Wife VETOED N Dallas (buy, school, taxi)

[KewGee]

Originally Posted by charlieXS

We currently live in SoCal and wish to escape.

I liked North Dallas, Collin County. I like Plano, Mckinney and Prosper... great big fancy houses, low prices... NICE!! And I like the TEXAS attitude.

However... my wife disliked the heat/humidity (we were there last summer with storms and 90F heat.) She also noted that nearly every house we looked at had the head of an animal hanging on the wall. And in one house, the homeowner was cleaning his gun on the sofa saying something about shooting bunnies in his back yard.

I still like it... I'm a bit farther right than my wife. How's San Antonio? Or maybe somewhere else in Tx?

Last summer it was terribly hot, but this summer is unusually cooler than the normal Texas summer. If she doesn't like heat, I can assure you she'll be miserable here.

You and your wife don't have to hang an animal in your home which I know won't happen anyway. I don't want one in my home either. It sometimes is hard to understand what others do, but people do funny things everywhere. I don't like it that people shoot bunnies and birds or dogs and cats. I think it's awful, but I'm in the minority. I just have to block it out sometimes lest I lose my cool.

There are many Texas attitudes of which I don't like, but that is to be found anywhere.

Right now at 11:15 p.m., the humidity in Dallas is 76% and San Antonio is 91%. Last year at the same day and time, Dallas' was 41% and S.A., 53%.
I think it fluctuates a lot.

If your wife doesn't like it here, I'd surely try another state. There are many absolutely gorgeous places with much better weather and different lifestyles.

All the best.

[stargazer]

You came at the worst time of year to look as far as heat goes.After 4th of July, summers are very hot and it will stay hot till September then it gets nice. I personally stay indoors and go take my kids to indoor venues and play areas.

As for the mounted prize heads, well this is Texas but I also have been in homes in other states where an animal head is displayed. I do think decor wise that these are coming back and I wonder if some of the homes you saw, if really the person shot it or had a stager came in and put it there? Some of the huge rustic mansions you walked through, I can see an stager doing that.
Also I agree about the animal heads, I would look past that because they don't come with the home. jmo btw too I don't hunt nor my hubby therefore we don't have heads in our home. LOL.

What is the price range you looked at? Usually the higher priced areas game on the walls. Just curious.

[Lakewooder]

" More restaurants, malls, cinemas and shopping than any strip of land in Southern California!"

I go to California several times per year and I would not consider this a good thing. And BTW, they are the exact same restaurants, malls and shopping in SOCAL.

[Synopsis]

Actually Stargazer the best time of the year (IMO) to come out and look would be in the heat of the summer since that's probably going to be the most disagreeable time for most people. Summers in Dallas/FW can be very hot, but the winters are great. As far as seeing animal heads on the wall; I've lived here for nearly twenty years and I haven't seen a house with an animal head on the wall once. I don't get out a lot though.

[hamiltonpl]

I've never seen one animal head on a person's wall in the City of Dallas.

Not that it would matter much to me. Like the other folks have said, you're not buying the heads.

Also, Dallas is probably the least humid big city in Texas.

[charlieXS]

Let me clarify my story...

I was attending a business function in Dallas... I brought my wife along for a little r&r. We stayed an extra week to poke around with home buying intentions. It was late August and it had rained that week.
We specifically wanted to visit a house in Prosper that we'd seen on the internet. We looked at houses in Plano, McKinney, Prosper and Allen between 375k-450k.
My wife is an animal loving moderate and I'm conservative. We LOVE the style of the homes... the architecture and the features are unbelievable for the $$. We live in an area where a starter house, 1400sf, 3+2, 35 years old with popcorn on the ceiling is 750k.
While visiting Prosper we saw a couple homes that had dogs in the back yard, one was tied on a chain next to a dog house and another had 4 or 5 dogs in a chain link enclosure with no shade. Negative points on the wife scale.
McKinney was nice... found a great area of homes backing to a creek (Grand Homes) and Plano was ok.
Basically I want the Texas houses at the Texas prices...

[SprintRider]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

Actually Stargazer the best time of the year (IMO) to come out and look would be in the heat of the summer since that's probably going to be the most disagreeable time for most people. Summers in Dallas/FW can be very hot, but the winters are great. As far as seeing animal heads on the wall; I've lived here for nearly twenty years and I haven't seen a house with an animal head on the wall once. I don't get out a lot though.

This is a VERY good idea. Since the one thing that seems to bother people about Dallas is the heat, you should visit when it's the hottest.

[KewGee]

Originally Posted by charlieXS

Let me clarify my story...

I was attending a business function in Dallas... I brought my wife along for a little r&r. We stayed an extra week to poke around with home buying intentions. It was late August and it had rained that week.
We specifically wanted to visit a house in Prosper that we'd seen on the internet. We looked at houses in Plano, McKinney, Prosper and Allen between 375k-450k.
My wife is an animal loving moderate and I'm conservative. We LOVE the style of the homes... the architecture and the features are unbelievable for the $$. We live in an area where a starter house, 1400sf, 3+2, 35 years old with popcorn on the ceiling is 750k.
While visiting Prosper we saw a couple homes that had dogs in the back yard, one was tied on a chain next to a dog house and another had 4 or 5 dogs in a chain link enclosure with no shade. Negative points on the wife scale.
McKinney was nice... found a great area of homes backing to a creek (Grand Homes) and Plano was ok.
Basically I want the Texas houses at the Texas prices...

Unfortunately, the animal abuse/neglect is quite prevelent in Texas. One often hears horror stories on the news about such, even horses. It's very sad, but I would think it's nationwide. It makes be so angry that I could literally choke a person who mistreats animals.

I'll just throw this in but in June, I went to southwestern VA and fell in love with the area. It is so beautiful with mountains, valleys, rolling hills, and forests and the weather is ideal. They do get snow in the winter, but it's fairly mild and they think 84 in the summer is hot.

Anyway, the homes and property taxes are very reasonable. Yes, they do have an income tax though.

Are you considering any other states?

[stargazer]

Well Synopsis you do have your point about the heat. I never saw it that way. It could easily give people the idea if they really want to be here or not.
I moved up here in 1990 and prior to that would go every summer to Greenville to see my dad. To me, escaping the humidity in Houston was a big plus. LOL.

Also to the orginal poster, your explaining about the pets, I understand what your saying. I though don't think it is exclusive to Texas. That could happen anywhere. It is a pity to hear those stories too.

[GibboK]

Hi there...we're moving from Australia to Dallas area. Have you checked out Southlake and Colleyville areas? That's where we're heading...great houses, great schools, large lots (and hopefully, not too many deer heads)...