer. Imagine if you only kept cars for 60K miles. The person with the 15 mile commute can keep his car for 16 years... the 60 mile commute only for 4 (obviously assuming no other driving - just illustrating the point).

Wow. I think I'm beating a dead horse by now... LOL!!!

Brian
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Old 05-06-2008, 09:54 AM
 
33 posts, read 94,123 times
Reputation: 13
el dorado traffic just does not move
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