Advice for possible relocation from MA to TX - where to look? (Denton: for sale, real estate)

[zillow55]

My husband's job may be moving to Westlake. We come from a small, middle to upper middle class town in Massachusetts with one of the best school systems in the state. Graduating classes of < 100. For a move to Texas, would like to replicate that as much as possible.

Would like a small town feel with good schools, a sense of community and friendly people who might welcome Northerners...

Other needs: 9-year old son is an ice hockey goalie so looking for ice
12-year old daughter is a high-level competitive gymnast - any insight on the area gyms also appreciated.

Any recommendations? I see so many good and bad posts about each area. Housing budget of ~650 (which will not even buy a 3000 sq foot house in our town).

Thanks for any input!

[jcamber]

Around your area I would look at Trophy Club, Southlake and Westlake itself. Although 650 may not be enough for Westlake... but you should check!

it will be tough to find a hockey league I think?? not a lot of ice down here ya know?

[ChristieP]

Grapevine or Southlake. Both are easy commutes to Westlake and have homes in your price range. Southlake is more upscale and will use all of your budget, while Grapevine has less expensive homes. Both have great schools! You will need to decide which environment you feel more comfortable in, and how much you are willing to spend on a home.
I cant comment specifically on which gyms are better, but there are several big ones in the area, and the Polar Ice House in Grapevine and the NYTex Center in Hurst are both big places for ice hockey. We love to watch the Brahmas play at NYTex!

[ChristieP]

$650k is not enough for Westlake. You really need $1m to get into there.
I can't recommend Trophy Club. NWISD schools are just ok compared to other districts in the area, and TC is very isolated due to its location.

[loves2read]

Hockey won't really be a problem because so many people from north have come down that it is growing/vital sport for boys--girls hockey still not that common
BUT it is not UIL (state athletic board tied to schools) regulated--
and I think from what I have heard/read it suffers for that with lack of strong oversight--

BEST gymnastics program in Tarrant county is in HEB--has been for decades...
Bell HS has terrific girls coach--Debbie Williams--she taught there and coached girls gymnastics for 3+decades
think she is the first/only girls coach--retired and was rehired by the district to just coach gymnastics has coached TX state winners as well as nationals
super good person as well as great coach...

People who know gymnastics should know her name
Mrs. Debbie Williams - Girls Gymnastics - Mrs. Debbie Williams

but Bell is 5A school -- there is no ISD in the area that is going to have class of 100 graduating seniors unless you go to VERY small school district and that would not really equate to the "best"
places like Ponder ISD west of Denton/north of Westlake, other small towns in that area with school districts

If you could get your kids into Westlake Academy (lottery draw for anyone except Westlake residents, avg home price over 800K in Westlake) then you would be looking at small, charter school with low enrollment
otherwise much larger ISDs--

your housing budget will price you out of the Bell zone except for one small neighborhood in Colleyville city limits in HEB ISD--
homes there are in 400-500K range--nice neighborhood, lots are not that big,
but frankly people who spend that much money want their kids to go to Grapevine Colleyville ISD or Southlake...
although I don't think those are necessarily better districts--

Bell & Trinity HS (2 in HEB ISD) may not have the top gymnastics teams in the state from year to year as they used to but that is mainly because the demographics of the district have changed in the past 15 yrs

Texas High School Gymnastics Coaches Association
you can check past years' results at that same site
note that most years HEB ISD is the only district to have two high schools' score in top 10 team results

Personally I would not recommend NWISD--lot of praise because the district built a new high school but for most of the past 15 yrs it has been avg--meaning mediocre--when compared to other area districts

for your money you can get nice new house (4-5K sq ft, half acre or larger lot) in north Keller (Keller ISD), or older home on probably half acre or smaller lot in Southlake Carroll, or Colleyville--
there are two neighborhoods in Grapevine that might stretch to that price point but would put you in top 2% of Grapevine SFRs--not best place to put your money for resale/appreciation...

You really might even consider Flower Mound--around Tour 18--and your husband would make longer commute than from some other areas but there are good schools in Lewisville ISD

will PM a good real estate site for you--great organization and good map features--
see what you can get in different areas for your price and check out the ISD zoned schools


in TX the school districts set boundaries not tied to city/county boundaries--
1 town can have 2-3-4 ISDs in different zones (often just across the street from each other)
1 ISD can pull students from 2-3-4 towns...confusing...
buy the best ISD you can afford--w/o buying into the very top of the market--like I said--no appreciation when you do that...

[Squirl]

Check out Coppell; wouldn't be too terrible a drive because it would be against traffic. Highly respected school district and not overly large.

[loves2read]

yes--Coppell might be option but it will be probably 35-45 min drive to Westlake depending on where you start and whether the 114 is finished or not
maybe under 30 when 114 is finished

but check your price point--when I looked just now there are just 6 homes showing in MLS from 675K to 550K--
that might mean you are getting close to the top of the price point for Coppell--
even if you can't expect/want majority of homes in that price zone to be up for sale...
if only 6 are, then you can anticipate there are probably not that many homes in the town in that price zone...

FYI--In Southlake there at 33 homes in same price range; in Colleyville, 42; and in Keller, 29...
in Flower Mound, only 16...

[adixyz]

Tour 18 in FM to Westlake is under 10 miles (1171 W /377 S/ 114E). You can find homes in your price range in other FM areas as well. Even if you stretch further in west FM your commute should not be more than 30-35 mins. Public schools are excellent. Property tax in FM is comparatively low @ 2.15%

[zillow55]

Thanks so much for all of the gymnastics. Hockey information is good though sounds like there might be some issues with oversight. Will have to look into that.
Will check out Coppell as well - my husband currently commutes an hour into Boston which is typical here.

Any information on Prosper? Too far a commute? From what I've been reading it sounds like a town somewhat similar to ours.

Loves2read - thanks for the gymnastics information though I don't think my daughter will compete for a high school team, will likely stick with club gymnastics as she is already training pre-elite. I know that some of the best club gyms are in that area but the best doesn't always mean the best experience. Looking for good gymnastics who create a fun environment (and not just spend their time screaming at the gymnasts).

[Squirl]

Originally Posted by zillow55

Thanks so much for all of the gymnastics. Hockey information is good though sounds like there might be some issues with oversight. Will have to look into that.
Will check out Coppell as well - my husband currently commutes an hour into Boston which is typical here.

Any information on Prosper? Too far a commute? From what I've been reading it sounds like a town somewhat similar to ours.

Loves2read - thanks for the gymnastics information though I don't think my daughter will compete for a high school team, will likely stick with club gymnastics as she is already training pre-elite. I know that some of the best club gyms are in that area but the best doesn't always mean the best experience. Looking for good gymnastics who create a fun environment (and not just spend their time screaming at the gymnasts).

Prosper is too far. Also it is a new far northern burb with lots and lots of room for new construction.....something you will have to compete with when its time to sell. I always prefer towns (like Coppell) that are pretty much built out. Then, when I go to sell I don't have the issue of many new builds in the vicinity that I have to compete with. If that's not an issue for you, Southlake is a better choice than Prosper.