Las Vegas to Dallas (Tyler, San Diego: homes, live, moving)

[NY2DFW]

I'm here on Long Island and was just reading the messages about the weather. As I write this, it's 19 degrees outside and the wind is howling. My driveway has been a sheet of ice for over a week since the last ice storm that fell so fast you couldn't shovel it fast enough before it turned to ice. And yet our winter didn't start until late this year. People up in Buffalo have had this since November.

Over the summer I took a drive to Dallas with my dog, Phoenix who just loves car rides. It was during the time when it was a 100 degrees every day. I didn't think the heat was so bad as compared to NY in the summer. Also my hayfever didn't act up nearly as much as here. I looked for vacation houses and drove around neighborhoods to become familiar with the area, and the whole time, the heat didn't really bother me. I was also down there for about five days around New Year's and it was absolutely beautiful. It was 65 degrees on New Year's day in DFW. The point I'm making is that it's good and bad in all places, but we humans adapt and can be happy anywhere with the weather as long as other things are good. It's so cold outside right now my dog took one step outside, heard the howling wind blow a garbage can cover half way down the block, and ran back inside the house. Yet when we were in Texas she stuck her head out the window of the car in 105 degree heat and was happy. So was I.

By the way, I've read what some people have written about the high electric bills down there. Momo said as much as $800 for her house one month last summer. Well I just had my oil tank filled last week and it cost me $800, which will last me about two months. That's in addition to electric, water, and the taxes...forget about it. My feeling is that it's the quality of life that really matters because all of the other things will even themselves out. If they don't even themselves out by themselves, you make them even out. Think about how much money you waste every month on things you don't need. I'm a CPA so I see a lot of this stuff.

By the way, when Phoenix and I got home from our trip to Dallas, she didn't want to get out of the car.

[NY2DFW]

Oh, and in addition to there being no state tax in Texas, the gas was 50 cents a gallon cheaper than it is here.

[socketz]

Good post NY2DFW. I tend to think that DFW gets a bad rap outside of the state because all anyone knows about the area is what they see on the news.

For me, I grew up on the east coast and the seasons are MUCH more harsh than here. Summers are brutal and muggy, winters are a frozen tundra. Then, when you think it's all over, you get a spring where it rains like 90 days straight. Not a fan of the East coast at all. While Dallas has harsh summers, I personally tend to do better keeping cool than I do keeping warm.

It's just the way cold weather makes my bones, body (i.e. sinus issues from heat blowing on you all day), Skin (so dry it's unbelievable), mind (go nuts because you never see the sun) I will most likely never end up back in the east. I'm pretty confident saying TX is as East as I'll ever get.

[NY2DFW]

Socketz,

I agree with everything you said, especially the bad rep that Texas gets because people only know what they interpret from the news. I remember from one of your earlier postings something that struck a nerve with me because I experienced the same thing. You said, don't expect a great response from your friends when you tell them you're looking in Texas. This is absolutely true. Even people who are usually very supportive wince at the thought of anyone moving to Texas. I just brush it off as ignorance but it does make you think; If I move to Texas I'd better make some friends there because my friends from back home won't be visiting any time soon.

[socketz]

True. I don't get much of that any more now that people see I'm for real, but during the time where I was making the decision, friends/family came out of the wood work to preach to me how horrible of a places Texas was....

I even had one friend from the Navy that grew up in TX as a boy who called my wife and unloaded about 1.5 hours of horror stories on her trying to convince her to turn me around. Even now when I tell this same persn 1 god thing about Dallas, he responds back with 3 bad things he remembers.

Seriously, it was like I told my loved ones I was heading off to Iraq to start a new life.

Also, in defense of Californians, it didn't help when I was looking for homes here with my wife having 1/2 the 20 something year old Realtors in the model homes tell mu/us that I'd be nuts to move from CA to TX.

In the end, perception is 9/10s of reality right. This is why I think the Real Estate downturn in CA is short lived.

[kawgpz550]

LeavinLV
I live in Bullhead City/Laughlin, so I KNOW what you're facing lol!
We are also preparing to move either to the Tyler or DFW area.
Back in July, we made a trip to Tyler via DFW of course. We were there when they were having record heat. From the time we got off the plane until we left 5 days later, everyone complained about the heat. It was about 102 and I really couldn't tell you what the humidity was because we frankly didn'y CARE! LMBO. We enjoyed the weather. We kept wishing we could take some of the people that were complaining abou the heat and shrink them down and put them in our suitcase. We wanted to bring them back to Vegas/Laughlin and show them what HOT really is LOL
Seriously, if you're used to Vegas at all, you will consider the DFW area as warm...never hot! DFW is MUCH MUCH flatter than Vegas is, which to me is offset by all of the trees and how beautiful and GREEN the DFW area is!
I do have a question if anyone else can answer. How often is it windy in the DFW area and is the Tyler area as windy as DFW? I really HATE the wind...it seems like it is ALWAYS windy here in the Laughlin area.

[Jaima]

ill be transplanting my family of six to mesquite in about 2 weeks, im not too concerned with the weather but i am concerned with the cost of utilities, right now i pay about $200 - $250 a month in combined utilites for a 1200sq ft home with zero insulation. i'll be moving into a 1900 sq ft home thats all electric, im just curious on what to expect to pay when i get out that way in a few weeks

[leavin LV]

kawqpz550

Thanks for the weather comparison. Seriously, I can take it up to about 108 degrees outside in Vegas and it doesn't bother me, so DFW sounds great! I'm looking forward to the greenery. We're originally from New England and really miss that. And I know it sounds strange but I miss the rain too. Seems when it rains in the desert there is a distinctive "smell" after. Not pleasant. Laughlin is SO HOT in the summer. Always seems 10 degrees hotter than Vegas. Bet you won't miss that so much. It's interesting how you get used to it though.

[momof2dfw]

Well today was just BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!! I even went topless ....................... topless car Everywhere today you saw everyone w/ their tops down if they had a convertible. It was 79, no humidity and a light breeze. Tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same. YIPPIE!!! I do hope our winter is over with. Yesterday was low 70's but windy.

As for the utility bills on the house you have bought, ask for the last 3 months and for this time last year. You can do that.

[produrre]

I'm looking forward to that warmth. We are visiting the Tyler area this weekend. We are relocating there from the Chicago area... and if you've seen the national weather, we've had record cold below 20 degrees with some 40-50 mph winds. I am originally from southern Louisiana, so I'm sure the humidity in Tyler will be no problem... plus I'm looking forward to not having to have a humidifier in my home like everyone does around here. Chicago is amazing and I'll miss this wonderful progressive city. But, the hubby is going to work in admin at TJC and I'm an artist, so my career is transportable somewhat.