Lakefront Living (Dallas, Lewisville, Grapevine: real estate, rent, homes)

[frozensurfer]

Hey guys and gals

I'm about to make a pretty big move decision. I currently live in Socal, and will either choose to relocate to Norcal for work, or Dallas for work. My wife spent 2 years in Dallas, but is almost useless when it comes to asking anything about the area

I am a waterski junkie. In socal, I trailer my boat down to the marina 4 times a week.

I am trying to find somewhere in texas that I can live on a lake, with a dock, that's commutable to DFW.

Trying to keep the price below 500k.

Is this possible? If so, where do you recommend.


And finally... what the heck is up with the water snakes and gators? Folklore? Or do I have to look for these when I jump in the water.... Some threads on this board have me scared.

Thanks!!!

[Squirl]

You can go to Lake Ray Hubbard, Joe Pool or Grapevine or other lakes. However its going to be too cold to waterski very soon until June. Yes, we have real estate near lakes in your budget. Our commutes are awful; we have road construction just everywhere and DFW is huge. You need to tell us where you will be working to get any kind of response of worth.

[frozensurfer]

Thanks for the reply

I will be working at DFW airport

[ChristieP]

No private docks on Lake Grapevine. All of the shoreline is owned by the Corps of Engineers and is public access. There are numerous parks with public boat ramps, and boat marinas which rent slips, but no docks.There are some homes which back up to Corps property, but not directly to the lakefront. The good thing about Lake Grapevine is that it doesn't get nearly as crowded as other area lakes (specifically Lake Lewisville, which is the site of numerous drownings every summer).

Unfortunately, Grapevine and Lewisville are the only lakes really close to DFW Airport. All of the others are fairly far away and would be a much more lengthy commute. Ray Hubbard would be MUCH too far away to drive to DFW for work. That's about an hour, and the easiest route is on a toll road.

Alligators are very rare here in DFW. They do show up occasionally, but the experts say it's more likely that someone turned a pet/baby gator loose than one swam up a river from East Texas. We do have Water Moccasin snakes (AKA "Cottonmouth") that live in the reeds along river/lake banks. They are very aggressive and are poisonous when they are defending an egg nest. Be careful if you are walking along a river/lake bank with reeds, high grass, etc.

[Squirl]

There's also Eagle Mountain, Benbrook,Granbury, Lavon, and LOTS of other lakes. So, when you say DFW we need to know what you mean. I can't assume you mean the airport, because there are so many other employers in the DFW metropolitan area.

[frozensurfer]

Ok, I work really strange hours, so I'd be commuting at off rush hour times. I'm willing to commute an hour or so.

I will be working at DFW.... the airport. The big one, with lots of runways, in the tower there.

[Squirl]

If you don't have to travel during normal rush hours then Lake Ray Hubbard, and Joe Pool Lake might produce homes in your budget. Maybe a bit further would also be Lake Lavon and Eagle Mountain lake.

Do a google for "Texas Waterfront property in Lake_______" using those 4 lakes.

[ChristieP]

Lavon stinks for water skiing. The lake has a lot of trees in it. It's much better for Bass fishing!

There's no direct route from Eagle Mountain to DFW except 820, which is a complete mess due to a massive reconstruction project that will last several more years.

Ray Hubbard is a nice lake but that commute will get very old after a while. The tolls also add up quickly; figure at least $100 a month.

Even though Lewisville is crowded, it may be your best option for short commute and docks.

[jbb303]

Originally Posted by frozensurfer

Ok, I work really strange hours, so I'd be commuting at off rush hour times. I'm willing to commute an hour or so.

If you're willing to drive an hour, Lake Granbury might be a good fit. It has lots with docks and has a pretty good reputation for water skiing. For the most part, it's just a wide dammed up river, so it has a lot of long straight space. The commute is probably not the greatest, but there are multiple alternative routes to the airport from that direction and the off-rush hour commute will help.

[frozensurfer]

Ok, so I've got this down to a couple here....

Grapevine - no personal docks.... that's out
Lavon - Too many bass fishermen.
Eagle Mountain - Looks like a killer lake, but tons of construction
Hubbard - No negatives other than a long drive with tolls.
Joe Pool - No complaints, but no homes are to be found yet
Granbury - Sounds good, but a long drive

Did I miss any?