moving to DFW from NY (Dallas, McKinney: renting, HOA, houses)

[catalmom]

Hello,

My family is planning to relocate to the DFW area at the end of this school year. We have traveled there several times last year and have decided to make this our home. We are really excited and are looking forward to a new start. We are tired of the high cost of living in NY and are looking for a friendlier town. I understand that it will be an adjustment and we are ok with that.

There were quite a few areas that seems great, but now we are having trouble narrowing it down as we begin our home search. Some areas seem a little bit like "Stepford Wives" but it is hard to really tell. We are not considering renting first as I do not want to have to have my child change schools again.

Here is our criteria:
1) We would like to spend around 400-450k
2) Prefer home 10 years old or younger
3) Prefer community/family friendly feel in neighborhood
4) We work from home so commute is not an issue - however - would like to be able to be in reasonable proximity to Dallas.
5) Schools are super important. We have a 1st grader and a toddler.

Hoping to get some suggestions from the pros!

Thank you

[FarNorthDallas]

What else is on your wish list? Your list so far is pretty generic.

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by catalmom

Hello,

My family is planning to relocate to the DFW area at the end of this school year. We have traveled there several times last year and have decided to make this our home. We are really excited and are looking forward to a new start. We are tired of the high cost of living in NY and are looking for a friendlier town. I understand that it will be an adjustment and we are ok with that.

There were quite a few areas that seems great, but now we are having trouble narrowing it down as we begin our home search. Some areas seem a little bit like "Stepford Wives" but it is hard to really tell. We are not considering renting first as I do not want to have to have my child change schools again.

Here is our criteria:
1) We would like to spend around 400-450k
2) Prefer home 10 years old or younger
3) Prefer community/family friendly feel in neighborhood
4) We work from home so commute is not an issue - however - would like to be able to be in reasonable proximity to Dallas.
5) Schools are super important. We have a 1st grader and a toddler.

Hoping to get some suggestions from the pros!

Thank you

Your aversion to "Stepford" land is totally understandable. I get that feeling myself in some of the 'burbs. I'm sure they're not all that way but some of them do make me want to run. I won't name those places as I don't want to be attacked. One suburb (or exurb) that I do kind of like is McKinney because it has a well preserved early 20th centurty downtown with a town square, cool shops, independent restaurants, etc... There are also new housing developments in McKinney. But it is pretty far to the north of Dallas. Another suburb I like is Rockwall because it is located on Lake Ray Hubbard which has it's own ambience. Both are going to be quite a schlep from the best of what the city of Dallas has to offer though.

Would you consider living inside the city of Dallas in an area that has good public schools? Almost everything you are looking for makes me think of the Lakewood area in E. Dallas. Finding a newish home there is the problem. Finding a fully renovated older home would be less of a problem. It's an older area with a great community vibe. It's got tons of character, trees, winding roads, proximity to Whiterock Lake and some exemplary elementary schools (Lakewood & Stonewall Jackson are the two that I can think of) all within a few miles of downtown Dallas. Basically it's the antithesis of a Stepford community. Just a thought.

[getmeoutofhere]

Originally Posted by catalmom

Hello,

My family is planning to relocate to the DFW area at the end of this school year. We have traveled there several times last year and have decided to make this our home. We are really excited and are looking forward to a new start. We are tired of the high cost of living in NY and are looking for a friendlier town. I understand that it will be an adjustment and we are ok with that.

There were quite a few areas that seems great, but now we are having trouble narrowing it down as we begin our home search. Some areas seem a little bit like "Stepford Wives" but it is hard to really tell. We are not considering renting first as I do not want to have to have my child change schools again.

Here is our criteria:
1) We would like to spend around 400-450k
2) Prefer home 10 years old or younger
3) Prefer community/family friendly feel in neighborhood
4) We work from home so commute is not an issue - however - would like to be able to be in reasonable proximity to Dallas.
5) Schools are super important. We have a 1st grader and a toddler.

Hoping to get some suggestions from the pros!

Thank you

First, you might be able to adjust your budget way down and still be happy. Houses are incredibly inexpensive here compared to NY.

I'll throw out my area, Lantana. It's about 45 minutes north of Dallas, but commute won't be an issue. It's a newish, master-planned golf course community. One thing I really liked is none of the houses look exactly the same. They had very strict building regulations, so it avoids that "Stepford" feel. Tons of families and kids, lots of planned activities, community swimming pools and a kids water park. We don't have kids, but when we go biking through neighborhoods, there are always kids out playing together. Very, very family-oriented.

Houses are all newer, and builder varies by neighborhood. HOA dues take care of all lawn maintenance, pool and gym access, security system, etc.

Schools are excellent, they have an in-community elementary and middle school, and are working on a high school. Good school system too, but having your kids go to school right in the same neighborhood is always a plus.

For private schools, Liberty Christian, one of the better ones, is about 8 minutes away.

Plus, the area it is in (Highland Village / Copper Canyon / Argyle) has lots of neighborhood eateries and shops, and a very nice shopping center a few miles down the road with a movie theater, bookstore, salon, clothes, etc. You always see tons of families out there every weekend.

You can buy a very, very nice house for $400K to $450K, but like I said, you might find something suitable for half that.

[artsyguy]

Inwood road in North Dallas. Two Thumbs up!

Originally Posted by catalmom

Hello,

My family is planning to relocate to the DFW area at the end of this school year. We have traveled there several times last year and have decided to make this our home. We are really excited and are looking forward to a new start. We are tired of the high cost of living in NY and are looking for a friendlier town. I understand that it will be an adjustment and we are ok with that.

There were quite a few areas that seems great, but now we are having trouble narrowing it down as we begin our home search. Some areas seem a little bit like "Stepford Wives" but it is hard to really tell. We are not considering renting first as I do not want to have to have my child change schools again.

Here is our criteria:
1) We would like to spend around 400-450k
2) Prefer home 10 years old or younger
3) Prefer community/family friendly feel in neighborhood
4) We work from home so commute is not an issue - however - would like to be able to be in reasonable proximity to Dallas.
5) Schools are super important. We have a 1st grader and a toddler.

Hoping to get some suggestions from the pros!

Thank you

[Lakewooder]

If you are going to be in town, check this out:

Lakewood Home Festival Home

It's a great example of Lakewood and its support for the schools. Over 300 volunteers come together on this, there's a great party/auction at Lakewood Country Club - always with an irreverent theme and hundreds if not thousands tour the homes - some historic, some new, some newish. We usually raise over $100K - a large part of that has been going into International Baccalaureate start up costs - the programme will start at the high school level then be rolled out over the next few years to the middle school and two or three of the elementary schools. I would say Lakewood Elementary is a shoe-in for that...but there are other good ones in the area - Stonewall Jackson is the best-known rival. Not that many newish homes there, but there are some.

[Grainraiser]

Your list of wants are kind of general so it's pretty difficult for me to give you any advice. I will agree with the above poster that there is a good chance you will find a very nice house for way less than the budget you have given. Home prices here are much, much lower than NY. Could you be little more specific as to what kind of neighborhood your interested in. What square footage, how many bedrooms, what size lot, urban or suburban feel, etc.

[Lakewooder]

More about Lakewood East Dallas at:

Black White Read online community newspapers, Lakewood edition - Dallas, Texas

Advocate

http://www.city-data.com/forum/dalla...od-photos.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/dalla...ood-route.html

Near Fair Park and Downtown -- 10 minutes or less..

http://www.city-data.com/forum/dalla...tructures.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/dalla...s-history.html

[loves2read]

if you are working from home make sure that you can get the quality of Internet speed/connectivity that you need

pay attention to fact that ISDs in TX are not zoned by town or county--they set their own boundaries and some cities have several ISDs in their boundaries just as some ISDs flow into different towns--
your taxes and your re-sale are definitely affected by the ISD you choose
TAKS scores are one way to judge a school/district but there are other factors as well--some people don't place much value on TAKS scores because they feel that too many schools/districts teach for the test and ignore other areas of education which would benefit better students...the TAKS system is being phased out for the end-of-course exams---

some districts have IB programs --most have AP programs and G/T programs for students who qualify as academically gifted...
personally I would check out the # of National Merit finalists and semi-finalists a school has--that shows how students rank nationally when you check other states/districts...
Paschal HS in FTW ISD--ranked only Acceptable by TAKS scores--Paschal has one of the highest numbers of National Merit Finalists and semi-finalists each year--
there are schools in Dallas ISD that also have high # in that category--as well as other suburban districts...

[catalmom]

Thank you for your responses so far. I realize that my question is a bit vague...but we really are open to different options. Urban v suburban each has its pros and cons...I have lived in both in the NY area - in NY, city living with kids really is just not for me (I grew up just outside of Manhattan) but it seems very different in Dallas. There seem to very nice, family friendly neighborhoods that are somewhat affordable (i.e. Lakewood - thank you Lakewooder). As for the suburbs, with kids in NY that almost the only option. I am currently in a suburb of NY and I really don't have any complaints other than if I had to commute to the city it would take me way over an hour, closer to two. I guess I am just looking for your opinions and then I can weed it down from there.

I really liked the idea of looking for national merit receipients when evaluating schools. I will definitely do that. If anyone has any personal feedback on schools that they are happy with or any warnings, I would welcome those too.