3000+ sq. ft, good lot, pool - where in Dallas is best? (Garland: new home, neighborhoods)

[Mom2TwoBoys]

Hello,

We've only been in the DFW area for 5 years and need some advice from Dallas experts.

We:
have 2 young children (toddler and infant)
work in North Dallas

We need a home:
between 500K - 700K
3000+ square feet with a good-sized lot
pool
not more than 15-20 min commute from 635/75.

We like:
foliage, greenery, privacy
older home, preferably not needing too much remodeling

We are ok with:
sending our children to private school
being close to a large road (but not directly on one, for safety reasons with 2 little kids)

The neighborhoods we are considering:

Northwood Hills - we really like the greenery and shades on the lots here, mature trees, quiet neighborhood, RISD, convenient commute for us.

Disney Area - again, we like the lots here, the style of the homes.

Preston Hollow - Convenient area for us but we would have to move to a relatively smaller home and do more work on the home within our price range, but this area seems like a good investment? Not too many listings in our price range though.

Lakewood - love this area, proximity to White Rock Lake, home styles. But the commute is too long for us, we think. We drove it at rush hour and it took about 45 mins from lakewood to 635/75, is this about average?

West Bluffview - We like the new homes and the old neighborhood feel. But what is going to happen to this area when Love Field becomes much busier (due to Wright Amendment being repealed)? Any thoughts?

Other areas we like are also Midway Hollow, Devonshire, Melshire Estates, ...

Which neighborhood would be best for a young family like us? We plan to live there 5-7 years. We would like our investment to pay off but also want to enjoy living in spacious and comfortable home where our kids can run around and really enjoy the home, yard, and neighborhood.

With our price range and preferences, where would you recommend? If you were moving with 2 little boys and want to spend 500-700K, where would you go?

Thank you in advance!

[lpepping]

What route did you take from lakewood to 635/75? I wouldn't think it would take 45 mins but I haven't ever made that commute.

[pepper131]

From Lakewood, did you take Abrams up to Northwest Hwy and drive toward I-75? That's the quickest way I know of. I think Lakewood is very doable once you figure out the best commute. Taking Greenville up may even be a good way to go...depending on where exactly your office is.

Plus Lakewood Elem is stellar. If that doesn't work for you, there's Lakehill right in Lakewood as well.

[Mom2TwoBoys]

We drove hillcrest to nw hwy to abrams, I think.
There was a lot more traffic than we expected. Do you think that was a fluke?
We'll try driving the suggested routes and see if it's better sometime this week.

What about Northwood Hills? South of Belt line, around Hillcrest/Meandering way? Anyone know that area well?

Thank you.

[lpepping]

Originally Posted by Mom2TwoBoys

We drove hillcrest to nw hwy to abrams, I think.
There was a lot more traffic than we expected. Do you think that was a fluke?
We'll try driving the suggested routes and see if it's better sometime this week.

What about Northwood Hills? South of Belt line, around Hillcrest/Meandering way? Anyone know that area well?

Thank you.

Was the test run in the morning or afternoon? What time? I was assuming a morning test run but I could be wrong.

[aeh]

My mom lives in the Northwood Hills vicinity. It is pretty,leafy, green. Don't know how many younger kids are in that area. She actually works in East Dallas, around Garland Rd and Gaston. It takes her 45 mins to get home, going Gaston to Abrams to Northwest Hwy to Hillcrest and on up.

[Mom2TwoBoys]

Around 5:15. Maybe that is the worst time for traffic.
We haven't tried the morning commute. In the morning, we would need to drive to the Preston/635 area to drop off our older son at school.

Also, are there different areas of Lakewood as well? While driving around, we noticed that there were pockets of new homes, some clustered together and some streets where every 4 or 5th house was a tear down/rebuild, and other areas where there were predominantly older homes, in very good condition. How is Lakewood geographically defined? What about Lakewood Heights?

Thank you!

[Spree]

>> What about Lakewood Heights? <<

There is tearing down/rebuilding going on in Lakewood Heights as well.