Relocating from NY - couple of questions (Dallas, Plano: for sale, apartments)

[AJRUV]

Hey -

I'm relocating from Long Island NY, taking my first trip in Feb to check things out. I would love any opinions on some stuff... We're going to check out Plano and Frisco:

1. Would you recommend renting first for a while before purchasing? I have a 6 y/o and a 7 month old, if I rent I wouldn't want to change schools when we decide to buy (if we didn't buy the house that we were renting). I'm a little concerned about moving and then moving again.. would like to settle in. The reason for considering renting first is because we are leaving ALL of our family in NY and it may be too much to handle... we'll see.

2. If we stay (which, if we decide to go I think we will stay... ) we'll be opening a martial arts school. Is anyone familiar with Frisco Square? I spoke to leasing agents from there, and the concept seems Great - does anyone go there? They just opened up a Cinemark there and have other stores, restaurants and apartments. Is that a convenient place to go a few times a week? Do people walk around over there? They said that it's where the city hall (or something) is so that anyone who has business to attend to with the city of Frisco has to go there....

3. This is a personal preference question, but - what are your opinions on relocating for better cost of living and business opportunities, but sacrificing having your kids grandparents within a 30 minute radius. I'm excited about the idea of moving to TX, but am second guessing if the financial benefits are worth leaving family (even though there is a possibility that they wind up following up.... eventually).

Thanks for taking the time, I appreciate any feedback.

[TurtleCreek80]

Definitely rent before buying- it will give you peace of mind that you made a very good decision after watching and living in a neighborhood for an extended period of time. I know you want to avoid changing schools, but what if the neighborhood public school IS the problem and now you're financially committed to it. Another poster recently relocated in Fall 2010 and is already looking for another place to live because the local public school isn't meeting her kid's specific needs.

Plano probably has more apartments to rent than Frisco. Frisco may have more homes for rent than Plano, but not sure.

The biggest difference between the two is the school size philosophy. Plano students all end up in one of three "mega" senior high schools, where each graduating class is 1,100-1,500 students. Some studded thrive in the bigger environment (more friend groups, more chances to do one's own thing); some students collapse (too much competition, not enough individualized attention). Frisco intentionally set up a small school concept, which has resulted in many new schools opening over the past decade and some students having to move from one school to the next as districts are redrawn. The result is graduating classes around 500 kids per class.

Can't answer re: your business needs. But will say that almost NO one walks in DFW. You can watch this in action at Shops @ Legacy in Plano. People will park to go eat lunch, then move the car across the street to go shopping, then move and park for a 3rd time to go to the movies. All within a 1/4 mile x 1/2 mile (at most) area. Simply put, it's too hot for 1/3 of the year, too cold/ rainy for another 1/4 of the year, drivers don't respect pedestrians, etc. I would count that location out at all, just don't count on foot traffic to drive business.

Re: family, I may not be the best person to ask, but I left NYC - the city I loved and my dream job- to move home to Dallas to be closer to my family. After many years in NYC, family became more important than my dream job. I don't regret moving home because life is easier here and I was able to be close to my grandfather (my last surviving grandparent) during his final 3 years and you can't ever replace that precious time. Of course, many families live apart from one another and do just fine with that arrangement. Only your heart can guide you to the right decision for your family.

[AJRUV]

Thanks for the feedback, you had replied to a post of mine a month or so ago and you always have great insight. We'd be looking for a house to rent as opposed to an apartment, and I've been looking at houses for sale in W. Plano mostly. Our range is around $400k (give or take a few thousand). I think I read the post that you're referring to - the kid had gone to a catholic school before moving to TX and Plano was too big for her. My son is very smart and social and as far as I can tell would do well either way.... at this point it's hard to know what his needs will be in HS (he's in 1st grade now).

The thing with parents is that 3 out of 4 are retiring within the next 5 years and will be travelling and very flexible. We HOPE that they will follow us, and if not, that they would spend a few months out of the year with us. Of course, that is very different than being 3 - 25 minutes away... but, we're deciding if the benefits outweigh the negatives. Of course, it's a personal decision - one that we will reflect on more after our Feb visit to TX. I was curious to get other opinions on the topic, and appreciate your feedback.

I think you may be right on the renting first, especially considering the factors that we're considering...

Thanks for the feedback on the business stuff - similar schools that we've taught in over here are in strip mall / shopping centers with some retail stores, grocery store, restaurants, etc - so you get people going to the store after parking in the lot or going from dinner to dunkin donuts, etc. We'll have to figure that out when we get there and take a look around.

Thanks again, I appreciate your feedback.

[suavesgirl06]

Turtlecreek, I just wanted to say that was a great response. We are also considering the McKinney/Plano/Frisco area and this helped alot!!! I'm so excited about this move and this forum is helping a great deal!!

[TurtleCreek80]

OP, regarding the retiring parents, I'd recommend having a heart-to-heart with all sets of grandparents about their hopes & dreams for retirement. Of course, i don't know your family at all, but be sure that their plans would include living with you for several months a year vs buying an RV and traveling across Route 66 or whatever..... You never know what secret retirement dreams they may be harboring that you don't know about! I've known more than one family that was shocked when granny retired and did "xyz" vs the "expected" path.

[PlanoGirl]

There is a dance studio in Frisco Square, so that might be a could place to inquire about the level of activity/ traffic from a similar business.

[AJRUV]

Thanks, PlanoGirl - They told me about the dance studio and I thought that it was a great 'neighbor' to have. The plans that they have for Frisco Sq seem very promising.... Are there other areas that, as a local, you would recommend checking out?

TC80 -thanks, we've been talking about it non stop for the last 6 months

[FarNorthDallas]

I would ask your martial arts question on the Frisco's on-line forum. I'm a lurker there and it seems like there are a lot of businesses closing in Frisco. Maybe it's my imagination. There is also a parking issue at Frisco Square.

I would actually rent for a full year, maybe two years and then decide if staying and buying is the right thing to do.

[AJRUV]

Thanks FND!! I'll look for that Frisco forum (on city data?) and ask about stuff there...
Parking is a big consideration because people would be coming with kids 2 -3 times a week and many families come back later for themselves to train. Are there other areas that you would recommend? What is your preference between Plano, Frisco, Allen, etc for activities for the family?

[FarNorthDallas]

We are not allowed to link to other forums on this website, but if you just google Frisco on-line forum you should find it okay. There are a lot of kids in all of those areas Frisco, Plano, Allen and McKinney. I don't know why those places went out of business - many of them kids places like an art place, a bounce house place, the Wiggly play center or whatever that was. That's what I would try and find out.