Looking for close-in neighborhood (Houston, Dallas: rentals, condo, credit)

[PinkLadyK]

Hi All,
Might be moving to Dallas in the next year and wanted to take a look at my living options so I can get an idea of what I could expect. I asked a few months ago for neighborhood suggestions similar to Houston's Heights/Montrose area, and these are what y'all came up with:

-Junius Heights
-Oak Lawn/Cedar Springs
-Oak Cliff/Winnetka Heights
-M Streets
-Henderson/Lower Greenville (is this "M Streets"?)
-Bishop Arts District
-Lakewood

I've added my needs, wants, and forget-abouts now. Which of these neighborhoods do you think will get me most things on my list?

What I need:

-Not a surburb.
-Less than 30 minute drive (during rush hour) to downtown.
-Safe.
-Not a condo/highrise/townhome only area.
-Can rent a small (2 bedroom) single-family house for less than $1300.


What I don't care about:

-Schools (can move if this becomes an issue).
-Image (don't need to be in Highland Park).


What I'd like:

-Less than a 20 minute drive (during rush hour) to downtown.
-A diverse neighborhood (yuppies, young families, retired couples who have lived there since the 50's, etc)
-Not only actually safe, but *feels* safe. "Neighborhoody"
-Rent closer to $1100.

[PinkLadyK]

Oh, and what about Knox Henderson?

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by PinkLadyK

Oh, and what about Knox Henderson?

None of the 'hoods on your original list is more than about 4 miles from Downtown Dallas. They are all accessible to Downtown within 20 minutes or less even during rush hours. That includes Knox-Henderson. All of the areas are pretty neighborhoody. Although, much of the Oak Lawn area is higher density with lots of multi-family dwellings (similar to Montrose).

A 2BR single family home could be found in the vicinity of Henderson Ave. for under $1300/month. On the Knox side of the freeway, it's highly unlikely as it's more multi family. You should also be able to find this price point in/around the Winnetka Hts. area of N. Oak Cliff. Also check the area between Winnetka Hts. and Kessler Park (north of Davis & south of Colorado). As for Oak Lawn/Cedar Springs, there aren't that many single family homes left. And many of the ones that are left are not in the safest parts of Oak Lawn. You might find something in Oak Lawn Heights, which is very nice as long as you don't mind living directly under the Love Field flight path.

I don't know as much about rentals in Junius Hts. and I suspect that anything available in Lakewood or the M Streets will be too expensive. Hopefully Pepper and/or Lakewooder will be along to fill you in on those areas.

[PinkLadyK]

Thanks for your help. I'm bumping this up for additional input. Also, now I'm thinking maybe we'd just want to go ahead and buy, so if my budget is $350K for a house, does that make Lakewood and M Streets options, or would they still be out of my price range?

[Dallas native]

Figure about $200/sq.ft. for a house that's in very good condition in Lakewood or the M Streets. So, $350k would get you about 1750 sq.ft. You might also look at Cochran Hts. which is between Henderson and Fitzhugh and immediately east of Central Expressway (75) Knox/Henderson Guide on Citysearch®. It's walking distance to most of the restaurants and retail along Henderson and the neighborhood has tons of character. It's a great time to be a buyer because we're in the slowest season for housing sales, prices have probably bottomed out and interest rates are at historic lows. If you qualify for the $8000 tax credit, then that's just icing on the cake.