Possibly moving from Dallas to Fort Worth-help! (Arlington, Trinity: mortgage, house)

[museummommy]

Hi,

I live in Dallas but have been commuting to Fort Worth for about 5 years. My job is near downtown. The commute is about 45 minutes-1 hour from my house, and I commute against traffic, so it's not too bad. However, the money and time spent from this commute is too much!

My family is thinking about moving to Fort Worth, and have done so for about 2 years now since my husband started working from home. Things preventing us from moving: we live in Lakewood, which is a great neighborhood in Dallas (and one that we would be priced out of if we tried to move in now), our mortgage is less than $900/month, and the schools in Lakewood are good.

I can't seem to find a home in Fort Worth with the same criteria: good schools, low mortgage, good neighborhood, decent house for our price range. Our max to spend is $225K.

Some people have suggested moving into the suburbs north of Fort Worth, which are affordable and have good schools. But it seems like the commute would be terrible! Bumper to bumper, construction. It's seems like it would take just as long to drive to Dallas. Is it as bad as it seems?

What are areas that you might recommend? Criteria: decent homes in a good neighborhood, with good public schools, (My son is still a toddler), under $225K

Thanks for any input and suggestions!

[ClarenceBodiker]

I would think the best schools in FWISD would be something in the feeder pattern of Paschal and Arlington Heights. This area is more west/southwest Fort Worth -- think around TCU and the cultural district. Hopefully somebody with more extensive knowledge of FWISD can chime in. But if you want to stay close to the inner city, I think Paschal is probably Woodrow Wilson's Fort Worth ISD cousin. It's also the area I would think most compares with Lakewood in Dallas. These are also some of the more expensive parts of Fort Worth to live in. You can definitely find homes for less than $225,000, but they tend to be on the smaller side or fixer uppers.

[fwjeff]

^agree.

Also, you would be close to Central Market, Sprouts and Whole Foods (coming soon).

[ClarenceBodiker]

Originally Posted by fwjeff

^agree.

Also, you would be close to Central Market, Sprouts and Whole Foods (coming soon).

Glad to hear Fort Worth is getting a Whole Foods finally. There's a huge healthy/cash rich demographic in that town that's been ignored long enough.

[TrueDat]

Originally Posted by ClarenceBodiker

I would think the best schools in FWISD would be something in the feeder pattern of Paschal and Arlington Heights. This area is more west/southwest Fort Worth -- think around TCU and the cultural district. Hopefully somebody with more extensive knowledge of FWISD can chime in. But if you want to stay close to the inner city, I think Paschal is probably Woodrow Wilson's Fort Worth ISD cousin. It's also the area I would think most compares with Lakewood in Dallas. These are also some of the more expensive parts of Fort Worth to live in. You can definitely find homes for less than $225,000, but they tend to be on the smaller side or fixer uppers.

Would that include Mistletoe Heights? The area has always struck me as being sort of FW's equivalent to Lakewood or parts of Oak Cliff, like Winnetka Heights. But I know nothing about the schools or feeder patterns. But it is conveniently located in terms of downtown Fort Worth and you wouldn't have to worry about dealing with the horrible freeway traffic in north Tarrant.

Mistletoe Heights Association

[ClarenceBodiker]

Originally Posted by TrueDat

Would that include Mistletoe Heights? The area has always struck me as being sort of FW's equivalent to Lakewood or parts of Oak Cliff, like Winnetka Heights. But I know nothing about the schools or feeder patterns. But it is conveniently located in terms of downtown Fort Worth and you wouldn't have to worry about dealing with the horrible freeway traffic in north Tarrant.

Mistletoe Heights Association

Mistletoe Heights is a great neighborhood. Yes, that's included. It's not a large area, but it's full of old tudors and historic '20's and '30's homes. The elementary school is not as highly rated as Lakewood, and it's a little more diverse than Lakewood, too. The demographics probably closer resemble Stonewall Jackson. (It's up to you if you consider that a good or bad thing.) It's actually closer to downtown than Lakewood is. We're talking a 5 minute drive with no freeways. I did a quick check on Realtor.com and it looks lke there are two homes available right now at less than $200,000.

IMO, the only thing Ft. Worth is missing from an area like Lakewood is the actual lake. The Trinity River has biking/running trails though that will run through most of the city. It's quite scenic and the running/cycling community is strong in these areas just like it is in Lakewood.