Buying 1st House -- Where should we look? (Dallas, Plano: for sale by owner, rent)

[TGOOD]

My wife and I are in our late 20s, no kids for another couple of years, looking for the best places to look for our first house.

We have lived in Uptown for the past 5 years and are ready to get out of the rent race.

Looking for a 3/2 for around 150K to 225k. We will be having kids in a couple of years. Would like an area with people our age and shopping, dining, etc nearby.

So far we have been looking north ie. Richardson, Plano, Frisco. We arent too sure about going to Frisco cause its so far north.

Thoughts?

Thanks

[homehunter09]

We bought our house in Allen, TX, Quail Run neighborhood one year ago and so far very happy with the decision. It's a very kids-friendly neighborhood with a park, playground and swimming pool. There are several homes for sale by owners as well as new construction homes by Drees and Ashton Woods.

We also looked at Star Creek just on the other side of Stacy Rd, also a beautiful neighborhood with lots of amenities (playground, pool, etc) but the houses are more expensive.

Good luck!

[pepper131]

Since you've been living Uptown, what makes you want to go suburb all of the sudden? There are neighborhoods w/in Dallas that will fit your needs and price points.

Have you seen this thread?
//www.city-data.com/forum/dalla...th-dallas.html
Seem to be looking for the same thing as you.

[Squirl]

Hey, Lakewood peeps, aren't you gonna take the bait?

[jennifw]

Originally Posted by Squirl

Hey, Lakewood peeps, aren't you gonna take the bait?

Well, I would love to, but I think the price point is too low for Lakewood.

My question is where are your jobs? If you are living in Uptown and think Frisco is too far, I would think Allen/McKinney would be too far, too.
Try the C streets, M Streets (fixer-upper?), Lake Highlands, Little Forest Hills, east side of the lake. Schools aren't all consistently great, but if you don't have kiddos yet, you have some time to worry about that.

Good luck.

[TGOOD]

Where are the C-Streets, Little Forrest Hill?

Do most people on here have issues with anything north of 635?

[jennifw]

Little Forest Hills is on the east side of White Rock Lake, basically across from the Arboretum. Sorry, I don't know the zip code. The C-streets are south of Gaston, still near the Lakewood Country Club. Most of the streets start with a C. Zip is still 75214, I think.

I think there are quite a few south-of-635-dwellers on this board who will promote more of central Dallas than the suburbs. Nothing wrong with the subs, but a lot of "inside-635" focus. If your jobs are downtown or near Uptown, you will likely not like the traffic if you move north of 635.

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by TGOOD

My wife and I are in our late 20s, no kids for another couple of years, looking for the best places to look for our first house.

We have lived in Uptown for the past 5 years and are ready to get out of the rent race.

Looking for a 3/2 for around 150K to 225k. We will be having kids in a couple of years. Would like an area with people our age and shopping, dining, etc nearby.

So far we have been looking north ie. Richardson, Plano, Frisco. We arent too sure about going to Frisco cause its so far north.

Thoughts?

Thanks

Do you really have to have a 3BR? There are lots of older 'hoods inside the city of Dallas that have consistently shown better price appreciation than the distant burbs. But, to get into those areas at your price point you are almost certainly looking at a 2BR. Since you won't have any children for at least a couple more years, then you won't be needing schools for at least 7 years. Why not invest in an area where the appreciation is most likely to leave you with a nice profit at the end of those 7 years (should you eventually choose to move to the 'burbs)?

The East Dallas suggestions were good ones. To that I will also add a few neighborhoods just SW of Downtown: Stevens Park Village, Kessler Plaza and Winnetka Hts. All are extremely stable and close to Bishop Arts District, Downtown & Uptown. SP Village and Kessler Plaza have mostly 1930's - 1940's housing and most of the homes in the $200k price range have been remodeled. They have appreciated well over the past decade because of their high quality housing with character, being adjacent to much more expensive areas like Stevens Park and Kessler Park and their central Dallas location. Winnetka Hts. was built in the early 1900's and is Dallas' largest Historic District. Again, tons of character and a very safe investment. You might be able to find a smaller home there that has been fully renovated in your price range. If you are up for renovating a house, then you can probably find something on the low end of your price range in any of these neighborhoods. By doing the right renovations over time (especially adding on to a small house) you stand the best chance of creating additional equity.

If you are around on the weekend of October 9-10, I highly recommend that you visit the Old Oak Cliff Conservation League tour of homes. It's one of the largest and best attended home tours in Dallas every year. You'll get a chance to see many great neighborhoods that you may not have been aware of and you'll also meet the people who are invested in the community. 2010 Home Tour

[pepper131]

Little Forest Hills is in 75218.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by TGOOD

Where are the C-Streets, Little Forrest Hill?

Do most people on here have issues with anything north of 635?

No, it just depends on what you're looking for and what kind of commute you will tolerate.

If you're looking for new or newer construction, you're going to have to pretty far north, south, or east for your price range. Allen, McKinney, Frisco, Garland, sunnyvale, etc. If your office is in Uptown or Downtown, you're looking at close to 2 hours in the car every day. On the other hand, if you've been reverse commuting from Uptown to Las Colinas/ Telecom Cooridor in Richardson/ etc, the suburbs make more sense.

What do you like about Uptown and what kind of activites do you do every week? Where do you like to shop, eat, etc.

For that price point, I'd look in the area just north of Lakewood, the streets south of Lovers Lane and east of Abrams. Great first time buyer neighborhood and about a 7 minute drive into Uptown/Downtown or NorthPark. If you can find anything in Lakewood Elementsey School or Stonewall Jackson Elementary school in your price range, JUMP ON IT- best chance for near-term appreciation and you won't have to move for schools if you end up loving the neighborhood. Check zips 75206, 75214, and 75223 for homes zoned to those schools. Lake Highlands is another good choice with good public schools (Richardson ISD). There are also great neighborhoods in Richardson that are west of 75 that are a great buy in your price range, close to the city, but still in a suburb. Anything farther out than Richardson becomes a daily beating of a commute, especially if you need to use 75.