Moving from Long Island, NY to TX (Dallas, Plano: house, neighborhoods)

[rationalrose]

I am also planning to move from New Jersey to Dallas area. (Looks like I would see lots of familiar faces from NY and NJ :-)

I am in process for a job in Farmers Branch and planning to live in Plano.
Any idea how much would be the commute.

[Squirl]

Originally Posted by rationalrose

I am also planning to move from New Jersey to Dallas area. (Looks like I would see lots of familiar faces from NY and NJ :-)

I am in process for a job in Farmers Branch and planning to live in Plano.
Any idea how much would be the commute.

If you use the Geo Bush Turnpike from southwest Plano it probably would be about 30 minutes; Coppell would be a much easier commute with the benefit of being just about the best town in the metroplex.......IMO, I'd first try and find a home in Coppell, then look at areas of north Dallas that are served by Richardson schools....

[rationalrose]

Originally Posted by Squirl

If you use the Geo Bush Turnpike from southwest Plano it probably would be about 30 minutes; Coppell would be a much easier commute with the benefit of being just about the best town in the metroplex.......IMO, I'd first try and find a home in Coppell, then look at areas of north Dallas that are served by Richardson schools....

thanks for the info, Squirl.

[escapeny]

I am also considering a move to Dallas from East Northport, Long Island. I actually love my 2500 sq ft house, 1/2 acre lot and my town. The northshore of long island is called the gold coast. The problem is my remote southwest based employer thinks my NY salary is already too high and that I shouldn't expect a pay increase the next few years. I already get paid about 15% less then others in my job (IT Development Manager) in NY. But being remote allows me to work from home at will and have lots of family time. I don't remember my elder 2 kids' first steps or first words, or even their first day of school as I was busy working hard in a Manhattan job. But with the younger two children still at home, its a joy to watch them, and monitor their progress daily. That to me is worth more than any amount of money. On top of this, now that we're done bearing children, my wife wants to go dental school in a couple of years to fulfill her dream. With Long Island taxes very high at $13K, and rising every year I am going to be in trouble very soon. I obviously need to take action now even without the potential dental student. I was thinking of the Dallas area as it has a lower cost Baylor College of Dentistry in case she decides to take the plunge, and lots of IT jobs in Plano in case I lose my current one. I just wanted to thank everyone for posting a lot of the information on this thread that I was looking for already. I might go visit the areas during winter break in late Feb. One question I have about Plano is how some homes seem to be ridiculously cheap. I wonder if something is wrong with these neighborhoods, like near a ghetto, or near a chemical factory? Here are 2 examples. Thanks in advance for any feedback:
$250K - 4 Bed 3 Bath 3,216 Sq Ft 0.19 Acres Address: 9516 Daly Drive Plano, TX 7502
$235K - 4 Bed 2.1 Bath 3,094 Sq Ft 0.17 Acres Address 3409 Marsalis Lane Plano, TX 75074

[dallasdean]

escapeny,

Born in Dallas and live in Plano.

Both addresses are in nice areas. Daly surrounding area is a little nicer in my opinion. Marsalis is also in a good area immediately surrounding it, but as you expand out it moves into older and less expensive neighborhoods as you head East and South East.

Both have plenty of food, shopping and entertainment close by. In our area, home prices never went into a bubble like any many other areas of the US, so these prices are pretty normal to find.

[Pintea]

Escapeny, Daly home is nice - but the area is nothing like E. Northport!

AJRUV, I think Richardson or West Plano will be good choices. Richardson is very nice, but you get a bit more for your money in Plano. Just remember to keep in mind the toll costs.
You would probably spend $500 or so for electiricty in summer. It gets pretty cold in winter, you don't run AC all year long.
W. Plano has good commute on the tollway, but it is costly.
We pay about 1k homeowners insurance.
Gas is cheaper here.
Mosquitoes can be a big problem. Overall there are more bugs than in NY. We thought we could manage on our own, but now we hired a company to come a few times a year for pest control.
Kids will not want to play outside in the summer. It gets really hot, so going to the pool is pretty much the only thing to do.
My son went to summer camp (in a somewhat wooded area), but it was still very hot.
School starts in late August, ends in early June.
We get crazy weather, especially in spring. Last year it was different, but then the pollen situation was out of control. I'll take the heavy rain!

[GayleTX]

It always puzzles me that people assume that the only jobs in the metroplex are in downtown. That's just not the case! There are many very good professional jobs and major companies whose national headquarters are scatteredd all over the metroplex, including Allen and Plano. Please don't assume that the suburbs are composed of nothing but rows of houses and restaurants. It is quite possible you can find a professional position just down the street from a very nice neighborhood in a suburb - and these 'suburbs' are not little rural towns....they are cities that all blend together, you can't really tell when you leave Dallas and go into the next 'suburb' - and the next - and the next - most are over 100-150,000 population within their city limits themselves. Don't make all your decisions based on 'commute to downtown'....it's not necessary unless that's just your preference.

[escapeny]

Pintea - I've already given up my Manhattan apt and the whole lifestyle that goes with it after I got married so we could have children. At this point, I can give up Long Island too.

One thing that strikes me is how small the lot sizes are. This is a good thing as it means less maintenance. But in case the family decides they want a similar sized 1/2 acre lot, what areas are good for that with good school districts? Opinions and facts are both welcome.

DallasDean - what are some good areas around plano that are older and cheaper. I live in a 1962 house, so older is really relative.

[TeamLynn]

I think Frisco is your place.
I've lived in NY and my guess is that any place you move in Dallas there will be culture shock.
It's just different.
In my opinion there is no set religious area in any city around here....everyone is pretty mixed up, other than the idea that you are right in the middle of the bible belt and likely the center of mega-churches. That's one big difference you will see around here and possibly part of the culture shock.
AC is typically not run all year round.....today there is ice and snow and temp is 32F.
Homeowners insurance is typically about 1/2% of the home value per year.
Call centers....all over ....Irving, Coppell, Farmers Branch, Dallas, Fort Worth....costs will likely be lower if you go south though....lease costs lower, payroll lower, and chance for tax incentives.
Plenty of camps in the summer.
Temp is likely no hotter than it is on a good NY summer day....100F? Except here everyone has AC in the cars and homes and offices.
I think almost everything is cheaper here than in NY, but there are lots of things different.
There's maybe 1 or 2 or 3 delis that are close to NY style in the whole city.
Mexican food is the Texas equal...there's one on every corner.
There's no Russian food to speak of....maybe one restaurant in the whole city.
There's not really much good Italian....almost everything that says Italian is Albanian run and style
pizza and pasta....not real mama's Italian.
No Mafia.
So there are differences....I think it just depends on you and your family if you can embrace the change
or not.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by escapeny

Pintea - I've already given up my Manhattan apt and the whole lifestyle that goes with it after I got married so we could have children. At this point, I can give up Long Island too.

One thing that strikes me is how small the lot sizes are. This is a good thing as it means less maintenance. But in case the family decides they want a similar sized 1/2 acre lot, what areas are good for that with good school districts? Opinions and facts are both welcome.

DallasDean - what are some good areas around plano that are older and cheaper. I live in a 1962 house, so older is really relative.

Helpful DFW hints: in the suburbs, any home built before 2000 is "older" and before 1990 is "flat out OLD." That is because suburban growth has exploded in the past 20 years, fueled by corporate relos, good schools, and big cheap homes (compared to closer into the city of Dallas as well as compared to the East/West coasts where many relos originated).

For big lots (.5 acre or larger), bring lots of $$$ or be willing to drive very long distances. Here are some good starting points for areas with big lots:

There are some older homes (1970's ranch style) in the suburbs of Lucas, Parker, and Murphy that are zoned to Plano schools that are in the $200-300k range and usually come with 1-3 acres. A newer home in these areas can run up into the $600-700k+ range.

There are also some homes in the Canyon Creek neighborhood of Northern Richardson (Plano ISD) that are on about .5-.6 acre lots. 75080 zip code. $400k range.

Much further north is the ex-burb of Prosper- very good public schools, newly built burb (mostly since 2000-2005). Noteworthy because all homes are on >.5 acre lots. Many are over 1 acre. $500k++. 30 minute rush hour drive to Legacy Drive area in Plano. Well over 90 minutes to downtown Dallas.

The Northwood Hills & Northwood Hills Estates neighborhoods in Richardson (off Hillcrest & Alpha/ Spring Valley, north of 635, west of 76) have beautiful sprawling 1950's ranch homes on .5 acre lots with mature trees. Zoned to ALL Exemplary-rated schools: Northwood Elementary & Spring Valley Elementary, Westwood Jr High, and Richardson HS. $500-750k range.

There is also a neighborhood in North Dallas called Preston Haven Estates that also has lots of 1950's sprawling ranch homes on > .5 acre lots. (north and south of Northaven between Hillcrest & Preston Roads). Local elementary school is Exemplary (Kramer). Most families choose private for middle & high school. $550-700k.



Of course there are many million-dollar homes on .5 acre lots in Dallas, Richardson, Plano, etc. But the areas I mentioned are your best bet while keeping to some sort of budget restraint. You will find in DFW that the newer sub-divs in the suburbs were built with the intention of maximizing the developer's profits (build as many homes in as small a space as possible, hence all the .15 acre lots). Unless the burb was specifically developed with larger lots like Murphy and Prosper were, you're going to have a difficult time in the newer neighborhoods. You will also often see larger lots on average in the city of Dallas than the burbs. (ie, easy to find a 1/3 acre lot).