A Grim housing glut in Collin county (Dallas, Plano: houses, neighborhoods)

[galore]

Originally Posted by HockeyDadof2

Let's not too high and mighty there about your down to earth folks there in Firewheel. Many of the folks there in your down to earth slice of heaven will be quick to tell you they live in "Far North Garland" or more specifically "Firewheel Farms" or "Firewheel Whatever" leaving it at Garland isn't sufficient.

So people want to highlight that they live in a nice area of town. And you consider this snotty?

Garland doesn't have a fabulous reputation as a place to live but Firewheel does, or at least is getting there, so people understandably want to point out that they live in a nice area, not the run down part adjacent to the industrial section.

Also, Garland is large so it makes sense to point out what part of town you live in. Do you also frown upon people who live in Dallas but say that they live in Preston Hollow, Lake Highlands, Lakewood, DTD, Uptown etc.etc.etc ??

[lh_newbie]

Maybe they got sick of all the people from Plano saying, "Oh..." when they said they live in Garland, so they had to specify which part of Garland.

Why is it that when I say I live in Lake Highlands, or someone says they live in Lakewood, people don't have the same reaction (that they are trying do differenciate themselves from Dallas proper)? Isn't Garland the largest suburb of Dallas? Maybe, just maybe, it's large enough to need "neighborhoods" like Dallas does.

Don't be so quick to judge.

[momof2dfw]

Kaykay and maddyz, no one said your part of town was "bad". However you did give the attitude that the suburb I live in is "bad" and "going downhill". They are just polar opposites and attract a different kind of people. The people I live around are more "stable" in that they have lived in the area for a long time and don't plan on moving (many being natives to the Dallas area and readily admit they grew up in, GASP, Garland ). Just read these boards and look at how many people moving into the Dallas area are looking at the so-called "hot places to be" like West Plano, Frisco, McKinney, etc AND THEN point out that they will only be in this region/state for 2-5 years. I don't care for that type of transient neighborhood. It all breaks down to personal preference. I prefer to live on the somewhat slower paced side of the metroplex in a nice area w/ good schools. For example there is something I did yesterday that I know can not be done on your side of the metroplex. On the way home from being out we stopped at SuperTarget real quick to grab something. After getting in my car at 5:30ish we were home in 5 minutes and that includes having to wait at the light to get out of the parking lot and it was busy THEN the fact I live on the OTHER side of 190 a little more than 2 miles away. That is the rule rather than the exception and I know for a fact the same can not be done in many areas of West Plano. So I PERSONALLY PREFER this side of town.

As for your remark on the real estate market for this burb vs yours. Yes, I'm a little bit familiar w/ the real estate market and what is going on. Right now there is a glut of homes for sale even in West Plano. There is not such in the entire city of Garland. If I were looking to buy a home right now you better believe it would be on this side because of such. The values over here have been going up steadily and show no signs of changing. For example my own house when I purchased it 5 years ago a similiar house in Collin County was anywhere from $30K-$60K MORE! Then the fact I got a bigger yard was a little bonus . Now the same can not be said. My house is now valued easily at more than $100K MORE than similiar homes in Collin County. I'd say I got the better end on that one if I were looking to sale - taxes are a different story. The reason being is that the market in West Plano & Frisco is SATURATED with homes for sale that are not moving. Over here since it tends to attract more people that have their immediate family close by and many are local business owners or professionals they have no need to move. Therefore less homes are for sale and when one that is taken care of goes up for sale they are gone FAST! Two such in my neighborhood went on the market the first part of May and were both sold before Memorial Day. I know of three other homes in the lower end price in my area that all sold w/in the first two weeks (two the first week on the market) and at full price. To say the area is "going down" is so far from the truth that it is funny in a way.

For me when I say I live "in Garland" the only time I add "Firewheel" is when we elaborate more in conversation. But hey, it is no different than those on here touting "West Plano" - tell me how that is okay but adding "Firewheel" is not. They don't dare simply say they live "in Plano" but they are VERY QUICK to point out it is "West Plano". These are the same people that put down "East Plano" and have never been to Far East Plano to save their lives . Yes, Garland is one of the largest suburbs and is in fact one of the top 10 largest cities in the state. To simply say, "Firewheel" when asked where one lives is not that big of a deal. Oh, and I travel to "South Garland" often as I have business to do on that side of town and my kids have friends that live all over Garland. No big deal to me.

[HockeyDadof2]

--For me when I say I live "in Garland" the only time I add "Firewheel" is when we elaborate more in conversation. But hey, it is no different than those on here touting "West Plano" - tell me how that is okay but adding "Firewheel" is not. They don't dare simply say they live "in Plano" but they are VERY QUICK to point out it is "West Plano". --

We agree it's no different. That was my point.

[HockeyDadof2]

Originally Posted by lh_newbie

Maybe they got sick of all the people from Plano saying, "Oh..." when they said they live in Garland, so they had to specify which part of Garland.

Why is it that when I say I live in Lake Highlands, or someone says they live in Lakewood, people don't have the same reaction (that they are trying do differenciate themselves from Dallas proper)? Isn't Garland the largest suburb of Dallas? Maybe, just maybe, it's large enough to need "neighborhoods" like Dallas does.

Don't be so quick to judge.

Yeah....all the people in Plano have that reaction.

[FarNorthDallas]

I tell people I live in Dallas and they say, "What part? Plano? Frisco? Allen?" I say, "No. Dallas. I live in Dallas proper." And then the person says, "Really? In Dallas?"

I ask them where they live and they say, "I'm from California and just moved to Frisco. I didn't know people actually lived in Dallas." And I think that must be the beginning of their realization that there is more to Dallas than Frisco.

Then there are a few out of state people who tell me they live in North Dallas and I say, "Oh, really, what part of North Dallas? Preston Hollow?" And they say, "No, Celina."

[lh_newbie]

FarNorthDallas -

I got a good laugh out of that.

When talking to out-of-staters, many are surprised when I tell them I live in Dallas proper. But then again, when I lived in Michigan, I just said I lived in Detroit, even when I didn't live in Detroit proper. I lived "downriver", in Gibraltar, but people don't know where that is. People generalize with the largest major city. Totally cool in my book. People that knew Detroit a bit asked if I lived in Troy or Novi (the rough equivalent of Plano/Allen/Frisco/McKinney in the Detroit metro).

I do miss using my had as a map. Living in Michigan, I could point at the ball near my thumb and say, "I live here". Hehe.

[USA_Mom]

Originally Posted by FarNorthDallas

I tell people I live in Dallas and they say, "What part? Plano? Frisco? Allen?" I say, "No. Dallas. I live in Dallas proper." And then the person says, "Really? In Dallas?"

I ask them where they live and they say, "I'm from California and just moved to Frisco. I didn't know people actually lived in Dallas." And I think that must be the beginning of their realization that there is more to Dallas than Frisco.

Then there are a few out of state people who tell me they live in North Dallas and I say, "Oh, really, what part of North Dallas? Preston Hollow?" And they say, "No, Celina."

LOL!

Also it's funny this is the first time I knew mom2dfw lived in Firewheel, but then I never really asked.

[Philip T]

As a would-be ready buyer -- who aint really interested in touching most of what they have stockpiling up in Collin County . . . why did they build so many big, ugly, energy hogs?

Sort like the house builders' version of 1958 Edsels or Belevederes?

All these things lack are tail fins and a convertible / hardtop roof option.

The real Texas Caddy Ranch.

[Lakewooder]

When I'm at an up-north suburb I like to say that I live next to Fair Park. It's almost as much fun as "Candid Camera".