Buying our 1st place! where to live? (Grand Prairie, Duncanville: for sale, apartments)

[Jonno1288]

Hello all! My gf and I recently moved up to DFW for work and we have been renting in the Grand Prairie area. Having saved diligently we are now ready to purchase our first house. We are both in our mid twenties and would like an area that is close to good restaurants, running trails, as well as dog parks.

I work in the Southlake area and she works near Las colinas but does occasionally drive down to duncanville. If possible we'd like to keep the commute to 30 minutes or less. I've browsed the forums and Addison seems to fit what we are looking for, but I was wondering if there was any other areas we should consider taking a look at.

At the same time, if we do decide on addison are there any specific subdivision in addison that you all recommend?

Thanks for the help!

[Grainraiser]

Addison is made up for apartments and condo's. You would also both have longer than 30 minute commutes. What is your budget and are schools important to you. Need a little more info to give you informed information.

[Jonno1288]

Schools are important as we don't see this being a forever house and will want to resale at some point. Price wise we'd like to spend less than 300K if possible. Also, because of the commute being near a major freeway is a must. Thanks for the help and info!

[ChristieP]

The only time that Addison to Southlake is less than a 30 minute drive is in the middle of the night when there is no traffic. With all of the current DFW Connector construction, that will be at least 45 minutes, and likely more. And Addison to Duncanville will be even longer.

Quite honestly, with both of your commutes, Las Colinas might be a better option. There are several home developments there in your price range, especially in the Valley Ranch area.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

The only time that Addison to Southlake is less than a 30 minute drive is in the middle of the night when there is no traffic. With all of the current DFW Connector construction, that will be at least 45 minutes, and likely more. And Addison to Duncanville will be even longer.

Quite honestly, with both of your commutes, Las Colinas might be a better option. There are several home developments there in your price range, especially in the Valley Ranch area.

I agree. Las Colinas is a much more central location given their commutes.

[Jonno1288]

Thanks for all the input! I'll take a closer look at Las Colinas. We have some friends that recently purchased a house there but the prices that they were telling us (500K+), made us shy away.

[mSooner]

What about Coppell? You could find a nice starter home for under $300k there, and the commute would be doable for both of you. It also has good schools, park system, and resale values.

[ChristieP]

Coppell has high property taxes, which are mostly due to their school system. There are also few restaurants and zero nightlife in Coppell. Since schools aren't important to the OP, I would stay away from Coppell.

There are homes in Valley Ranch under $300k. And yes, there are also big homes well over $500k.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by Jonno1288

Thanks for all the input! I'll take a closer look at Las Colinas. We have some friends that recently purchased a house there but the prices that they were telling us (500K+), made us shy away.

Your friends bought at the top of the market there. There are over 175 homes for sale in Las Colinas. 17 are priced over $500k. 108 are under $300k. Take a look.

[Grainraiser]

I would agree that Vally Ranch is were you should concentrate your search. You can certainly find a nice home in your budget.