Why Texas have Bad Image (Dallas, Plano: environment, credit, home equity loan)

[lifertexan]

Well go on and flatter yourself if it helps but the real story is that TX is DESPERATE to bring people here.

Not that I agree with this claim,but where exactly did I say that Texas was trying to keep people out?My point was that many Texans are tired of people moving here to complain.Did you even read my post?

[socketz]

Who is complaining lifertexan. You always say this, but what is the foundation for this assumption. Like any place I've been, there are pros and cons. Are you basing it on forum posts ? If so, forums are typically where whinners hang out anyway. It's kind of unusual that we can actually have some decent conversations here without a bunch of belly-aching. Seriously, I work in a large company where only half the people there are from Texas. You would never know though because nobody cares where your from - and they made the conscience decision to come here - so they deal. Still waiting to meet these CA whinners everyone talks about. Again, it always feels like an us vs. them around here.

We need more people like momof2dfw. She's a person ahead of her time.

[lifertexan]

The foundation would be personal experience.I've worked with a number of them over the years,and read a number of them here.I don't believe I ever quantified that lots of out of staters were whiners,now did I?I simply said that Texans don't care for people coming in here and then whining,that we went through it in the 80's and don't particularly care to listen to it again,whatever the number.Just take a look at the title of this thread.Did a Texan start it to b**ch about out of staters?Is there a thread started by Texans to b**ch about out of staters?What I've seen are responses to those guys bitching about Texas.

[lifertexan]

The 'us vs. them' attitude you guys sometimes project is very insular and unwarranted. Please show me one instance where a Californian came here and made something worse. Waiting.

I built my home 2 1/2 years ago for $ 175,000. We are looking at selling and moving to Dallas,and I'm being told now to put it on the market at $ 255,000.I also helped build a house 1 year ago,it sold originally for $ 245,000 ,and now it is on the market at $ 289,000.Every other home around is doing the same thing.While for people like me wanting to sell it is a great deal, we are a small minority.For those looking to live in their house for years and years,they are facing astronomical tax increases,the max allowed every year,for as far as anyone can see.Many will be forced out of their homes.The guy down the street from me built about 6 months after me,and he is already looking to move because he is retired and can tell the taxes will be out of his ability to pay 5 years from now.And for those looking to buy,we are already getting to the point where some middle class families cannot afford homes in the good school districts that were well within their price range 5 years ago.When you ask the realtors what the h*ll is going on,they all talk about the CA's coming here after selling their houses in CA and being willing to pay these prices.So Ca's are doing to Texas what they are running away from in CA,driving the housing costs out of the range of normal people.

Now you can stop waiting.

[socketz]

So I still don't get what we've done wrong ?

If there are more dollars moving into the RE Market and more property taxes being collected, then we need to create policies to lower taxes. If school districts are poor and there are more taxes being collected, then we need to improve them. Home appreciation is a good thing and it creates disposable income that can be used to do others things, like invest, travel and treat yourself/family to nicer things..... There needs to be balance.

Also, I tend to think alot of the people coming here are like me, people looking for new opportunities within their career and to try something new. Most of the people coming here that are 'fleeing' don't own a home in CA, hence why they are seduced by the lower prices here.

I do agree that the taxes here will keep the Real Estate prices at bay. I pay close to 8k for taxes here on a 300k home and only 5k in taxes in CA on a 600k home. My friend that moved out here from CA pays 16k.....nuts. Sure, there is no state income tax, but there's something about property tax that makes it harder to pay than income tax. I guess I'll get used to it. Chalk it up as on of the trade-offs.

[lifertexan]

If there are more dollars moving into the RE Market and more property taxes being collected, then we need to create policies to lower taxes. If school districts are poor and there are more taxes being collected, then we need to improve them. Home appreciation is a good thing and it creates disposable income that can be used to do others things, like invest, travel and treat yourself/family to nicer things..... There needs to be balance.

If this is the answer,how come you guys didn't do this in CA?How many CA's are traveling the world on the basis of high RE prices,and why are they moving here if high prices are such a boon to personal economics?

Taxes are going up because the expansion is causing cities to have to build out their services to meet the growth,and build bigger services such as water and sewer treatment plants.New schools also have to be built (we are facing a $125 million bond this May to pay for new elementary and high schools).

Home appreciation does absolutely nothing for the majority of people who just want to live 40 years in the same house that now costs them 10% more every year in taxes,not to mention that their insurance won't cover replacing the house anymore unless they go back and request a higher coverage at a higher premium.It only benefits you when you sell,and then you have to buy somewhere else.

So I still don't get what we've done wrong ?

I don't know that you can call it wrong.But you threw down the challenge about how CA's have made it worse.Inadvertent as it may be,they are fueling the same real estate crisis here they had to flee CA over.I would probably do the very same thing if I lived in CA.I would just have the good sense to be appreciative of the place when I got here (you may be,I'm not necessarily directing this at you).

[bellestaroftexas]

i used to live in Graham! sure miss it!

Originally Posted by LeeLee82

I live in a small town (Graham) in north Texas. We've been here about two years and it's WAAYYY different from our experience in Houston (lived there several years after moving from southern California-DH works in the oil industry).

For lack of a better way to put it, folks up here/out here seem more like "genuine" Texans, old-school. Makes sense as most residents here were born here, have most of their family right here, too.


I still maintain that they just don't care, I mean not the least, little bit, by what ANYONE else from anywhere else thinks of them. On the contrary, get a chuckle out of it.

People here have been VERY welcoming, treat outsiders a bit like an exotic, in a nice way---generally speaking. I am SO GRATEFUL they don't have the attitude of "Don't come here and ruin OUR place" that I read from some post-ers here.

I agreed w/Scuba guy re: why does anyone care where you're from if you are a decent, productive citizen.

[bellestaroftexas]

yeppers...i know what you're talking about-i lived and worked in Graham. great great all-American, true Texas town....lots of old oil money in that town, which helped bring the town some excellent amenities. gawd i miss my old crappie house there! my deer lease! my home! my job! cant say enough about it.
i miss that restaurant south of town, down that old ranch road, at an old horse racing track-ya know which one i am talkin about? they have great rib eye...and some good country dancin' on some weekends.
i miss Possum Kingdom Lake, Rusty Nail Saloon, Sam's Silver Dollar Saloon, shopping on the days before Christmas at the Walmart with NO crowds! the mom and pop taqueria, with breakfast burritos...that small white drive up kiosk right on the highway on the left heading north to Bryson, Jacksboro.
i miss the Country Store in Bryson-place where i used to always go have a meal after a long day hunting.
i cant live there any more because my ex is there, and well, you know, small town...dont want to run into him EVER.
i envy you for living there.

Originally Posted by LeeLee82

Righton, Cold Canadian, lol. Your comment about oil wells--it's the coolest, danged-est thing here.

I didn't see this up close when we lived in Houston, but in this small town...my daughter and I were out in the country driving and she pointed out a particular pumpjack and said, "That's ____'s oil well." "Baby, what?!"
THAT IS _____'s oil well, mom!" It belongs to one of the little girls in her class at school and it's producing around 50 gallons a day. NOT TOO SHABBY!

I must admit I thought, "HOW COOL IS THAT?" My husband works in oil but we don't personally OWN a well. In this little 'burg, many people (not driving Mercedes, either--often a King Ranch Ford-you Texans know what I mean!)
just own a bunch of actual wells, or they're leasing their land for unbelievable dividends.

MOST of them couldn't be more unpretentious. I LOVE THAT. I'm not sure the oil-folk are like this in say, Dallas, etcetera. It's country here and we all know who's who, what's what--there's no pretending to be anyone/anything you aren't. Well, you could try, but everyone would already know, for the most part.

Makes me wish my Nordic forbears had GTT. (Gone to Texas) Many of you know this, but back in the day, folks would leave their homes leaving a simple sign on the door reading, GTT.

[LeeLee82]

I sure know the place in Bryson--the staff there are so great, always treat everyone well. If you pop in there at a certain time of day, you leave smelling like a total fry-bucket, lol. That place is always PACKED. Bellestar, you had a hunting lease?! lol, That's one of those new-to-me things about Texas! I recall being surprised that here, many women hunt. Some dads take their daughters (even the girly, dance-kind) out to hunt!

Is that rib-eye place the Backside Steak House? (yeah, I know-BACKSIDE,lol-I'm not making that up). Now, THAT place is out off Rosser Ranch Road--there's an old airstrip/port out there, too.?? Husband says seems to him there may be an old horse track there, too.

They DO have delicious food.

Sorry you can't move back here. Maybe the ex will move.

[bellestaroftexas]

yeppers.Backside Steakhouse on Rosser Ranch! LOVE IT!
there's also a great Mexican restaurant on the main drag, east of the square on one of the main roads..16?

Originally Posted by LeeLee82

I sure know the place in Bryson--the staff there are so great, always treat everyone well. If you pop in there at a certain time of day, you leave smelling like a total fry-bucket, lol. That place is always PACKED. Bellestar, you had a hunting lease?! lol, That's one of those new-to-me things about Texas! I recall being surprised that here, many women hunt. Some dads take their daughters (even the girly, dance-kind) out to hunt!

Is that rib-eye place the Backside Steak House? (yeah, I know-BACKSIDE,lol-I'm not making that up). Now, THAT place is out off Rosser Ranch Road--there's an old airstrip/port out there, too.?? Husband says seems to him there may be an old horse track there, too.

They DO have delicious food.

Sorry you can't move back here. Maybe the ex will move.