Relocating to Fort Worth Please help! (Arlington, Grand Prairie: real estate, apartment, leasing)

[Mrs.MRoss]

We are a young AA couple with an 8 year old son moving from Atlanta, GA to Fort Worth, Texas. My son is SOOOOO ready to return to his normal life, except it's not normal because we are moving. It's a new beginning for us and we are excited about it. *My husband's job is transferring him to Lancaster, Texas so we are looking for something 45 min or less from his job. His job is not far from I-20 and he will be working Evenings (2:00 PM-2:00 AM) Sun-Thurs

We started out originally looking in Waxahachie, Mansfield, Forney, De Soto, Red Oak, and Grand Prairie areas. But because of the craziness of the market we have been all over the map. This has landed us with a couple of prospects in Fort Worth, Texas up for us to bid on. We are absolutely clueless about Fort Worth, our budget is 350K-400K and we are looking for a 2 story 4/3 with a loft or game area for the kids to play with a sizable backyard.

Below are the homes that are on our radar this week with the subdivision names and zip codes.

1. Bar C Ranch-76131
2. Arcadia Park-76244
3. Primrose Xing-76123
4. Edgewood -76036
5. Park Of Fossil Creek-76137
6. Summer Creek Ranch-76123
7. Villages Of Woodland Spgs-76248
8. Creekside-76036

#1 is SAFETY! I can not stress that enough especially since my husband will be working in the late Evenings. I want to wake up to hear birds chirping, not bullets flying. Also, safety in terms of Natural Disasters too.

*We are looking for a family oriented community that has events and lots of children. My son is leaving a gazillion friends behind and he is not a happy camper at all. Within our community we have a pool, playground, splash park, tennis court and basketball court that my son and my older son used almost daily when they could meet and play with their many friends. We also had a huge nearby playground with a skatepark and a water and amusement park. We went weekly to them.
We are an extremely active family that spent a lot of time at outdoor festivals, water parks, Six Flags, Hurricane Harbor, playing soccer and basketball, skating rinks, bowling, trampoline parks, Arcades, history and Cultural events, Library events, Theater and Puppetry, Museums, Sporting Events, etc. Before Covid, we were on the go non-stop!
*We are spiritual and strongly believe in GOD and following his commandments by how we live and interact with others but not very religious or into organized religion
*We are looking for a multicultural community (Whites/Blacks/Hispanics/Asians all living harmoniously) But must have a decent amount of other African-Americans, this is VERY important to us. We want to see others who look like us everywhere we go. Please don't give me advice on avoiding a place simply because it has African Americans living there. I would like those who have first hand knowledge or second hand knowledge because of actual events they are aware of in those communities.
*We are independent moderates but we lean more towards the liberal side.
*I work from home and will be seeking clients nearby who are in the $75K+ for my services.
*We homeschool our son and would love to be among a homeschooling community.
*We are foodies and love farmers markets, orchards, bee farms, Thai, nearby fast food, but also local small restaurants to try and enjoy.
*I am a Bingo Queen, but I am willing to travel to satisfy my vice. I actually travel 2 hours to North Carolina now once a month to play. I am excited to try out the local bingo halls in DFW.
*I am deathly terrified of snakes of all kinds. So no nearby water properties if I can help it.
*I loathe and love HOA's I like the way they keep the property values up but really hate when they are super restrictive. I also would need plenty of parking options for guests so trying to avoid subdivisions with narrow streets. Anyone who wants to share their opinion on why you like or don't like those rear garages, please feel free to comment below. Never had one and would love to know your Pros and Cons with them.

ANY information you can share with me about the above Zip Codes and especially those specific subdivisions would be greatly appreciated. Also any information about specific builders to avoid or to pick would be greatly appreciated as well.

If I should scrap the above subs or zips and go other places to meet our needs please comment below and share. At this point, we are totally open; these just happen to be a couple of them clumped together on my radar. As I mentioned, I was looking and still open to Waxahachie, Mansfield, Forney, De Soto, Red Oak, and Grand Prairie areas. If you know any Pros and Cons on this list that will help me to eliminate an area and tighten my search feel free to chime in as well.

Thanks so much in advance for your help, I have already learned so much by reading all the feedback here.

[ChristieP]

If your husband will be working in Lancaster, then you will want to live within 20 miles of his job so he doesn't have a horribly long commute. Driving all the way across the metroplex to north and west Fort Worth really doesn't make sense. Even though he will be commuting at off-peak times, the miles will still add up, especially at 2 AM.

Honestly, looking in Mansfield, Waxahachie, DeSoto, Red Oak, and south Grand Prairie makes the most sense.

[jbb303]

All of the ones you listed are going to be well beyond an hour commute at 2pm in the best of circumstances. The ones on the south side of Fort Worth might be a little better but not by much. The areas to the south and east of Arlington that have been mentioned are all much better options.

[Mrs.MRoss]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

If your husband will be working in Lancaster, then you will want to live within 20 miles of his job so he doesn't have a horribly long commute. Driving all the way across the metroplex to north and west Fort Worth really doesn't make sense. Even though he will be commuting at off-peak times, the miles will still add up, especially at 2 AM.

Honestly, looking in Mansfield, Waxahachie, DeSoto, Red Oak, and south Grand Prairie makes the most sense.

Thanks so much. Its been so hard to find anything anywhere in this market is the ONLY reason I was branching out a little bit. We have already gotten outbidded 8 times on a house. We won two houses, one didnt pass inspection and the other one didnt appraise for nowhere near what we were offering so they both fell through. We literally have less than 45 days now to be out of the home we are in and find something like quick. I can find a ton of 4/2 and ranch homes but its been rather difficult to find a 4/3 with our budget.

[Mrs.MRoss]

Thanks, for the info, I appreciate that! I have heard how DFW traffic could be but wasnt sure if the way he would be going would be traffic at those times.

[ChristieP]

4/3 is tough to find in DFW. If there's any way your kids could deal with sharing a bathroom, that will make your home search much easier. You might also consider renting for a year since you are in a time crunch.

[naterator]

Your best bet may be to rent in the Mansfield area, then look around after you land and get settled. We live adjacent to Mansfield (southwest Arlington), and are there often. It's a good place to live.

It's been my experience that buys made under pressure never turn out well.

[Mrs.MRoss]

I thought about renting but they are gouging the prices too. You can literally buy a house for the amount they are renting for. We even thought about just building and doing an Air BnB temporarily they too are so high that it doesnt seem to make sense but we may have to at this point. Since you are from Arlington, Do you know anything about this Subdivision; Fossil Lake?

[Mrs.MRoss]

What I really was trying to do was have a bathroom in the master, one for my kids and one for guests since I have a 28,18, and 8 year old boys. I also got a 2 year old grandson. They dont always aim properly and I dont want them walking in on anyone or vice versa. At this point, I just may have to get a 4/2 but I am really holding out hope that I dont have to.

[ChristieP]

With real estate the way it is right now, you may need to compromise to get a house before school starts. Whether that means renting at a price more than you'd prefer to pay, leasing an apartment, or settling for a house with less bathrooms than you'd prefer, that's your decision.