Commuting Questions (Dallas, Plano, Garland: lease, condo, buying a house)

[chiefsfaninbigd]

Ok guys, I have lived in Dallas for about 9 months now. I love it, but I haven't really experienced what Dallas traffic is all about yet. I'm going to buy a house when my lease is up in August and I want to make sure I get a good area. I'm just an average joe Accountant, 27 years old, just a regular salary and I'm single, so I don't have two incomes. I like the Wylie and Sasche areas because I can get more house for the money, but I will miss being close to work. I also don't have the best job security in this economy. As this will be my first house, I want to make sure they have good schools. What's a good area, centrally located (in case I get laid off) if I have to work downtown, etc. I currently work in North Dallas by LBJ and Forrest and Wylie wouldn't be too bad, but I would be completely screwed if I lost my job and had to go downtown, or Irving. Any input would be nice. Thanks guys.

[FalconheadWest]

There are plenty of "older" homes, like the 70's, in Richardson and Plano that are very reasonably priced, below the $150k's. Some have been updated, many have not been. If you're single, you're looking for yourself and not for a family, so anything around 1500 sqft should be fine. For resale, I wouldn't go below 1300 sqft, but that's just me.

[loves2read]

agree that something inside the Loop with access to public transportation would make the most sense...Richardson ISD has good schools and being on public transport (even with lower gas prices now seems like a smart, thinking about resale move as well)
buying outside and pretty far away in what is more likely a young family area would not seem to be likely to give you an environment where you would find things you enjoy doing--the suburbs are away from things that would likely interest someone with what I assume are a single guy's interests (entertainment/sports) vs family (schools/libraries/YMCA sports)
longer commute even for your current job

[LQQKOUT]

Don't forget about Garland and Rowlett very nice places. Wylie and Sachse as well are good.

[Grainraiser]

Wylie to Downtown would not be much difference that going to LBJ/Forrest. I think Wylie/Sasche would be good places to live. I would think you would area where you can get alot of house for your money.

[loves2read]

ask youself how you are going to be spending your spare time and weekends--where do your friends live--what do you do for fun...
living in a suburb when you are not a family unit is often just asking to be ignored and isolated
and if you really think your job is shaky you should not really think about buying a house ...

[Lakewooder]

Lake Highlands would be closest - also Lakewood and M-Streets which would also offer more to do for someone your age. However, they can be expensive but there is quite a variety of home styles, ages and types.

[pepper131]

If you are single, why do you want to get "more house for the money"?
And why are schools important if you don't have kids?

I agree that the suburbs would be terribly isolating for a single guy. Heck, they are isolating for me and I'm a mom. There are close in areas that are convenient to both dowtown and north Dallas.
What's the range you want to spend on your house?

[chiefsfaninbigd]

I'm concerned about schools because I'm sure this will not be my first house I buy and I want to make sure I can sell it later. I'm single now, but that can change. I have heard horrible things about the Dallas School District and I'm I want to make sure the school issue doesn't come up if I'm trying to sell to a small family. Well, my job security is probably better than most. Accountants are usually the last to go, but I just kind of think long term. I tend to worry about the What "ifs" I do spend a lot of time downtown and the highland park area, but I'm not a big fan of condo's and it looks like that's all I can afford in my price range. I was approved for 160, but I'm trying to only spend 120K or so. I don't want to go house broke and I like to save money etc.

[loves2read]

understand budget will be significant factor in your choice but frankly in that price range I think you will have to be pretty selective in the house you buy--cheaper housing usually involves cheaper construction and land--the cheap land is one reason price per sq ft might be better in those two areas...but does not mean the quality might be good

I don't know much about the developers in that market but would definitely do some Googling for any posts of problems with specific developments and try on this forum...lots of people live around those areas...

a townhouse development does not require as much land/infrastructure as a single family development--on a $$ for $$ comparison you might get better quality in townhome vs home...but again the market for that is sometimes limited for resale and you won't find that type of development that common in Wylie or Sasche since they are predominately SFR

but remember this is more buyer's market than usual--you can negotiate price on almost any house on market now...you might consider looking higher and negotiating lower
and there are some areas of Dallas that are very desireable because the local schools are rated very well and they are in excellent location...their resale/appreciation value does well...if you could find one that might require some fixing up and were willing to put some sweat equity into it--might be the best of both worlds...