North Oak Cliff good for early 30s Professional? (Dallas, Fort Worth: lease, house)

[reginasmu]

Hi, everyone,

I posted several months ago about looking to buy my first home, and got overwhelmed and decided to wait. I have renewed my apt lease and now have a year to really make up my mind. My main problem is not being able to figure out where would best, and if I should consider the suburbs or Dallas proper. A little background on me:

Job is in Plano off Tollway and Legacy
Church (which I frequent several x per week) is in the southern part of Dallas, off of 67 and Wheatland Rd.
Friends - everywhere in the metroplex

When talking to a friend this weekend, she suggested that I look at North Oak Cliff. She was mentioning that some of those parts hold value really well and mentioned that with the Trinity River project, those areas have potential to appreciate. I'm not that familiar with what all the project involves. What do you guys think about N Oak Cliff? What neighborhoods would you suggest( looking to spend less than $200K)? She mentioned Winnetka Heights as one to look in. Any new developments coming to Dallas that I should look out for? Thanks everyone in advance for your feedback!

[TurtleCreek80]

Winnetka Heights is great! You can get a cute little bungalow that's been remodeled for $190k+ and one for $175k-ish if you're willing to take on some "weekend warrior" projects. They have an annual home tour, neighborhood Christmas party, 4th of July parade. Neighbors walk around in the evenings and you see lots of people out on their front porches with cocktails

My friends who live there are now mid-30's and have kids, but they moved there before they had kiddos because it was the closest nice in-town neighborhood to their church they could afford on a minister's salary. It's a mix of people- there won't be single 30's professionals in every house but you won't be the only one either. Make sense?

It definitely puts you closer to church. Your am drive to Legacy will likely be 40 minutes because you will be going "with traffic" from 30 to 35. You should explore side streets- see if it's fasterto take Sylvan to Fort Worth to 35 to Tollroad so you don't have to mess with the 30/35 intersection.

The one thing the drive is is expensive- $6/daily on the Tollroad, but if you're going to church 3x a week it's just an additional $12 on top of the $18 you'd already be paying.

It's definitely a good option, as long as you're ok with the drive to work.

[pepper131]

Winnetka Heights is great. The Tyler/Davis/7th (Kessler X+) area is emerging with some nice galleries, Oil and Cotton art collab, NOVA restaurant, Urban Acres farm co-op, Kessler Theater.

To get to the tollroad, I wonder if you can find your way to the Wycliff entrance by going up Sylvan to Wycliff over Harry Hines and connecting Wycliff again and hop onto the tollroad. The only time this would be a problem is when the Trinity floods and Sylvan is shut down; doesn't happen too often. You might have to play around with the commute, but it can work.

[reginasmu]

Thanks TurtleCreek and Pepper for your thoughts. What zip codes are in that area? Are there any other neighborhoods that you would recommend in that area?

How diverse would you say the area is?

I don't think I would mind the drive expense. I currently live in Addison off the Tollway and Keller Springs, so I pay tolls every day currently. If I could weasel through some of the sidestreets to get the Tollway that would make it even better. Plus, jobs could always change down the road, so if everything else works out, I would not be opposed to paying the tolls. Plus I am in the process of starting my wedding planning business on the side so I think it would be helpful to be in Dallas to connect with vendors (florists, photographers, DJs, etc.).

How would I know which properties have been remodeled on the inside? Would I literally just have to drive around and look? I hate I missed the home tour! It's in October, right?

How does the Trinity River project play into all of this? Sorry, just not as familiar with all of the details of it.

[TurtleCreek80]

75208. Stevens Park and Kessler Park are also nearby- it may be harder to find a home for under $200k, but not impossible. Actually, I just posted one the other day...it was 1930 Marydale. Look it up on realtor.com....cute little place for $190k.

The area is diverse- whites, blacks, Hispanics, gays, straights, families, singles, senior citizens, etc. Variety of incomes and backgrounds too, considering the homes in North Oak Cliff range from $175k up to $2-3M.

[reginasmu]

Thanks TurtleCreek, I will check it out.

I've also been hearing about Wynnewood Hills. Do you know much about that area? Is that going too far south?

[reginasmu]

I just checked the house you posted, TC...it is cute. I also came across one on 2152 Barberry Dr, 75211 not sure which neighborhood, maybe Steven Park? The inside was really updated and modern - it was really nice - definitely my style! It was priced at $229...where can I find more homes like that?

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by reginasmu

I just checked the house you posted, TC...it is cute. I also came across one on 2152 Barberry Dr, 75211 not sure which neighborhood, maybe Steven Park? The inside was really updated and modern - it was really nice - definitely my style! It was priced at $229...where can I find more homes like that?

Barberry is a great street in Stevens Park Village. The homes are generally priced from about $175k - $250k depending on whether they have been remodeled. SPVillage was largely built in the 1940's. The homes tend to be much smaller than those in Stevens Park, but the quality is high. I have friends in SPVillage and they love it there. You might also check out Kessler Plaza. That's south of Jefferson and West of Hampton with street names such as Alco, Marvin, W. Tenth St., Sunset... I believe that both of these 'hoods are in zip code 75211 since they are on the west side of Hampton. The east side is 75208. This website is VERY helpful when you are trying to distinguish between the many different areas of SW Dallas: The Neighborhoods of Oak Cliff

Regarding Wynnewood Hills, that is much further south down Hampton Rd. near Camp Wisdom and surrounding the golf course. The homes on streets such as Bar Harbor, Acapulco, Boca Chica, Caracas were mostly built in the 1950's - 1960's and many of the ones that back up to the golf course are HUGE. It's a beautiful area but the property appreciation there is AWFUL. You can get a 4000sf home for $200,000 all over that neighborhood (figure $50/sf on average). Sure, it's a bargain, but if you go to sell it in 5 years it probably won't be worth much more than what you paid for it.

The close-in Wynnewood North 'hood is a much better investment. That area was built during the 1940's - 1950's. You should be able to find a smaller 2/2 or possibly a 3/2 with some updating for around $100/sf. That area should continue to appreciate. $200,000 is on the lower end for Wynnewood North, but it's entirely do-able.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by reginasmu

Thanks TurtleCreek, I will check it out.

I've also been hearing about Wynnewood Hills. Do you know much about that area? Is that going too far south?

I don't know Wynnewood Hills. I do know Wynnewood North- pretty area but I think the homes there are more in the $250-350k range....not sure. It is definitely further removed from the North Oak Cliff revitalization (ie, restaurars & retail along Davis in Bishop Arts and along Beckley). My impression of Wynnewood North is that is is full of empty nesters (original owners) and gays who have been priced out of Kessler Park....but that's just based on hearsay and driving through the area once or twice.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by reginasmu

I just checked the house you posted, TC...it is cute. I also came across one on 2152 Barberry Dr, 75211 not sure which neighborhood, maybe Steven Park? The inside was really updated and modern - it was really nice - definitely my style! It was priced at $229...where can I find more homes like that?

I would canvas the whole 75208 zip code- that keeps you in the nice, safe parts of North Oak Cliff- for homes listed $225k & under....realizing you could possibly negotiate 10% off a house listed at $220k and stay in your sub-$200k budget.

There is not a better area in Dallas for a great neighborhood with beautiful terrain and well-built, architecturally interesting homes under $200k. The schools aren't great (which is why you haven't seen the run-up in home prices Lakewood has seen), but it's still desirable for resale due to <10 minute commute into downtown. Prices have gone up there in the past decade, just not the crazy increase (50% or more) that similar homes in Lakewood saw...I compare to Lakewood because of proximity to downtown, architecture type & age of homes, and terrain. Visually the two areas are quite similar.