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Just a thought---if you do get that house or any house in this area, you need to find out what happened w/the roof because of the hail storm we had....maybe not just home inspection--but real roofing co---everyone on my street is having their roofs redone--we are north of the freeway and that house you mentioned is south but there was hail there as well I am sure.
Maybe the sellers would hold off on the re-roof until after danger of hail season has passed--probably thorugh May--if there are not any leaks....
if there is wood roof and you would replace w/composition shingles--this would be opportunity to add the radiant barrier decking under the roof for extra insulation help in attic--really makes a difference--
Hi loves2read. I cannot express how much I appreciate all of the great data. I don't know if you're in the real estate business, but you should be! As for my to-be senior, he will do very well. He is looking forward to the adventure. The Senior Project is something right up his alley!
And wow, the roof info is good to know. They replaced it in March, so it has already been done. Is that when the storm happened? And I know someone said there can be problems with properties south of the freeway. Is this a bad area? Older neighborhoods are my preference. They just have a better feel. And I need trees and shade.
And I truly intend to get involved and vote - and call the police station for info. If it's important, it is definately worth doing.
info about the roof is something your agent should get specific information about---the hail storm came through about middle of April--not March--so they may have re-roofed because they knew the roof would not pass inspection at sale...it could have been damaged soon after by hail storm last month---we had someone in our neighborhood who re-roofed this winter...don't know if they had damage and will have to have work done on new roof or not....
You will have home inspection done but I would ask for clarification about why it was re-roofed and if they have had anyone come out to check on it after the hail---it might not have problem being new or it might have problem not readily evident that will worsen over time and be problem for you...
Apparently this area was declared disaster zone (a guy who gave me estimate on my roof said) so your insurance co can't hold a claim against your record...of course you would not BE owner of record for hail damage so don't know how that would work if leaks developed after you had inspection/bought/and moved in...
People usually say don't buy south of the Freeway because neighborhoods are older and residents are less affluent for the most part. There are some sections that have problem w/flooding but that is more in Morrisdale Estates by Pipeline (and flood control work was done--have not seen any articles about flooding after this last storm series). That house you mentioned is north of there...Frankly, if you have put contract on that house, I would drive by and ask some of the neighbors about any flooding from streets overflsowing and bad storm drains...
Schools: south schools were first built and neighborhoods started to change demographics as they aged--more lower income/minority residents moved in and newer schools/more affluent areas went into area north of freeway--but the district has been realigning zone lines for several years and the demographics of the district have changed in general so that is not as true as it was 20 years ago or even 10...in fact the newest elementary is River Trails which is s of Pipeline off Hwy 10...
If you enjoy little theater--the Artisan Theater off Pipeline and Belaire has wonderful productions for reasonable price--always family oriented--talented performers and volunteers who give lots of energy into creating an enjoyable experience...they are refurbishing the old Bellaire movie theater for permanent home and using temporary theater in round site just few doors down in shopping center...
We go there several times a year and while the seats we sit in aren't the greatest, the productions have been some of the best we have seen including Theater Arlington or Circle Theater in FTW... Artisan does musicals as well as drama/comedy and they have some very talented performers...get a lot of bang for their money in sets and costumes too...
Hope everything goes well for your move and you get the house you want...
You said you had a child that is a senior===that is a tough year to transfer. Music and art are strong fine arts programs at Bell...they have the IB program but that won't work for you because of the time issue...strong AP & G-T classes in math, social studies, English, science as well as regular level...good foreign language and ASL classes..The band is nationally ranked, choral program is very strong---theater not as strong, newpaper/journalism good---there is good computer/technology set up. Students have access to computer classes and use computers regularly for English writing and in other classes for research and projects...
Seniors can go off campus for lunch--which can cause problems w/tardies and driving issues in the parking lot...some kids walk across the street and freeway to eat...
Bell's campus has second story classrooms in one wing and is fairly self-contained....Trinity's campus is more sprawling (really pretty) but H--- in rainy weather and takes longer to get from wing to wing.
Bell and Trinity's year is broken into three semesters of 12 weeks instead of two semesters like most school---called Trimesters. It is great for some things and not so good for others but it gives students the ability to work hard and graduate early, which some seniors really appreciate. They work hard to graduate in December or February because they want to work full-time to save money for college the next year.
The class periods are little longer each day but they do not run that split schedule where students alternate between A and B classes--which I personally hate and think is a really bad teaching setup.
Bell does something very unique in the English curriculum called the Senior Project. Some students take advantage of it to make truly impressive strides in personal knowledge and skills and some students don't want to be challenged and try everything they can to avoid doing any real work.
The Senior Project involves a full two-semester time span where each student picks a topic that he or she has no prior personal experience with. They narrow the focus, research the information, write a research paper about it, do 20+ hrs of personal expeience on the topic, and then do a 15 minute presentation with visuals to a jury composed of teachers and other adults from community like parents, grandparents, business people.
Each judge has a scoring sheet designed to evaluate the presentation in different areas and can question the presenter. The students know what they will be judged on and spent time in class preparing for the presentation--they even go to other classes and actually do mock versions and get critiques before they have the real one.
The scores are averaged and the student's grade from the presentation, the research paper itself, and all of the work leading up to the final presentation/research paper are part of the grades taken in the two semesters of senior English. It sounds intimidating, but they have done this project for almost 10 years now and have broken it down into so many smaller steps that they have a great plan--the students have a wonderful opportunity to learn real world skills that can make a true difference in making them ready for the world outside high school....whether it is college or a job....
Some students do fun things like sky diving and scuba diving, salsa lessons, guitar lessons and write their papers on things like ecology of the oceans, Hispanic influences on 20th centrury music, music therapy's role in treating mental illness...some students shadow attorneys or nurses or coach little kids' soccer or baseball teams if they are interested in those careers....
and some students just cheat and don't do anything...and miss out on opportunity to learn classroom and real world skills...
Many students come back to visit after graduating and so many say that the senior project was the best thing they did in school...
So I would encourage you and your senior to approach this work with an open mind---it can be a wonderful experience...
Looked at what I guess is the house you are considering on Briar---nice on the photos--backyard is really pretty.
Bedford Rd and Forest Ridge are good traffic arteries though the MidCities--you can get to the Mall, restaurants, and other shopping easily, Albertson's grocery and a Sack N Save are just a couple of blocks away as is 121/183 into FTW and DFW...also close to the library...should be pretty easy to get to the rail station further south as well...the Diamond Shamrock on Bedford Rd and Forest Ridge usually has the cheapest gas around...
Good luck--I think Bedford has many positive aspects even though it has had some rough times with residents in conflict over issues like tax rates and how to handle city services...
I encourage you to register to vote and take part in elections...most people don't--they just complain or even worse, don't pay any attention at all to what is happening in their town...
Very informative! Thank you very much for the info.
They had 5 offers and everyone went back in with their highest. Someone else bid higher than we did. Well, I know that it just wasn't meant to be. So we are back at square 1 looking for a place. We can wait until we arrive in June, but I would like to have a place when we get there. Looking for that right home.
info about the roof is something your agent should get specific information about---the hail storm came through about middle of April--not March--so they may have re-roofed because they knew the roof would not pass inspection at sale...it could have been damaged soon after by hail storm last month---we had someone in our neighborhood who re-roofed this winter...don't know if they had damage and will have to have work done on new roof or not....
You will have home inspection done but I would ask for clarification about why it was re-roofed and if they have had anyone come out to check on it after the hail---it might not have problem being new or it might have problem not readily evident that will worsen over time and be problem for you...
Apparently this area was declared disaster zone (a guy who gave me estimate on my roof said) so your insurance co can't hold a claim against your record...of course you would not BE owner of record for hail damage so don't know how that would work if leaks developed after you had inspection/bought/and moved in...
People usually say don't buy south of the Freeway because neighborhoods are older and residents are less affluent for the most part. There are some sections that have problem w/flooding but that is more in Morrisdale Estates by Pipeline (and flood control work was done--have not seen any articles about flooding after this last storm series). That house you mentioned is north of there...Frankly, if you have put contract on that house, I would drive by and ask some of the neighbors about any flooding from streets overflsowing and bad storm drains...
Schools: south schools were first built and neighborhoods started to change demographics as they aged--more lower income/minority residents moved in and newer schools/more affluent areas went into area north of freeway--but the district has been realigning zone lines for several years and the demographics of the district have changed in general so that is not as true as it was 20 years ago or even 10...in fact the newest elementary is River Trails which is s of Pipeline off Hwy 10...
If you enjoy little theater--the Artisan Theater off Pipeline and Belaire has wonderful productions for reasonable price--always family oriented--talented performers and volunteers who give lots of energy into creating an enjoyable experience...they are refurbishing the old Bellaire movie theater for permanent home and using temporary theater in round site just few doors down in shopping center...
We go there several times a year and while the seats we sit in aren't the greatest, the productions have been some of the best we have seen including Theater Arlington or Circle Theater in FTW... Artisan does musicals as well as drama/comedy and they have some very talented performers...get a lot of bang for their money in sets and costumes too...
Hope everything goes well for your move and you get the house you want...
I've been living in the area for 10 years loves2read and I still learn stuff from reading your posts. Thanks very much for sharing your knowledge of the area.
You're kidding! Bore people? Not quite. If we didn't want info, we wouldn't ask for help. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. We really appreciate it!
thanx--Synopsis--since I usually go into teacher-mode when I post, hope I don't bore people...
No bore at all! Your posts are always a very good read and informative.
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loves2read, you are a wealth of information
Well, we did not get the house in Bedford
