Was Told NOT to Move to Mesquite B/C it's All HUD (Dallas: sales, real estate)

[globe9]

MY GF and I are beginning to research a move to Dallas. In fact, we're flying in tomorrow for a long weekend visiting relatives and checking out prospective neighborhoods.

In my free time, I've been checking out real estate online and have come across many homes that are gorgeous and VERY affordable in Mesquite...by affordable I mean under $120k. I was thinking Mesquite might be a great place to move as it seems fairly close to Dallas.

Anyway, my mother-in-law, who lives in Garland, has advised against Mesquite citing a multitude of HUD listings and foreclosures, which, while making properties very affordable, she seems to think a "lesser" element would be moving into this area b/c of the very low prices. And that once this happens, this area will never rebound and have property values increase, only decrease and stay stagnant, as well as being stuck in neighborhoods where the neighbors don't maintain their properties, park on the lawns, etc. etc.

Is this assessment correct? What do you guys who live in the area think? Should we not consider Mesquite in our search for an affordable home? We are not rich by any means, and would consider ourselves middle income, but we take pride in home ownership and maintain our property very well. I wouldn't want to move in next to someone who doesn't cut the grass, has cars on cinderblocks in the driveway, etc. etc.

[momof2dfw]

Most of the things like people parking on grass or an unimproved surface and such are against most city codes. If you see this happen all it takes is one phone call to the city code enforcement for them to come out and issue a warning and if not resolved in x number of days a fine. Even things like grass/weeds over 12" can be called in to the city for being in violation. It just takes neighbors that won't stand for it to be willing to call violations in. Once one person does it and no one calls and they are not forced to take care of the violation then more will follow suit. Just be proactive in the neighborhood no matter where you end up.

I live in Garland and while Mesquite is not my "cup of tea" it is for many people. It does offer affordable housing that is at a modest price for a home that in any other area would be more. There are some areas of Mesquite to avoid just like there are in every single other city. Driving around and seeing how the people take care of their house and yard is the best way to see if it is one full of people that take care of their property or don't give a flip.

In your price range I'd look in Mesquite, Garland, Sachse and if it is not too far out Forney. Just don't do Balch Springs.

[Acntx]

In my opinion, Mesquite is just too large of a city to make such a sweeping generalization about the entire community. It is one of the larger suburbs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area (2009 estimated population: 139,550). Like any city, there are nice areas and those that aren't as well-kept as others. I don't live in Mesquite, but I did look at homes in the city while house hunting four years ago. From that experience, I can say that there are nice neighborhoods and subdivisions in the city. No matter what city your house is in, I would always recommend taking a drive around the neighborhood to get an overall feel for the area before making a purchase.

[momof2dfw]

FYI: Mesquite does not have DART if you or your GF are going to be interested in using any kind of mass transit. Mesquite used to have a lower sales tax rate than the cities around it that do particpate in DART as they did not pay towards it. They have since added a new tax and increased their rate to 8.25 just like everyone else.

[Sandstorm214]

You can find an affordable house in Mesquite which is great. Just be sure you're comfortable with living there before you move there. As far as reputation goes it is definitely one of the more blue-collar suburbs, but has some very nice areas. I know several people who live there and love it.

[ETex2]

Your MIL's assessment is NOT correct. Does she consider herself an expert on real estate, property values, and demographics? If she does, and you consider her opinion to be reliable, then listen to her. If not, check out the area and find out for yourself.

BTW, I DO hold myself out as an expert on real estate, property values, and demographics, as this has been my profession for 27 years. And I've lived in both Garland and Mesquite. I also find it funny that someone from Garland is talking that way about Mesquite, since Garland's demographics have changed radically in the last 15 years.

[loves2read]

I know just one family who lived in Mesquite--they bought home and lived there for more than 8 years--they moved to Lewisville probably 3 or 4 years ago now-- before the economy tanked because their neighborhood was going "downhill"--
and they were not happy with the schools--
they were seeing houses go into foreclosure or sell to minorities -- and were seeing property values drop for a year or more before they moved--there were issues of vandalism (like knocking over garbage cans and scattering trash) and car break-ins--where it had been very peaceful before--more rent homes vs owner-occupied in their general area

the mom spent lot of time in the local school and she said that changing demographics meant there were fewer volunteers in the school and other factors like seeing/hearing about more discipline problems and lower test scores...

we don't know them very well--so can't judge how accurate some of that info is but the few times we were over there (dropping off my SIL to visit with the woman's mother) the neighborhood did not present that well--yards generally unkept, just air of general seedy-ness--so I would not have been happy living there but I had no basis of comparison--did not see it when they just moved in or anything--and don't know anything about Mesquite in general so don't know how that neighborhood compares to others--

you can call them racist--but if you are living in an area that is going into neighborhood blight and are seeing your property values and school quality erode then I would consider moving as well--
I don't care WHO lives next to me as long as they don't run-down my house/neighborhood values and cause other problems

and yes--you should drive through multiple neighborhoods and do lot of research--
if you have a good realtor who will do some research for you, you can get an idea of what home prices/valuations have done in past 2-3 years in general and the past year for sure--
check out crime sites on Internet to get idea of what the area is like--
I checked City Data info and the early part of 2000 Mesquite had higher level of some crimes then saw a decline in more recent years--
might be because they hired more police--might be because stats were reported differently--might be because it just dropped--I can't say...but you can check the statistics side and see for yourself...

[Acntx]

Originally Posted by ETex2

Your MIL's assessment is NOT correct. Does she consider herself an expert on real estate, property values, and demographics? If she does, and you consider her opinion to be reliable, then listen to her. If not, check out the area and find out for yourself.

BTW, I DO hold myself out as an expert on real estate, property values, and demographics, as this has been my profession for 27 years. And I've lived in both Garland and Mesquite. I also find it funny that someone from Garland is talking that way about Mesquite, since Garland's demographics have changed radically in the last 15 years.

+1

[SloopJohnZ]

I think for Mesquite it really depends on where you live. The southern part of Mesquite has more of a country, laid back feel and that's where you're most likely finding these big, new affordable homes. North Mesquite (where Towne East Mall is) just feels like an extension of Northeast Dallas. My wife teaches in Mesquite ISD, and the schools vary. She's at Poteet which is a very nice school. John Horne High School competes with Poteet for the highest TAKS and SAT scores in the district. Mesquite, West Mesquite, and North Mesquite are the high schools and neighborhoods you would probably want to avoid.

In all honesty, it's humorous hearing someone from Garland talking that way about Mesquite. By "lesser element," I presume she means minorities. It's funny because Mesquite is just under 50% white, while Garland is completely dominated by minorities.



Also, I read in the DMN the other day that Mesquite, Forney, and Terrell are working together to try to join DART and get the green line to run through their towns. Obviously, it would be a while before this happened, and DART is hesitant because they haven't been paying the taxes in that other DART members have been paying for decades. But they're trying to get something going at least.

[kaykay]

My mother currently lives in Mesquite, and we lived there briefly many years ago. She has lived there almost 25 years now, and yeah, I think Mesquite has gone down a bit in quality of life issues during that time. That said, she has never had a crime issue where she is.

As others have said, Mesquite does seem to have more of a blue-collar, country type vibe and reputation. Make sure you are comfortable with that before you buy there. Mesquite would not be my first choice, but if affordability of housing is a main issue with you, I do think Mesquite remains a viable choice.