Why is South and East Dallas suburbs Houses so much cheaper than North Dallas suburbs? (Arlington: high crime, neighborhoods)

[unseengundam]

Looks like from posts here Southern Dallas areas seems pretty good and affordable.

How much of house do think could be bought with 150K in a nice area in the S Dallas burbs? Wonder if my MLS search was looking for 3k sq foot houses for less than 150k is unrealistic? Though, like I said I got 50 home listing in S Dallas for that price!!!

Also, I am thinking about driving down to check out area in detail myself. Any suggestions which neighborhoods to look at in Desoto/Lancaster/Cedar Hill? Also, any nice malls or retail areas I should consider checking out while down there? Thanks for info in advance!

[Grainraiser]

I personally like Cedar Hill the best out of the three. Neighborhoods close to the lake are the most scenic your going to see in Dallas. Mature trees and rolling hills make for a perfect settings IMHO.

[momof2dfw]

To the OP, if you work in Garland and that is where your job will stay............. why not look for a house in Garland. You should find several to pick from in your price range. Garland has plenty of new shopping now w/ the Firewheel Town Center and lots of dining options. Close to work which is a HUGE plus especially w/ a family so you can stay close and involved. Schools are great. No need to commute across the entire city just to find something in your price range when it is right where you work.

[kaykay]

Originally Posted by FarNorthDallas

I was anti-south of Dallas until I got a job in downtown Dallas. Most of my co-workers live south of Dallas. I have learned a lot from them. They are all over the place south - Pleasant Grove, Ennis, Waxahachie, DeSoto, Cedar Hill, Glenn Heights, Midlothian, Kessler Park, Ovilla, Ferris, Red Oak.

They live south because it's a lot cheaper, because they don't want to live in a Keeping Up With The Joneses mentality, the commute is shorter to downtown, it's prettier, they can have a lot of space between houses and there is less traffic overall. They are more country folk, small town people. Nice people.

They will also tell you the negatives. They will tell you the schools are not very good and that their kids struggle when they go on to college. They will tell you having a baby in high school is the norm. They will tell you there is no point in being in the district's gifted and talented program because the teachers are horrible and it's just more homework. One will tell you the police came to his door to strongly encourage him to find a private school for his daughter before she is killed on the street for being white. They will tell you they use private school or homeschool.

They will tell you they drive miles and miles to the one option they have for a grocery store, and it's a Wal-mart. They will tell you there is limited other retail options. They will tell you all of their appliances were stolen out of their newly built house hours before they moved in. They will tell you the only option for a decent paying job is in downtown Dallas. It's the only major employment center in the area.

Overall, though, they like it and are happy. Those without kids in public schools are more content than those with kids in the schools. To me, that's the key - the schools - most, not all. But the schools south of Dallas have a higher percentage of low income kids and schools with higher percentage of low income kids don't put out the high TAKS scores, don't get the Exemplary ranking, don't have the National Merit Semi Finalists, don't get the positive spin, etc.

Check out this post I did on percent of low income kids and the districts overall TAKS average (all TAKS scores averaged together - highest/best grade is 100)
http://www.city-data.com/forum/dalla...-averages.html

And are the schools with the National Merit Semifinalists:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/dalla...finalists.html

Well, you pretty much laid it out there. I can't speak personally for a lot of areas, but we lived in Pleasant Grove for about 8 years and we were NOT happy there. I have detailed the situation in previous posts, but let me just sum it up to say that we, along with our neighbors, were the victims of unrelenting crime while there. We probably should have moved sooner than we did.

[Lakewooder]

Originally Posted by southern living

you are right.
There is an eliticism that permeates most northern attitudes. They are convinced that they are somehow better than the rest of us because they live in the current "it" community, or live in the bigger house or drive a newer car e.t.c. This snobbery has been alluded to by others as "keeping up with the joneses" syndrome...

the way i see it, there are different values between the northern residents and southern residents. Notice how so much energy has been spent on convincing us that they are better and that the rest of us live in "ghettos"

to each his own

Hey you call always exclaim, "you live in FRISCLOSURE?!"

Works for me...

[Grainraiser]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

To the OP, if you work in Garland and that is where your job will stay............. why not look for a house in Garland. You should find several to pick from in your price range. Garland has plenty of new shopping now w/ the Firewheel Town Center and lots of dining options. Close to work which is a HUGE plus especially w/ a family so you can stay close and involved. Schools are great. No need to commute across the entire city just to find something in your price range when it is right where you work.

Just to add to this good piece of advice. The home prices in the Southeast area of Dallas are not that different from those in the southern sector. Rowlett, Mesquite and Garland is gonna be pretty close in cost per square ft.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by Grainraiser

Just to add to this good piece of advice. The home prices in the Southeast area of Dallas are not that different from those in the southern sector. Rowlett, Mesquite and Garland is gonna be pretty close in cost per square ft.

Throw in the fact that you would save a TON Of money on gas, wear and tear on your car and TIME! Even Rockwall would be a good place to look. If they want more "country" then a bit further out towards Royce City and Fate. All a much closer drive than the OTHER SIDE of Dallas.

[Acntx]

Originally Posted by unseengundam

Looks like from posts here Southern Dallas areas seems pretty good and affordable.

How much of house do think could be bought with 150K in a nice area in the S Dallas burbs? Wonder if my MLS search was looking for 3k sq foot houses for less than 150k is unrealistic? Though, like I said I got 50 home listing in S Dallas for that price!!!

Also, I am thinking about driving down to check out area in detail myself. Any suggestions which neighborhoods to look at in Desoto/Lancaster/Cedar Hill? Also, any nice malls or retail areas I should consider checking out while down there? Thanks for info in advance!

In that price range, you should be able to find a newer home in one of those communities. Are there any other factors such as a lot size, distance to shopping, etc. that are important to you as well?

You should check out Uptown Village, a new open-air regional mall in Cedar Hill. It is very nice. There are also a lot of restaurants in that area.

[2BoysN1Girl]

I've read every post in this thread as I will be relocating to Dallas within the next few months. I've posted my own questions a few days ago, but I didn't get half as much of a response as this. I hope unseengundam doesn't mind if I just in here with a question of my own.

I will be working at the VA hospital and would like to be a little closer to the job, as for the past 4 years I've been driving 60-80 miles a day. The areas surrounding the past 2 locations that I've worked (Ft. McPherson, GA & the VA in Jackson, MS) were not very desireable. We bought our first house in McDonough, GA, a southern suburb south of Atlanta (about 10,000?) and I love it. I would love to find a location in Dallas that is similar.

I had also noticed that the homes in Mesquite were way less expensive than many of the other other towns/cites that were recommended. I was curious to know if I should be leery of that. We are an AA family of 5 (kids - 9,7,4) and have moved 4 times in the past 10 years. We both separated from the military and are looking for a place to call home. My boys play football and baseball and I would love to get my daughter involved in something as well, maybe gymnastics or dance, even though I can't get her away from playing with her brothers .

Pretty much I'm looking for what we all want; a nice safe environment, good schools, friendly neighbors, good hospitals, and if I can get all of this and more for less that $150 that would be awesome. Oh yeah, decent taxes too. Now if I can get a good percentage of what I am looking for than I am happy. My husband and I are not college graduates and don't make 6 figures, but we are hard workers and want the best for our children.

I truly appreciate all of the good info and different views that you all have posted on here.

[FarNorthDallas]

In Mesquite, look for houses in the Poteet High School attendance zone.