Anna, TX info (Dallas, Plano, Richardson: foreclosure, to rent, custom home)

[migirl]

I am relocating from Michigan to the Anna, TX area this summer. I don't know much about the area. I haven't yet found a place to live. ha! I need to get on the ball! I was just offered the job in that area and want to get things moving. Can anyone give me any info. about the Anna area? Would I be better off living in another town close by? From what I've found online, Anna seems to be growing quite a bit. Any information you can provide would be very helpful!

Thanks!

[socketz]

What jobs are in Anna ? just curious. That's out there.

Personally, if I worked there, I would go south on the 75 12 miles and live somewhere like Mckinney where there's shopping, good schools, infrastructure, etc.

Traffic going to/from work will be non-existent for you. Also, if you ever find you need a new job, Mckinney is commutable to other parts of the region with emplyment like Richardson, Plano, Addison, Dallas....

[stargazer]

Anna is growing and they have many sub divisions out there. I know 3 families out there personally and actually took a meal to a family not too long ago.

The big news is that Anna is getting a Brookshires Supermarket! I am happy too they are finally getting one. They certainly have enough families out there to support a grocery store. I personally like Brookshires too, they have good prices and their new stores are very nice.

I think the question would be to you, would you like to live out further from Dallas with a little land or would you rather live somewhere close to shopping and several restaurants with a smaller yard?

Anna is flanked by Van Alytyne to the north and Melissa to the south.

Van Alstyne has all the fast food close by with a Subway, Burger King and Mcdonalds and a few other restaurants but no grocery store. Melissa has a Sonic and a mexican restaurant that I heard was pretty good. Also Melissa has several subdivisions out that way as well whereas Van Alstyne doesn't have all the little neighborhoods but has many acre lots with custom homes on them . I have heard too that the schools aren't bad out there. They are country schools and that sometimes in itself can be better sometimes. I would check though their ratings and parent comments at greatschools net for info. That can be so helpful when making decisions.

I do believe that it is just a matter of time before Anna is engulfed and will be considered a suburb of Dallas. JMO. Many people are moving that way andd many call it home already.

[stargazer]

Oh one more thing. I don't know if you are married and have a family. Just wanted to share this. From my viewpoint, it is nice to live close to where you work.

For me that would be a dream if my husband did. We would have lunch every day together. Also my husband tells me too, it would be nice to live close to where the kids go to school, so he could help out at school and volunteer. Many people just can't help out because of commuting south. You would be at a great advantage for those things.

[MaryS80]

Right now its just starting transitioning from sleepy small town to suburbs. It may seem like its a ways out now, but at the rate Collin County is growing, it will soon be part or everything else. Being that its not quite in the heart of things land prices, and hence houses are cheaper there. It reminds me a lot of how Rowlett was about 20 years ago. My parents bought a home in Rowlett in 1985, and at the time there was almost nothing there. One small grocery store, and a couple of fast food joints. A handfull of subdivisions and lots and lots of fields and pastures. By the early 90's houses were going up everywhere, and now its almost completely developed. The good thing about areas like that is there is potential for your house to gain value pretty if and when the boom creeps up that way.

[kaykay]

Originally Posted by socketz

What jobs are in Anna ? just curious. That's out there.

Personally, if I worked there, I would go south on the 75 12 miles and live somewhere like Mckinney where there's shopping, good schools, infrastructure, etc.

Traffic going to/from work will be non-existent for you. Also, if you ever find you need a new job, Mckinney is commutable to other parts of the region with emplyment like Richardson, Plano, Addison, Dallas....

You could also go north and live in Sherman which is a small town but pretty nice and would be a bit larger if that's what you're looking for-with more established amenities.

[socketz]

I agree that Anna/Melissa are next on the radar to expand. If you look at the article I posted in the other thread regarding CoCo growth, those areas were cited as having better growth than even Mckinney/Frisco, so they are in the initial stages of the appreciation upswing.

[migirl]

Thanks for all the tips. I am actually taking a teaching job in Anna so I would love to be near the school that I teach at, like I am now. It makes it pretty convenient. It isn't a must of course, so that is why I was asking about the area. I have heard from several people that it is a growing community and have also heard that they anticipate a lot of growth over the next several years.

Someone asked about marriage....I am not currently married, but my boyfriend lives in the area. He is in the process of selling his house in Sherman. He works mostly in the Dallas area (sales) and wants to be a bit closer to work...but not in the heart of all the busy areas. He is pretty new to the area and hasn't really thought about things the way I do so when I ask him some questions I get the "I don't know" response.

Anyway...thanks again to all of you for your ideas and suggestions! I need all the info. I can get!
Jennifer

[GayleTX]

There are a lot of houses in foreclosure in Anna....also quite a few to rent/lease. Even the new neighborhoods seemed to have developed into ethnic groups.

I hope you are a good teacher...they certainly need to 'upgrade' their school system....they have grown so fast they have had quite a few problems. Also so many 'city people' coming into a country school have made some 'cultural' conflicts that they are having to work out. Just growing pains, I guess.

Good luck to you......

[jo24]

How would you find out about the houses that are in Anna to rent/lease? Also in Melissa also? New to the area and am looking for something.