Help with relocating to Dallas/ Ft. Worth area (Orange, West: apartment, HOA fees)

[bsypher]

Hello! I am planning on relocating to Dallas / FW area next winter and purchasing a house or condo. I am 26, married with a 3 year old daughter. My wife and I lived in LA/ Orange County but moved up to Bend Oregon for two years because to be honest, we were tired of all the things folks in California get tired of.

Bend is nice but is only 75000 people and is too far away from a large city for shopping and to get away. My wife and I are young and we like to go to night clubs when we can, museums, shop blah blah. However, I also like to be able to have some privacy. In LA, we lived in a 900sq ft apartment for 1500/ month. We moved up to Bend and had a huge 2 story house but we were bored out of our minds!!!!! Not to mention the fact that a large house is just too much upkeep for us. We would be better off in a condo

We are looking to purchase a condo/loft under 350k but the HOA fees in the Dallas area are insane! Is there any other area where we could get a loft style condo in the Dallas Ft/ Worth area that would be a good balance?
I work in Iraq and other areas of the world as a private security contractor and my income is well over 200k/ year at least for another year.

Please help!!!

[loves2read]

Sundance Sq is nice area in FTW with condos--there is night life but it is not as busy as Dallas--Stockyards north of downtown also has some bars/clubs/more Western flavor-- but some excellent restaurants--the Sundance Sq area is really close to the Museum area--bikeable but probably not walkable--especially in the summer...plenty of shopping in FTW but mass quantities Dallas has--but that means less traffic as far as I am concerned--there is no Ikea in Tarrant county
and of course you would find HOA costs--not sure how much--
frankly it is easier to get to DFW airport from FWT than downtown Dallas

[bsypher]

Thanks.

Yeah...those HOA dues in Dallas are Killer. Dallas city and FtW seem pretty clean though...compared to LA that is. And why does everyone tell me Dallas is racist?

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by bsypher

Thanks.

Yeah...those HOA dues in Dallas are Killer. Dallas city and FtW seem pretty clean though...compared to LA that is. And why does everyone tell me Dallas is racist?

What buildings are you looking at in particular that make you think HOA dues are high in Dallas? There is a wide variety of condos in Dallas, so the HOA dues really depend on the type of building, the amenities, the level of service and the age of the building. If you're looking at a full service luxury highrise condo, then that will be on the high end of the spectrum (perhaps up to $.75/sf). Older buildings like some of the ones on Turtle Creek Blvd. have high HOA dues because they include ALL utilities, valet, concierge service, doormen, etc... Newer midrise buildings without many services or amenities can be anywhere from $.20/sf on up. Small complexes can be lower than that. At minimum, the HOA dues on a condo have to include the blanket insurance policy, common area maintenance and trash collection. Those things add up, but those are all things that you would also have to pay for with a single family home.

BTW, if you're looking for a loft style condo in Uptown, you might want to check out 3110 Thomas Avenue (aka Loft 588). It's an 11 story building built about 10 years ago. Most of the 2BR's have excellent downtown views. You can get a large 2BR there in the middle $300's. I think the HOA dues are about $.20/sf.

Regarding your comment that "everyone" tells you Dallas is racist, I don't see it that way. This is a very large and diverse city populated by people from all over the country and all over the world. Of course there will be a few here and there just as there are everywhere else. But, for someone to generalize that Dallas is racist is just ignorant.