Las Colinas Job, but where to live (Flower Mound, Grapevine: foreclosures, house)

[novacouple]

Hi everyone. I have perused and studied many of the posts on here re: suburbs to the north of las Colinas and commute times etc. Still leaves me a little confused.

So we are a couple from northern VA with no children and we are moving to the DFW area.

We are looking for:
-A good quality home, doesn't have to be huge 'box", just well built with some character in a more private setting.
-Lot's over 1/2 and acre
-Trees
-Reasonable commute (less than 45 mins) to Las Colinas
-Budget: under $500K


Areas that look nice to us (from afar in internet land at least) : Coppel, Argyle, Copper Canyon, Bartonville.

Is it possible to live as far out as Argyle of further and still have a reasonable commute time (30-45 mins.) for example.

Thanks for all your help.

[Squirl]

Strongly recommend Colleyville, Grapevine, Flower Mound, Coppell, Southlake & Argyle. I live in Las Colinas and if I were looking for the kind of place you are seeking I would look at communities west first (Grapevine, Colleyville, Southlake, Trophy Club) because that would have me traveling against the flow of rush hour traffic. I think your best resale would be those homes in the most desirable school districts.... (the four I mentioned that are west and also Coppell).

[Squirl]

Actually anything west of Las Colinas will have you traveling with the rest of the flow of rush hour <blush>

[new2aus]

I think Southlake has a minimum lot size requirement and very good schools and would be within you commute time limit. I'm less familiar with Grapevine, but I think there are some parts of Grapevine that are a bit older with larger lots and the same school district as Southlake (Carrol ISD).

Coppell would be a shorter commute to Las Colinas and the schools are also very good. The typical lots are a bit smaller, but there are some neighborhoods with goodsize lots. Parts of Northlake Woodlands subdivision has a lot of larger lots with mature trees.

[Rakin]

With this criteria:

We are looking for:
-A good quality home, doesn't have to be huge 'box", just well built with some character in a more private setting.
-Lot's over 1/2 and acre
-Trees
-Reasonable commute (less than 45 mins) to Las Colinas
-Budget: under $500K

You are going to have a very limited selection. Forget Coppell, no 1/2 acre lots.

Mostly North of Flower Mound which includes Double Oak, Argyle and maybe over in the Colleyville, Keller area.

You might adjust your lot size to .33 or .40 acres. You'll find more homes.

Keep in mind we have 6.5 Million people so privacy, large lots in treed areas will be asking alot. Treed areas limits you to the section of land with the forest that comes down through central DFW.

[ChristieP]

You might find a large lot in Grapevine or Colleyville in that price range, but definitely not in Southlake. As Rakin said, if you will downsize to a smaller lot, you will have a lot more choices. Wooded lots are NOT common in this part of Texas. If you go 100 miles east, yes, but not here.

[new2aus]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

You might find a large lot in Grapevine or Colleyville in that price range, but definitely not in Southlake. As Rakin said, if you will downsize to a smaller lot, you will have a lot more choices. Wooded lots are NOT common in this part of Texas. If you go 100 miles east, yes, but not here.

Well, I just did a search and there are 10 active listings in Southlake with Carrol schools that have lots between .5 and 1 acre and a listing price under $500k.

I agree that larger lots are more challenging in Coppell, but they do exist. Currently there is only one with a lot in that range and it is in the mid 500s. It is actually in the heart of the city within walking distance to the YMCA, Library and Acquatic Center. However, there have been others in the past that fit their criteria just nothing currently active. Obviously the further out you go the land is cheaper and you'll have more choices.

[Squirl]

if the lot is 1/2+ ACRE and not wooded it will not be fun watering it. Make sure it has its own well.....

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by new2aus

Well, I just did a search and there are 10 active listings in Southlake with Carrol schools that have lots between .5 and 1 acre and a listing price under $500k.

I'd honestly be afraid that those are either foreclosures, older homes badly in need of updating, or ones being sold for "development" where the house is a tear-down. Generally speaking, homes in Southlake sell for more than that, especially with a large lot!

[new2aus]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

I'd honestly be afraid that those are either foreclosures, older homes badly in need of updating, or ones being sold for "development" where the house is a tear-down. Generally speaking, homes in Southlake sell for more than that, especially with a large lot!

Just looked again. None were forclosures and all but one was built in the 90s. I wouldn't say any looked tear-down ready to me based on the pictures and other criteria. I don't think a .5+ acre lot is really that uncommon in Southlake and several of these are in nice subdivisions that have lots this size. They definitely aren't brand new, but had updates and decor that looked pretty good. You should check it out. You might be surprised with what you see.