Big old house on tree lined street with playground? Where to look? (Fort Worth: houses)

[hopeinaus]

Ok....so that is my dream in Fort Worth. An older house in a nice neighborhood where I can walk on a sidewalk to a playground or a cafe. Good schools nearby for my 2 year old to go to one day. Talk to the neighbors. Play in the yard. But close to the city so I don't have to drive everywhere (or at least I don't have to drive far). Not worried about work at this point - my husband works offshore.

Budget - $400K or less. 3 bedroom/1.5 bath min. An old house that needs work would be great. I just want something with character in a friendly neighborhood.

I have been looking at the 76110 postcode (Ryan Place and Fairmount). Any other zips that I should be checking out? My sister lives in FW and we are coming over from Australia to look at houses next month.

Thanks!

[redhawkeagle]

No replies I'm surprised! I absolutely love my neighborhood! I live in the Mistletoe Heights neighborhood of Fort Worth. The other neighborhood that is adjacent to us is Berkeley. Our neighborhood is exactly as you describe. There are several homes in the area that would fall within your budget. Also, not only can you walk to the neighborhood parks but depending on where you purchase a house you could walk to the Fort Worth Zoo.
We just called on a house at the end of the block from the elementary school and it's listed for $368,000. Beautiful and definitely within walking distance. This is definitely a good time to be a buyer and you shouldn't have any difficulty finding something!
If you would like any other information feel free to contact me.

[redhawkeagle]

Oh by the way,

When you come plan on contacting various schools that you might be interested in and even placing your son on the waiting list. I had heard that when people find out they are pregnant they go ahead and put themselves on the waiting list. I just hadn't any experience with this situation anywhere else we lived and I grew up in Fort Worth. What a surprise!
Also, Mistletoe Heights/Berkeley are just across 8th Avenue from Fairmount.

[hopeinaus]

Thanks so much! Is that 76109 postcode? Can you give me the address of the house for $368K? I basically want to live in Starrs Hallow (from the Gilmore Girls). : ) I just want a neighborhood where we can settle down and call it home.

Thanks for the tip re: schools. My sister put my son on a list at one school (can't recall name) but we will definitely look at schools when we are there.

[Juliana]

Tanglewood! Seriously, it fits what you are looking for perfectly. It is in the 76109 zip code. Berkeley/Misletoe would be my second choice. In Tanglewood, every street is heavily tree-lined, with walking/bike paths throughout the entire neighborhood that link up to the Trinity River trails. You have Tanglewood Elementary which is consistently rated the top elementary school in FW. There are nice playgrounds and neighbors are ALWAYS out and about. Often, people walk down to the local Starbucks with their strollers, dogs, or both. It's within a couple of miles of the zoo, culture district, TCU. It really is a dream neighborhood. The reason I recommend Tanglewood over Misletoe/Berkeley is because Tanglewood is in a better area overall -- no fringe streets/areas. All the areas of Tanglewood are well kept. Plus, it is a little bigger neighborhood and just seems like there are more families in Tanglewood. Hope that helps!

[corpex]

Mistletoe Heights/Berkley/Tanglewood are all really nice older areas for what you are looking for. You could defenitley find something in that price range in any of those areas.

Also in and around old camp bowie road is a decent area as well. Personally, I would go with Tanglewood first, then Mistletoe.

[hopeinaus]

Thanks! I will definitely look into Tanglewood! We have moved so much over the years....looking forward to finding a home.

[rogramjet]

You might want to add Monticello, Arlington Heights, and the Rivercrest area on the near west side of Fort Worth. Beautiful older homes and lots of trees. They might be on the top end of your budget, but these neighborhoods, which straddle brick portion of Camp Bowie Blvd. are terrific. (I think they're in the 76107 zip.) One of my favorite neighborhoods in Fort Worth is also Ridglea North. It's located north of the 6000 block of Camp Bowie (76116 zip) and also has some very nice older homes and tree lined streets. Best wishes. You're moving to a fantastic city!

[hopeinaus]

Thanks Rogramjet. I just called a realtor in FW who recommended Arlington Heights as well (in addition to the other hoods mentioned in this thread). Will look on realtor.com now and check it out as well as the other areas you mentioned.

[Hagar The Horrible]

There are some really nice neighborhoods like you describe in the 76039 zip code. That's the north part of Euless. Depending on which neighborhood you look at, the kids would either go to school in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford school district or the Grapevine-Colleyville school district. Both are excellent.