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Old 06-19-2010, 01:59 AM
 
51 posts, read 216,582 times
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We will move to from MD to TX in the next few months. Commuting to work is not going to be a problem since we both work from home. Our priority is school since we have 2 kids, and the oldest one is going to start 1st grade next school year. We have narrowed down our choice to the Carroll school district that covers 3 cities: Westlake, Southlake, and Grapevine.

We are thinking of renting first to get a feel of the area before buying. I don't see any apartment rental in Westlake or Southlake. Just need a recommendation on which apartment is safe, clean, and located within the Carroll ISD.

We plan to buy a house in the future. We don't want to spend over 350K, so it seems that Westlake and Southlake are out of our range, or aren't they? Grapevine seems more affordable. Please recommend us some affordable areas or subdivisions in any of those aforementioned cities. I will truly appreciate it. Thank you so much in advance.
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Old 06-19-2010, 05:45 AM
 
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there is small section of Grapevine with homes in the Carroll ISD but the ISD itself has NO APARTMENTS within its zone...and the Colleyville area of Grapevine-Colleyville ISD has no apartments either...although the town of Grapevine has apts so the schools in its side can have apartment dwellers as students

just one way the Carroll district manages to continue its top ratings...

you can use MLS to search for your target range
will PM two useful sites
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Old 06-19-2010, 09:27 AM
 
Location: Simmering in DFW
6,952 posts, read 22,608,113 times
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Maybe you can find a house to rent......contact a realtor.
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Old 06-19-2010, 10:15 AM
 
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finding a house to rent in the smaller area of Grapevine city limits that is zoned for Carroll ISD is going to be really unlikely--
but the poster is not really familiar with this area I guess-just going by Google info--
Carroll ISD looks superior on the internet stats and stuff but there are other ISDs that have quality schools in that price range
if they are working from home they really have a more ideal situation that most people who move here since they don't have to worry about a commute from the house they like...
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Old 06-19-2010, 07:26 PM
 
Location: Kaufman County, Texas
11,819 posts, read 26,677,232 times
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You're not going to buy anything in Southlake for $350k unless it is a major fixer-upper or a foreclosure. You can occasionally find homes in the part of Grapevine that feeds into Carroll ISD for that price. Personally, I would not put a child into CISD schools because there is too much peer pressure to "keep up with the Joneses" on things like buying the kid a new car when they turn 16, lavish birthday parties, etc.

With your price range and in NE Tarrant, I would look at Grapevine and GCISD. The home prices are much closer to your price range, and the schools do not have that extreme peer pressure like in Southlake.

Good luck!
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Old 06-19-2010, 10:48 PM
 
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I think that the kids at some schools in Grapevine-Colleyville has extreme peer pressure just like in Keller or some other school districts in the area
they are not oblivious to what is going on in world around them--watch the same tv shows-listen to same music-wear the same clothing brands/shoes-want to imitate as much as they can an "affluent" life style...
there is plenty of money in GCISD and plenty of "wanna be's"
and there is pressure to succeed or "keep up with the Joneses"==
just maybe on scale that is not quite as flush with money

so going from Carroll to GCISD or Keller or Birdville or Lewisville or Northwest is not going to make that much difference in some ways...
it is just the nature of the beast that parents have to fight if they are not willing to "get along, go along"
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Old 06-20-2010, 12:11 AM
 
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You can find a decent home in Carroll ISD for $350K - but you will need to be ready to move quick when it is listed. Most school districts in NE Tarrant have several elementary schools with the highest ranking from the TEA (exemplary) - its the middle & high schools where the difference is more obvious. You have plenty of time to get a feel for the whole area before the kids reach that age. Get a rental HOUSE in an area with an exemplary elementary, and stake out the MLS every day until the house you want comes up - then move quickly. Just remember, Carroll has the most competitive environment; If junior makes a single B, he may be out of the top 10% of his graduating class, and more limited in his college choices.
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Old 06-20-2010, 08:22 AM
 
37,315 posts, read 59,524,542 times
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it is true that when new homes come on the market there is a corp of people waiting/looking...they are ready to buy and are usually particular about what they buy
if a house does not get a contract within the first 2 weeks then it is likely to linger
even in today's market there can be competition for houses--just depends on price and location...
and in some neighborhoods it is not really a buyer's market...
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Old 06-21-2010, 09:11 PM
 
51 posts, read 216,582 times
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Thank you for all the wonderful advices. ChristieP made a good point about peer pressure, which I think kids can also be influenced with negative peer pressure (e.g., doing drugs, joining gangs,etc.) from bad schools too. After reading all the comments, I think it'd be best for us to rent first until we find the area we like. Besides we still have to wait until our house in MD is sold until we can afford another mortgage. Loves2read said I cannot find an apartment in the Carroll ISD, which is fine. Perhaps my kid can go to a kindergarten in another exemplary school outside the CISD. Since we are going to be in TX for a long time, we want to take time to make a decision that is right for us.

Thanks again for the info. I may post more questions again in the future.
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Old 06-22-2010, 07:25 AM
 
37,315 posts, read 59,524,542 times
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you don't even have to post questions really--just run a search on the FTW or Dallas forums for info that you are curious about
and search the MLS sites for the type of house you would like to buy

you can get so much information from those two ways of doing research so when you come to visit you know certain areas are more likely to fit your needs than others...

AND if you are working from home I guess that means Internet access
you want to make sure the area you are wanting to live in has Internet speed that works for you--
some areas don't have the greatest set-ups...
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