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Hi there! My wife and I are strongly considering a transfer with my company to the Dallas area. We are both in our early 30's, but are suburbanites for sure. My company's office is relocating to Plano (building a new tower near the Shops at Legacy (?)) early in 2012. We don't know much about the area and what we should expect for costs, so I have a few fairly specific questions and would appreciate any input that you can give... here we go!
Background: I have looked at many real estate sites and listings, we would be looking in the Plano/Frisco/McKinney areas almost certainly. According to Google Maps the majority of these cities are within a 20 minute drive from my company's new office tower at Legacy. Is this accurate?
1. What should I expect for annual property taxes on let's say a 3,500 sq. ft. house with a pool in Plano/Frisco/McKinney?
2. What should I expect for monthly bill costs (a range would be just fine) for electricity, gas, water, cable, phone, internet. I know this of course varies based on what level of programming we want, but a ballpark estiamte would be fine. I'm more interested in the utilities costs.
2b. We would be looking to sign up with a bundle from somewhere for phone/cable/internet... who are the best providers for tv and HD channels?
3. What should I expect for annual car and home insurance. Use the home mentioned above, and we have two cars, an '08 Infiniti G35x and an '07 Mazda CX-7.
4. We plan on starting a family in the near future, are any of the 3 cities i mentioned above "better" than the others, for any particular reason? Even i don't know what I mean by that ... Safer, communities with young families? Good schools?? I DO NOT want to move my commute much more than 20 minutes if possible. Distance to downtown Dallas is a non-factor. If we want to go for dinner there or to a sporting event, etc., we will make the drive, no problem.
5. What are the best banks in the area? We are Canadian and would be basically starting from scratch down there in terms of credit as I've heard they don't pay any attention to my credit history here in Canada... which is ridiculous, but it is what it is. When i say best banks, i'm looking for decent service if you've had to deal with actual tellers or lenders, and also availability of ATM's for that branch. Are Chase and Bank of America decent?
6. Would $300,000 buy us a home as I have described above? I'm hoping so. I think it will from what I can tell, but i don't know what they actually sell for, I can only see the list prices of course.
7. Are there any communities that are relatively new, as in built in the last couple years? If so, just name them is fine and we will check them out.
8. I am a golf FANATIC and would be looking to join a private club. The ones I have researched are Stonebridge Ranch, Stonebriar, and TPC Craig Ranch. If anybody has played at any of these, or is a member at one of these, please feel free to offer any feedback whatsoever, it would be much appreciated! I am a single-digit handicap so course difficulty is something I enjoy, not fearful of. Also if you can suggest any other private clubs in the area I would appreciate your input there too.
9. Can anyone recommend a good health club or fitness center in those areas? Something clean, with a good selection of equipment, nice locker room and shower facilities, etc.
Well I think that is good to get me started for now. I really hope I get some replies as I have never posted on here before. Thanks in advance for all your help... hope to see you soon! Oh, and GO MAVS!
I know more knowledgeable people will reply, but I can tell u that Frisco/Plano/Mckinney are all great places to raise a family with good schools. We live in Frisco and are around 5 miles from Legacy. Very close and a very nice area. We previously owned a 2800 sq ft. home and utilities were about $545.00 a month and we were cautious. There is a 24 hour fitness and a LA Fitness in Frisco, and there is a really nice Lifetime Fitness in Plano off Preston. We bank at USAA (military bank) so I can't help u in that area. There is my little input. I'll leave the other details for other people to answer.
run a search on this forum for topics like
CANADIAN
Legacy
TAXES
Golf course
there are plenty of threads with info on these topics--
read some and see how much of your thirst for knowledge is quenched
TX has some of the highest rates for car and home insurance--
it depends on the age/size/location of the house--and the type of coverage you want to buy
you can get info about taxes by checking the MLS listings in areas for homes similar to yours--the MLS data has the current tax bill for the house
You won't get much discount on house prices in areas that are desireable--
homes here are not in desparate straits
and buying a new home in neighborhood that still has lots of open land to develop will hurt your resale because developers will undercut you if you need to sell before development is finished
lots of tract builders -- some fairly decent--some not so good at all--
another reason why you need realtor who is familiar with local construction areas
you need a good realtor who knows the area--even to negotiate with a new construction deal
school districts here are INDEPENDENT--meaning they are not tied to a town or county--they set their boundaries and one district can serve 2-3-4 towns and 1 town can have 2-3 districts within its borders-school districts set their own tax rates and are not the same
you can check the county tax appraisal district online for almost any TX county--and see valuation of home w/the tax entities you pay tax to
Hi there! My wife and I are strongly considering a transfer with my company to the Dallas area. We are both in our early 30's, but are suburbanites for sure. My company's office is relocating to Plano (building a new tower near the Shops at Legacy (?)) early in 2012. We don't know much about the area and what we should expect for costs, so I have a few fairly specific questions and would appreciate any input that you can give... here we go!
Background: I have looked at many real estate sites and listings, we would be looking in the Plano/Frisco/McKinney areas almost certainly. According to Google Maps the majority of these cities are within a 20 minute drive from my company's new office tower at Legacy. Is this accurate?
1. What should I expect for annual property taxes on let's say a 3,500 sq. ft. house with a pool in Plano/Frisco/McKinney?
First, welcome to Texas. Tax rates are a little different from city to city but on AVG. the rate is 2.15. So, a 300k home = approx. $6500/yr.
But remember...there is no State income tax. Sales tax is 7.25% PLUS local.
2. What should I expect for monthly bill costs (a range would be just fine) for electricity, gas, water, cable, phone, internet. I know this of course varies based on what level of programming we want, but a ballpark estiamte would be fine. I'm more interested in the utilities costs.
Monthly utilities...a good rule for elec., is $100 per sq.ft. That is a safe ball park. $3500 sq ft.=$350 on avg to cool in our attempt at Hades redux. More efficient homes will be much less, less efficient homes, much more. Water is EXPENSIVE, as you can probably imagine. Gas, really only expensive during winter months. I have Time Warner and pay $160 w/ a bundle after taxes, fee's, etc. on their highest package. But if you have a choice, go FIOS (Verizon).
2b. We would be looking to sign up with a bundle from somewhere for phone/cable/internet... who are the best providers for tv and HD channels?
See above.
3. What should I expect for annual car and home insurance. Use the home mentioned above, and we have two cars, an '08 Infiniti G35x and an '07 Mazda CX-7.
Can't help ya here, INSURANCE is UBER Expensive here in N. Texas. For everything.
4. We plan on starting a family in the near future, are any of the 3 cities i mentioned above "better" than the others, for any particular reason? Even i don't know what I mean by that ... Safer, communities with young families? Good schools?? I DO NOT want to move my commute much more than 20 minutes if possible. Distance to downtown Dallas is a non-factor. If we want to go for dinner there or to a sporting event, etc., we will make the drive, no problem.
All three cities are awesome. Plano is a bit older (neighborhood), Frisco is newer and busting at the seams, McKinney is like Frisco. We chose McKinney b/c of it's family oriented feel. There is a lot of stuff for families here and in surrounding areas. To us it felt like family was kept in mind when city planners were working on development here. Another city you might want to look into is Allen.
5. What are the best banks in the area? We are Canadian and would be basically starting from scratch down there in terms of credit as I've heard they don't pay any attention to my credit history here in Canada... which is ridiculous, but it is what it is. When i say best banks, i'm looking for decent service if you've had to deal with actual tellers or lenders, and also availability of ATM's for that branch. Are Chase and Bank of America decent?
Uh, touchy subject here among most. I would say...stay away from BoA though.
6. Would $300,000 buy us a home as I have described above? I'm hoping so. I think it will from what I can tell, but i don't know what they actually sell for, I can only see the list prices of course.
$300k will get you a decent home in McKinney as well as Allen. Frisco...probably, but depends on your style. Plano...yes, but not close to your work. Obviously there are exceptions, but those don't last long even in this market.
7. Are there any communities that are relatively new, as in built in the last couple years? If so, just name them is fine and we will check them out.
If you want new built, Frisco & McKinney are your ticket.
8. I am a golf FANATIC and would be looking to join a private club. The ones I have researched are Stonebridge Ranch, Stonebriar, and TPC Craig Ranch. If anybody has played at any of these, or is a member at one of these, please feel free to offer any feedback whatsoever, it would be much appreciated! I am a single-digit handicap so course difficulty is something I enjoy, not fearful of. Also if you can suggest any other private clubs in the area I would appreciate your input there too.
Also a fellow golf fanatic. Stonebridge...good, but not overly taxing for a single digit. Stonebriar...NICE!!! 'Nuff said. TPC...a butt kicker for almost everyone. A 10 handicap, I can't play the tips @ TPC...too hard. There is Eldorado CC (McKinney), not overly hard, but fun and...CHEAP...from a member point of view-food costs, etc. Stonebriar...kinda pricey, but service & atmosphere is great. Stonebridge...well it's a Troon company...and that's pretty much all you need to know. Worth it if you travel, so you get all the privileges.
9. Can anyone recommend a good health club or fitness center in those areas? Something clean, with a good selection of equipment, nice locker room and shower facilities, etc.
-Coopers is #1. All the way around hands down. Lifetime in Plano & Allen are really nice. Better if you've got small kids.
Well I think that is good to get me started for now. I really hope I get some replies as I have never posted on here before. Thanks in advance for all your help... hope to see you soon! Oh, and GO MAVS!
Also, as a Candian you'll need to keep health insurance rates in mind... no national healthcare system here. I think the highest I've paid for two people was $420 a month (pre-tax) which was for a fairly good PPO. It'll all depend on what your company provides (if they provide anything). Just something to keep in mind when building the old budget.
Awesome, thanks for the input everyone, very helpful indeed. As for the healthcare budgeting, i'm very fortunate in that my employer has outstanding health benefits, so they will be a non-factor for us.
If anybody has comments please keep'em coming. Feel free to comment on any or all of my questions, i don't require a novel or even answers to every question. At this point i'm still in sponge mode and soaking up all the info/advice I can get... and who better for it to come from than the locals!
Awesome, thanks for the input everyone, very helpful indeed. As for the healthcare budgeting, i'm very fortunate in that my employer has outstanding health benefits, so they will be a non-factor for us.
If anybody has comments please keep'em coming. Feel free to comment on any or all of my questions, i don't require a novel or even answers to every question. At this point i'm still in sponge mode and soaking up all the info/advice I can get... and who better for it to come from than the locals!
Enjoy your long weekend
you won't go wrong with any of your choices there as far as housing, schools, shopping, etc.
However, as I and others have suggested to folks moving here, it might make sense to rent for 12 months to scope out the area, then decide where you want to live. Don't unpack too much. Hook up with a good realtor. Yeah, it's a pain to move twice but less of a pain than moving once to an area that you will eventually hate, and possibly loose your butt on if you have to sell.
Only Troon-owned course in N. Texas is The Golf Club at Champion Circle.
Have you played Old American yet?
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... Safer, communities with young families? Good schools?? I DO NOT want to move my commute much more than 20 minutes if possible. Distance to downtown Dallas is a non-factor. If we want to go for dinner there or to a sporting event, etc., we will make the drive, no problem.
