Highland village opinion? (Dallas, Plano, Carrollton: transplants, 2009, low crime)

[decisions2009]

Hey guys,

It seems I'm moving to Dallas after my husband took a job there. I come from the East Coast where there are a lot of trees and lakes/rivers. I was so depressed when I first got here cause the place just looked so bland, flat and depressing. I seriously wanted to die and couldn't stop crying...

Until I found Highland village and Flower mound. For some odd reason, most people want to live in Westlake, Southlake or some other one of those areas that are just concrete looking.
Is highland village not considered a good place? I liked that more than flower mound. My budget is around 1M-please no bashing. Is it not a smart investment for that area? No other transplant I met seems to even mention Highland village or flower mound. There are plenty of nice, newer homes there.
How are the builders for those homes?Also, I saw a lot of construction around there. Something to be concerned about?

As a bonus, if someone could tell me of some heavily treed parks and outdoor recreations around that area, and also any cultural activities like art shows, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks a lot

[FalconheadWest]

Are you needing to commute anywhere? Highland Village isn't on the top of people's lists because of the location. It's pretty far north. I have friends who live up there, and it's always a hassel to get together, especially during the week because of rush hour traffic being so bad in that area, bottle necking...

Why do you have a $1M budget? The Dallas "average" price is around $170k. You could probably, easily, find something of what you're looking for under a half mil and save some money.

[BigDGeek]

Agreed, you do not have to spend 1M to get a nice house in DFW but if you feel you must spend that much, there are neighborhoods where you will get a better return on your investment than Highland Village. Highland Village is pretty but it is very far away from the action and you may find yourself feeling isolated.

With your budget I encourage you to look in older neighborhoods in Dallas itself, starting with Preston Hollow and Lakewood (75230 and 75214/75206). Not all properties in those neighborhoods will be in your price range, but some will be. Price private school into your budget, particularly in Preston Hollow, if the TAKS performance at DISD schools scares you. Preston Hollow and Lakewood are both in the DISD. Also zoning has changed in north Dallas so double-check the schools with the district. In neighborhoods where the school attendance zone has changed in the last few years, sometimes the MLS information on those are inaccurate because the sellers tell the realtor where their children go to school (they are grandfathered in) rather than where your children would go to school (not grandfathered in). In recent years parts of north Dallas have experienced major shifts in attendance zones. I do not know about Lakewood, but I am sure Lakewooder can school you about his neighborhood. He's very passionate about it.

Both Preston Hollow and Lakewood are mature, established neighborhoods. Both of them are beautiful and worth the money if you can afford it. If money was no object, I would be living in Lakewood. Also, in Lakewood you would be much closer to Dallas's arts and entertainment scenes. I have never lived up north so I have no basis for comparison but I think Dallas has a thriving arts scene compared to other cities in Texas. We even have a public performing arts high school, a symphony hall designed by I.M. Pei, a wonderful art museum, etc. In Lakewood you would be minutes from all of that. In PH you would be an easy drive from them. In Highland Village, it would take you up to an hour to get to those attractions. If you are a real culture vulture that is something to consider.

If you do not want to spend a million, try Plano or Frisco. Both cities are full of transplants such as yourself and who knows, you may run into someone you know from back home. It has happened before with other transplants! The schools in Plano and Frisco also have better reputations than DISD schools. That does not mean that your children would learn more at those schools, but the TAKS scores are higher at those schools. Personally I think it has more to do with the socioeconomic circumstances of the students than the quality of teaching at those schools; middle class and affluent children tend to do well no matter where they go to school and Plano and Frisco are almost 100% middle class/affluent. So keep that in mind.

Good luck on your move to DFW.

[Grainraiser]

I think Highland Village is one of the best kept secrets in the DFW area. They have plenty of custom homes with mature trees and nice size lots. Having said this it would not be the place I would choose if I had a million dollars to spend. For that kind of coin I would be looking for something inside the city. Lakewood, Preston Hollow or Highland Park/ Park cities would be on my list. A million dollars here will buy you alot more house than it does on the east coast. You may find that your budget will buy you more than you really want. I love Highland Village but not for a million dollar home.

[theloneranger]

You can definitely buy a home in Highland Park, traditionally Dallas' most prestigious neighborhood, for a million, but it definitely won't be the nicest in the area. It's very centrally located, not too far north of downtown, and has the best public school system in the state.

Preston Hollow and Lakewood are also nice areas very close to downtown. The public schools aren't as strong in the area, so you'd also want to consider the cost of private education (approaching $25k at Dallas' most prestigious schools) when you decide what home to buy.

The Plano/Frisco, Flower Mound, and Westlake/Southlake areas are very nice, but much farther away from the downtown area.

[lh_newbie]

If you want mature trees and rolling hills and have $1M budget... Lakewood is a great area. While DISD in general gets a bum rap, there are individual schools in DISD that are indeed good (there's a gentleman named Lakewooder on this forum that you could PM to get all the details). Lake Highlands has a some wonderful hills and trees as well and is also a well established neighborhood, neighboring Lakewood just to the North. Accessibility is probably a little better to the whole metro, being closer to Central Expressway and I-635. We live in 75231 area code if you want to look up some homes there and drive the neighborhood.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by decisions2009

Hey guys,

It seems I'm moving to Dallas after my husband took a job there. I come from the East Coast where there are a lot of trees and lakes/rivers. I was so depressed when I first got here cause the place just looked so bland, flat and depressing. I seriously wanted to die and couldn't stop crying...

Until I found Highland village and Flower mound. For some odd reason, most people want to live in Westlake, Southlake or some other one of those areas that are just concrete looking.
Is highland village not considered a good place? I liked that more than flower mound. My budget is around 1M-please no bashing. Is it not a smart investment for that area? No other transplant I met seems to even mention Highland village or flower mound. There are plenty of nice, newer homes there.
How are the builders for those homes?Also, I saw a lot of construction around there. Something to be concerned about?

As a bonus, if someone could tell me of some heavily treed parks and outdoor recreations around that area, and also any cultural activities like art shows, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks a lot

Our daughter lives in Highland Shores ,which, of course is part of Highland Village and we used to live in lewisville. Other than maybe areas like Double Oaks (near by) I can't think of an area any better in the DFW area. Of course Flower Mound is also pretty cool, especially if you go further west. Both areas have great schools (if this is an issue) good neighbors, low crime, good shopping and restaurants, outdoor activities and yet you are close to Dallas proper. You may have already been made aware of the walking trails, tennis counts and swimming facilities in Highland Village.

If I was to move back and could afford it, I would move there in a second.

I do think you can find a really nice home in the area for less than a mil. That price range would put you looking in Highland Park, if the city is your thing, but it wouldn't give you a huge lot. You have to decide if the suburbs is for you or if city living is more your thing.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by FalconheadWest

Are you needing to commute anywhere? Highland Village isn't on the top of people's lists because of the location. It's pretty far north. I have friends who live up there, and it's always a hassel to get together, especially during the week because of rush hour traffic being so bad in that area, bottle necking...

Why do you have a $1M budget? The Dallas "average" price is around $170k. You could probably, easily, find something of what you're looking for under a half mil and save some money.

You have to consider where one is commuting to, if you are heading to downtown Dallas, everywhere can be bad, if you are heading toward DFW, Ft Worth, Carrollton, etc. Highland Village isn't bad plus when you travel 35 and get past Carrollton it is very quick commuting period.

The commute from Highland Village to Dallas isn't any different than commuting from Southlake or Westlake. As for what the OP intends to spend for a home, yes, 1 mil is alot, but there are a lot of homes in Flower Mound, Highland Village, Double Oak and surrounding areas that are around that price. The average in Dallas takes in a huge area, areas like Misquite, small towns south of Dallas, as well as other areas. An average price for Dallas isn't an average price for some areas like Coppell, Plano, Flower Mound, Southlake, Highland Shores, etc. Highland Park, University Park, as well as many areas I haven't mentioned.

Nita

[decisions2009]

Thanks for all the responses. I really appreciate it. I'm a bit more cautious about spending that much money in that area now. The part of highland village I'm considering is Highland Shores. Any difference in opinion or home values there
Thanks again everyone! One of the things I'm grateful for is the friendliness of the people in Texas.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by decisions2009

Thanks for all the responses. I really appreciate it. I'm a bit more cautious about spending that much money in that area now. The part of highland village I'm considering is Highland Shores. Any difference in opinion or home values there
Thanks again everyone! One of the things I'm grateful for is the friendliness of the people in Texas.

Highland Shores, of course is the cream of the crop in that area, I still am not sure about 1 mil, but certainly people living in the Highland Shores area love it. If you don't have to spend that much, why would you want to? I am curious, but it probably is none of my business. Again, there are not many areas that are basically any nicer or offer better schools that Highland Shores area. Of course this is my opinion.

Nita