Somewhere between Plano and Arlington (Dallas, Irving: rent, daycare, houses)

[Chosen010]

My wife and I are looking at a possible relocation to the metroplex and are trying to identify possible towns/neighborhoods in which to live.

She'll be working in Arlington, near the ball park.
I'll be working in Plano off of the tollway and legacy..

We've only got a 7 month old, but I think school districts will still be important as we'll look to buy.

I think a home budget is somewhere in the mid 200s..

Would love any advice on where to live with consideration to available/affordable daycare and reasonable commutes..

Thanks in advance...

[SVTRay]

hum...Arlington, Grand Parrie, Irving, or Farmers Branch?

[Chosen010]

Also, my boss has recommended Coppell and Colleyville for consideration to my wife's commute. I've heard the Coppell schools are good, but it also has one of the highest property tax rates I've seen in the area..

Additional info for consideration:
We're both professionals in our early-mid 30s.
Appreciate proximity to quality restaurants.

Is finding the perfect place too much to ask given our places of employment?

[Chosen010]

What's that commute like from Grand Prarie or Irving up to Legacy and NDT?

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by Chosen010

Also, my boss has recommended Coppell and Colleyville for consideration to my wife's commute. I've heard the Coppell schools are good, but it also has one of the highest property tax rates I've seen in the area..

Additional info for consideration:
We're both professionals in our early-mid 30s.
Appreciate proximity to quality restaurants.

Is finding the perfect place too much to ask given our places of employment?

Oy, that's rough! $200k will not get your foot in the door in Coppell or Colleyville. Need to increase to $300-400k for Coppell and $400-500k for Colleyville.

I'd suggest Mansfield. Good schools & affordable homes. It would be a short commute for her and about an hour mostly against traffic for you. Guessing she'd be in charge of daycare drop-off/pick-up so you really want her to have the shortest drive to not risk fines for picking up late if she gets stuck in traffic. Cedar Hill could be a good possibility, too. Short commute for her and 45-50 min for you. Affordable housing and closer proximity to Dallas' restaurant scene. Good shopping & restaurants at Uptown Village.

The other suburbs in between are lower income/blue collar and have less than good public schools (Grand Prairie, Arlington, most of Irving that is lower priced, etc).

You won't want to live near Legacy because it will easily take her 90+ minutes to drive to Arlington b/c it's with the rush hour traffic.

[SVTRay]

Originally Posted by Chosen010

What's that commute like from Grand Prarie or Irving up to Legacy and NDT?

I don't know off the top of my head but I would guess horrible during work hours. The toll ride from point of entry near down town to the Legacy exit will probably run 30-45 minutes during mornings minus wrecks etc. But getting to the from Arlington/Grand Prairie to the toll is unknown to me. I would guess about the same, 30-45 minutes. you're probably looking at an hour and a half to two hours one way.

[FarNorthDallas]

Since you don't need schools yet, I would rent somewhere like North Oak Cliff/Bishop Arts area for a year.

[trc_everything]

A former co-worker was in the same predicament. They moved here from out of state. He worked in Plano and his wife worked in the HEB area.

Las Colinas is centrally located between the two, so they rented there until they got a feel for the Metroplex and eventually picked a city (Grapevine).

You probably wouldn't want to buy in Las Colinas because the home prices are usually >300K and I think it's zoned to Irving ISD (someone correct me if I'm wrong). But they said it was a great place for a young family to live and it gave them a couple of years to explore all options before making a commitment to a permanent home and school district.

[Chosen010]

What I've been reading is that houses between 200-299 account for about 27% of the housing market in Coppell. Why would the mid 200s barely get my foot in the door?

[FarNorthDallas]

Oh, you can get into Coppell in the mid 200's.