any thoughts on Prestonwood?? (Dallas, Plano: homeowners association, crime, houses)

[peripie]

I am getting ready to check out some homes, and have found quite a few that I like in the Prestonwood subdivision. I know that I have seen this area mentioned in a few previous threads, but cannot remember if the references were positive or not. Any thoughts/ info would be welcomed!

[kt2le]

Prestonwood is a huge area with most of the homes being contructed in the early 1970's, I'd guess. I went to college with a bunch of kids who grew up in that area (all graduated from Pierce in the late '70's/early '80's) and their parents all bought the houses when they were new. Some of their parents still live in them and others have moved away (or, sadly, passed away). The homes were well-built and most had pools. I would think there'd be a lot needing updating now. I don't know what the schools there are like anymore (used to be really good - but that was a looooong time ago) but I'm sure someone on here does.

[socketz]

If I'm not mistaken, Prestonwood maps to the Lewisville school district.

Also, the 2-3 homes I looked at there were owned by people that were extremely active within the Prestonwood Chirch (massive, more like a city) so it gave me the impression that you needed to belong to that church to really enjoy living there.

[peripie]

I really like the 70's style, and the location would be close to my husbands work- I know that the school district is Richardson, which seems to be a good one- as far as updating, alot of the homes have been updated, but I am planning my budget to include any type of needs that an older home might have. Is this a family friendly area, or is it alot of older/baby boomer types who might not enjoy having a teenager and a 10 yr old boy running throughout?? I had an idea of it being a larger neighborhood, but I am getting the feeling that it is larger than I anticipated. It seems to be in a good location- I am hoping that it is close to stores, ect. Any other thoughts??

[socketz]

Wait, I think I commented on the area called Prestonwood in far West Plano.

Seems that there is also a Prestonwood south of Plano on the Tollway.

[FarNorthDallas]

Which Prestonwood? A lot of places call themselves Prestonwood. There's the huge area around Preston and Arapaho in Far North Dallas. What are some street names? Prestonwood Baptist started in that area at the elementary school called Prestonwood and then used to be located at Arapaho and Hillcrest for a long time, hence their name, but then they moved off to Plano and then things started to be called Prestonwood out there.

Oh, I just read your response, Richardson ISD. Yes, it's still a very desirable neighborhood esp for homes that feed into Brentfield Elementary. I know lots and lots of people who live in this area since I live here (although not in a Prestonwood neighborhood).

[kt2le]

The Prestonwood I'm talking about is Hillcrest & Arapaho.

[WestTex]

I live in the Prestonwood neighborhood at the northeast corner of Preston & Arapaho.

The neighborhood is served by Richardson ISD, which is the largest urban district in Texas to achieve a Recognized accountability rating. It achieved this rating the last two consectutive years. The northern section of the neighborhood is in the Brentfield Elementary attendance area and the southern secton is in the Prestonwood Elem. attendance area. Both are outstanding schools with an involved community and a very stable student population. The junior high is Park Hill and high school is Pearce. Both also outstanding schools.

Homes were built in the 70s and are rather boring architectually. However, most homes are very well cared for and many are very updated with high quality landscaping. Current prices are around to $115 to $150 sq ft. and homes are sized around 2,500 to 5,000 sq ft. Many of the nicer homes back to a pond or a creek. The better, more updated homes seem to sell in less than 30 days.

The neighborhood has a good mix of boomers, that have been in their homes for 20+ years, and young families that are attracted to the excellent schools. Over the last few years there seems to be a greater influx of young families with school aged children, similar to my family. To me it seems that Prestonwood has an unusually stable neighborhood with many very long-term residents.

Location is one the best attributes of this neighborhood. Because of quick acess to the Tollway, via Keller Springs, my commute to Uptown Dallas is 15 to 20 minutes. The neighborhoods seems to be pretty central to most major employment centers (Plano, Richardson, Preston Center, Las Colinas and Tollway). There is great acess to shopping in the Galleria area, on Preston and in Plano. There are also hundreds of restaurants close by and quick access to arts and culture in DT Dallas.

Crime has not been a major issue during our five years in the neighborhood. Many years ago, the neighborhood took a unique approach to reduce crime. It formed a special taxing district to fund one full time Dallas police officer to patrol the neighborhood 24/7, in addition to regular beat patrols. The special taxing district adds about $300 to the tax bill on a home valued at $300,000. In my view, this extra protection is well worth the cost, especially considering that the homeowners association dues are voluntary and around $50 / year. The homeowners association is very active with serveral events each year, including a 4th of July parade and party and jazz concerts in the park twice a year.

In case you can't tell, we absolutely this neighborhood.

[peripie]

Thanks so much! From what I can tell, it seems like a great area from us! As far as the really updated houses going quickly, you are right- several on my list have sold, and I havent even had the chance to see them!!! We are so excited to come to Texas!