Moving from Chicago to DFW area and need some help please (Dallas: new home, job transfer)

[vinmar4]

Hello,
we finally made the decision to make the move and open a restaurant from a chain from Chicago. We are going to be going this coming spring to look at some possible locations for the rest and also I would like to see some areas to concider for the family. We are thinking for the rest. either the Addison area, Keller, South lake or Grapevine area, but we are also looking at Arlington. My oldest daughter lives in Addison but we still hae a 15 y/o boy and a 9 y/o girl. My son may have to finish HS in TX. We like to go out and would like an area witih great schools, shopping and good restaurants. I like new homes but I like trees also. We are going to be looking at one level homes first with pool and big yards. I would really like to think that this will be the last time I move to a new home. We like to mingle with the neighboors and like festivals and stuff to do in the community. My son most likely will be attending a community college the first 2 years. They are really into soccer. Now, my husband will work at the rest but I'm a nurse that does case management so I have to travel to physician's offices and hospitallll at different times of the day. I usually like to schedule my appts after rush hour but it doesn't always work like that.Sorry for the long message!
I'm thinking of Keller, SL, Flower Mound,Grapevine, Prosper,
But if anybody else has other ideas that would be great.
thanks a lot!

[loves2read]

you don't mention price point--that is important factor

where is your franchise going to be located? Surely you have some idea of the general area...

are you going to travel to any/every hospital/dr office in DFW--meaning all over the Metroplex?
if so--you need a central location

check a map--
the towns you mention are as much as an hour and half apart, depending on traffic

they all have +/- aspects to them
some people live there and love it--some don't
there are good schools for the most part in those areas
all of them have UIL soccer with the schools--depends on where you go as to how good the program is

How important is it to be close (25 min or less) to Addison where your daughter lives?
If that is priority you are going to have to rule out most of the areas you mentioned...

[ggolf]

Check out Addison itself. Central location, restaurant heaven. Maybe too many. Can't vouch for the schools. And yes, price point is important for a lot of the places you mentioned.
Welcome from a former Chicagoan.

[RockyJoe817]

I agree with you on the Grapevine/Southlake. Easy access to the freeway or other cities within
the metro. Unfortunately, traffic may be troublesome due to construction and road congestion.
The areas you mentioned all have a good educational system and recreation amenities.

Forgot to mention Southlake has mayfest, Fourth of July festival, Christmas holiday.
Grapevine has mainstreet festival, wine fest just for starters.
Grapevine and Southlake are next to each other.

[CREW747]

Your price point and work location will influence the choice .The DFW metroplex is fantastic. We moved here for a job transfer from Greenwich,Ct and did a new build in Prosper in the $400,000 range.We are thrilled with the school district and the town itself. We did a mass amount of research before going with Prosper. Check out some of my previous posts for more information....

Welcome to the Town of Prosper, Texas

[vinmar4]

we are looking at about 400 or so
I will be driving all over the place
my daugther teaches so I wont see her but during the weekends I guess
I like Addison but too many rest already, we need to go where there are some but where they also need a good authetic chain rest from Chicago, where there is also easy access to it

[vinmar4]

also,thanks for all the responses so far,you guys are great

[Squirl]

After you have done all the market research and have id'd a location for the business, then worry about where to live. There are great places to live all over. But to survive, you better focus on the business location first!

[pinipig523]

Originally Posted by vinmar4

we are looking at about 400 or so
I will be driving all over the place
my daugther teaches so I wont see her but during the weekends I guess
I like Addison but too many rest already, we need to go where there are some but where they also need a good authetic chain rest from Chicago, where there is also easy access to it

Southlake may be a stretch for you at that budget, but there are many other good places to live.

[synchronicity]

Originally Posted by vinmar4

Hello,
we finally made the decision to make the move and open a restaurant from a chain from Chicago. We are going to be going this coming spring to look at some possible locations for the rest and also I would like to see some areas to concider for the family. We are thinking for the rest. either the Addison area, Keller, South lake or Grapevine area, but we are also looking at Arlington. My oldest daughter lives in Addison but we still hae a 15 y/o boy and a 9 y/o girl. My son may have to finish HS in TX. We like to go out and would like an area witih great schools, shopping and good restaurants. I like new homes but I like trees also. We are going to be looking at one level homes first with pool and big yards. I would really like to think that this will be the last time I move to a new home. We like to mingle with the neighboors and like festivals and stuff to do in the community. My son most likely will be attending a community college the first 2 years. They are really into soccer. Now, my husband will work at the rest but I'm a nurse that does case management so I have to travel to physician's offices and hospitallll at different times of the day. I usually like to schedule my appts after rush hour but it doesn't always work like that.Sorry for the long message!
I'm thinking of Keller, SL, Flower Mound,Grapevine, Prosper,
But if anybody else has other ideas that would be great.
thanks a lot!

Another Chicago native here, still in the relo process in fact, have been in DFW almost one year (there are a lot of former Chicagoans on this forum). Dare I ask the name of the chain? I'm missing a LOT of Chicago foods down here (don't get me started on gyros, for one thing! )

At 400K, you've got a lot of options open, as noted (but see below). As others have stated, you're best bet is to figure out where the restaurant will be located before and work from there. For example, if the restaurant is in Fort Worth (a ways west) you wouldn't want to buy a place in McKinney (way up NE). If you have to drive all over the metroplex then a central location will work well for you, but again, depends on location of your husband's restaurant.

As you've likely noticed, home prices here are considerably less than Chi, but remember that there are no basements here, so you should discount the square footage to account for that (often a 2K sq ft house in Chi may have another 500-1,000 sq ft in the basement, not so here). Homes are generally newer than in Chicago as well (an "older" home here dates from the late 1980's thru the 1990's. Feel free to laugh).

As far as "big yards", again you may know this, but lots in the Metroplex are generally far SMALLER than those in Chicago. It is not at all unusual to see a 3K plus sqft house on under a quarter acre, sometimes WELL under that (as in .15 acre). Yes, that's even with a pool. Don't.Get.Me.Started. Work with a realtor and set explicit criteria and you will still find places, but be aware that "larger yard" cuts down your possibilities considerably.

I work in Addison and live near there. Addison residents are generally in the Dallas ISD. A new elementary just opened in Addison this year (part of Dallas ISD), it seems OK (my daughter attends) but I'm guessing it trails behind Grapevine or Flower Mound Schools. The WT White High School is pretty good but appears to not be up to the levels of Grapevine, Keller, Flower Mound or Marcus (the other school serving most of Flower Mound) high schools and certainly below Carroll (the Southlake high school). Note that school districts are "Independent" school districts (hence "ISD"), and school district boundaries do not follow town boundaries. There are websites that provide objective information (SAT/ACT averages and other items) on individual schools as well as on districts. The Texas state website is here: Texas Education Agency - 2010-2011 School Report Cards are now available and a summary of DFW area data can be found here: http://images.kw.com/docs/0/6/1/0619...oolRatings.pdf (many other websites offer this same pdf)

In general, for the price range you're looking at, Plano schools have the best objective data and Plano is close to Addison, however it's obviously not near the towns you listed. Southlake is next but it may be a touch pricier than you'd like (there are 400K homes in Southlake on larger lots, but they may be older or smaller than you'd like). Grapevine-Colleyville ISD is also very good and people have already pointed out Grapevine's advantages. Keller HS is very good as well and Keller may be a little less expensive for the house you'd prefer, but it's quite a ways west of Addison (and a long commute to downtown Dallas if that is necessary for your job). As also noted, Flower Mound schools are also of high quality and you may find homes that fit your criteria there, especially as you go further west, but then you have possible commute issues to Addison or Dallas.

As an FYI, I'm dealing with very similar issues (price range just a touch higher than yours, daily commute to Addison but for other reasons am looking in the same general area you've noted, want a pool and prefer larger lots. No, I'm NOT opening a restaurant, although I can make a very good Chicago stuffed pizza). You may also want to add Colleyville (adjacent to Southlake) to your search as it also has good schools, homes on larger lots, and is centrally located. However, like Southlake it may be a bit more expensive than you would prefer, especially if you're set on a "new" home. FWIW, I'm currently leaning towards Colleyville in my own search.

Hope this is helpful. Best of luck to you!