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Hello everyone I've been reading & enjoying this site for a few weeks now... so I finally joined & wanted to ask you all some questions. We are thinking of relocating to Dallas from Virginia in the next 18 months. My husband will be working in Garland as far as we know.
He found info on Rowlett/Sachse & Wylie & I have lots of info from Relocation folks on these places... which up until I found this site, I thought Rowlett looked like a GREAT place to be! Inexpensive housing (about 50% less than here) nice big houses, everything looks new, etc.) Now I'm not so sure.... Are there water or flooding problems over there? I'm a bit concerned about flood plain, too. Why are there SOOO many houses for sale in Rowlett/Sachse/Wylie??????
We are mid forties, not retirement age yet, no kids with us, and want to live in a 'burb with lots of restaurants, things to do, Shopping (naturally) church, culture, etc etc and not spend all our time in traffic (like we do now!! ha ha ha). We're wanting a single level home, on a small lot -- because we are not fans of yard work and I understand that there is a water shortage in Texas -- a problem for the grass, no? I read somewhere about these things called "Zero Lot Line Homes" -- what are they? Are they houses built super close to each other?!
Anything opinions, info, etc., would be greatly appreciated. One poster, DallasMomof2, (I think) posted several great pages of info -- which was terrific, Thanks. But I'm looking for a perspective for a couple, both working, who likes to be close to town but not in the city. Thanks!!
Dorothy, I live in Garland and am VERY familiar w/ this entire area. I can pinpoint neighborhoods for you and your husband to look at w/in the entire area w/ some more specifics.
I would avoid Wylie/Sachse/Rowlett. Here is why for each one:
1. Wylie. There are basically two ways in & out of Wylie, FM 544 and Hwy 78. If your husband is going to be working in Garland then it would be Hwy 78 which is HORRIBLE!!! It is only 2 lanes each way until you get into Garland at the new mall by Hwy 190 (aka George Bush Turnpike). Prior to that it is a continual crawl from light to light. If there is a wreck you are basically stuck. The side streets that intersect w/ Hwy 78 in Sachse and Wylie are only 2 lanes (1 each way) and the lights for those cross streets are short and sweet. So if you are waiting to get onto 78 or cross it you will be waiting a LONG TIME! There is a LARGE development that sits on the border of these two towns called Woodbridge. It has a golf course and several neighborhood pools. There are TONS of houses in that development for sale (more than should be for a good, solid r.e. market). Wylie is a town that is a bedroom community w/ some industry of manufacturers and such. They are also home to a new Kansas City Southern rail switch yard. A LARGE KCS switchyard. There was a lot of hoopla surrounding this when it came about but KCS was granted their request. The downtown of Wylie is basically a one block area on Ballard. Not a whole lot of action at all. The fringes of the town are homes on larger acreage but there is no zoning as they are outside of city limits so basically "anything goes" and that can be a bad thing.
2. Sachse. Same concerns as Wylie when it comes to getting out of or into town, Hwy 78 is IT. There are some backroads that lead out of Sachse but you have to know them and they are not "straight shots" but rather a lot of twisting and turning and having to use more than one road. Not roads in the best of shape either. Sachse has probably the second highest water rates in the area behind Rowlett. It is a mish mash of housing w/ not the best kept up yards in the area.
3. Rowlett. Avoid like the plague. Seriously. I lived there for 5 years and moved back to Garland as fast as I could. Rowlett has the highest water rates around and that was even before they upped them twice this summer. They also have the highest property taxes in Dallas County. There is so much fighting going on in that city w/ the citizens, city council, mayor, etc that is flat out pitiful. There are a bunch of people in that place that want everything but do not want to pay for it. The roads and alleys are in HORRIBLE condition. For way too many years the citizens voted against almost every bond election that came before them, they did not want to spend the money. They liked the way it used to be, "in the country". Now they are in dire need of roads and alleys needing to be totally redone but it will cost too much and they still don't want to pay for it. There are so many roads and alleys in that city in such a state of disrepair that you need a jacked up 4 wheel drive just to navigate them and I am not kidding. The most recent bond election was voted down and it would have helped bring their public library up to minimium guidelines for a city that size. There is a lot of apathy in that place. There is one neighborhood in Rowlett that they tout as "the place to be/live", Waterview. They can have it. I knew exactly why it was planned the way it is and why it was built there. It is next to, and I mean NEXT TO the City of Garland landfill. It pays to do your homework and not believe everything your realtor or the builders salesperson tells you. (BTW, no, I did not live there at all and never even once considered it).
The traffic is another issue w/ Rowlett (like they don't have enough issues, lol). Depending on what part of Garland your husband works in and what part of Rowlett you live in there are going to be probably two ways to go to commute: Hwy 66 aka Lakeview Pkwy or Rowlett Rd. Both are backed up and crawl from light to light, school zones, etc. I don't even see things improving for the side streets whenever Hwy 190 finally gets built thru Rowlett and joins w/ I-30. These people have even tried to stop Hwy 190 .
There is a "downtown" but it is not much. The library, city hall, city offices and soon the DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) rail station whenever it finally gets built.
Oh, and if you want to live "in" a burb w/ lots of things to do none of these three are it at all. Zero lot line homes are homes built right on top of each other even more than what is done in some neighborhoods. Sometimes these neighborhoods of zero lot line homes have an association that takes care of all yard upkeep. No backyard big enough for a pool or anything.
Now, if you want to stay w/ Richardson & Garland I think you would be much better off and happy based on what you said you were looking for.
Here are some of the neighborhoods and some info on them for this area:
1. SpringPark. City of Garland but Richardson ISD. Located roughly borderd by Campbell on the South, Renner on the North, Hwy 190 on the East and Jupiter on the West. There are greenbelts throughout the neighborhood and parks. Most of the homes are older custom homes many have been updated and there are a few areas of newer homes. Lots of trees and some have big yards. Some of the homes that back to greenbelts do not have back privacy fences.
2. Firewheel. City of Garland and is comprised of many different neighborhoods w/in the Firewheel area. There is the Firewheel Golf Course (public) and homes are available all throughout these neighbhorhoods that back up to the golf course. There are 2 different club houses for the golf course, The Firewheel G.C. and The Branding Iron.
A. Firewheel Farms & Firewheel Estates. Located N. of Hwy 190, West of Brand Rd, East of N. Garland Ave. Muirfield is the road that runs "thru" this part of Firewheel. (FYI, Brand Rd goes from Hwy 190 and goes North past Muirfield then turns to the West and intersects w/ Campbell. So don't be confused that it is not a due N-S road). There are custom homes in some areas and tract homes that are "upgrades" from most "tract homes" in this area. Very nice kept up neighborhood w/ lots of people that walk. Elementary school w/in the neighborhood. The area is basically half families w/ school age kids and half young retirees. Very active neighborhood. Home prices are from the $190's and up to over $500K.
B. Hills of Firewheel. off of Campbell just East of N. Garland Ave. Fairly new but built out neighborhood of Dress and Southern Pacific homes. Top of the line upgrades are pretty standard in these homes (granite countertops, wood floors, etc). The neighborhood clubhouse for their HOA is located in this neighborhood. Home prices from the $300K's and up to mid $400K
C. The Retreat at Firewheel. Located next to The Hills but is a gated custom home neighborhood. Some homes have some fairly nice sized yards. There are a few lots still left to be built on in here, a few. Small active neighborhood. Home prices from the $500K and up to just below $1M.
D. Fairways at Firewheel. Located just East of Brand and just before you get to Muirfield. Small neighborhood of about 125 homes surrounded by the golf course (The Masters - part of Firewheel and supposed to be tough). Not gated but looks as if it is. Homes in here are fairly new and were either built by Dress, Standard Pacific or custom builders. The granite countertops, hardwood floors, media rooms, pools and such are pretty much the norm in here. Home prices go from about $350K and up.
E. Provence of Firewheel. New home development being built by Dress and Newcastle off of Brand Rd as it curves to go West. None of these back up to the golf course. Home prices are upper $300K and up into the top $400K's. FYI, new fire station being built right before the entrance to the neighborhood.
F. The Greens. City of Garland. Not part of Firewheel but borders it. Bordered by Brand Rd on the South and Murphy Rd on the North. Campbell on the West and Talley on the East. Homes along Talley are large acreage homes. Homes in this area are anywhere from 15 years old custom to fairly new Standard Pacific and others. Nice neighborhood. No community pool. Elementary school located w/in the neighborhood. Homes in here go from $190K and up to mid $200K.
G. The Hills of Breckenridge. City of Garland on one side and City of Richardson on the other. Small gated custom home neighborhood located near Brand & Campbell. There are still a few lots left in here to build on. Beautiful homes. I personally like over The Retreat. Homes in here go from about $700K and up. Some have large lots and some back to the small creek that goes thru the middle.
H. Breckenridge. This is a LARGE neighborhood in the City of Richardson just off of Renner Rd, Murphy and Brand. Built by Centex homes (and not that I recommend them AT ALL). The neighborhood was built about 10 years ago and since but it has been kept up nicely. Breckenridge Park is across Brand from here and it is a VERY NICE park to go to.
I. Valley Creek. City of Garland located near Firewheel Pkwy (previously known as Northeast Pkwy) and Pleasant Grove. There are about 5 different neighborhoods here. The 3 oldest were built by Centex about 10-15 years ago. One was built by Ryland & DR Horton about 10 years ago. One is newer and was built by I believe Highland Homes. Homes in here can be from the low $100's up to mid $200K on the extreme high end.
J. Irongate. City of Garland located off of N. Garland Ave just South of Campbell. Brand new neighborhood w/ building still going on w/ some golf course lots of "zero lot lines" of custom homes. Top of the line upgrades like granite countertops and handscraped wood floors. Some yards are big enough for a small pool while others are not. I know of one person that bought two lots because they wanted a bigger yard and house but loved the neighborhood.
K. Shoal Creek. City of Garland located at Campbell and Shiloh. Just getting the streets poured, small neighborhood of townhomes to be built. Sign says prices from $90K.
All of these above are the newer subdivisions for this area and close to Hwy 190 and the new mall Firewheel Town Center and lots of shopping, restaurants, etc and parks w/ walking trails and such. Plenty to do around this area and never have to leave your little cocoon if you so wanted. But still close to get on 190 and be in Addison for dinner or down to downtown Dallas for a basketball game or such.
If you want older homes and such I can direct you to the areas you may want to look at and which to avoid. There are some BEAUTIFUL older homes in the area that are drop dead BEAUTIFUL and would fit right on the cover of Southern Living. Sadly many of these are sold before the sign is even upright in the yard or sooner (if a neighbor or family member has already placed dibs on it). In another post you asked about downtown areas for some of these cities. Richardson has somewhat of a "downtown" but not really. What was considered their downtown has now become a highly Asian populated area of shops and restaurants (some good ones too). Garland does have a downtown square and does have many activities that go on in the area. Neat shops and restaurants and the city leaders have been working hard getting it revitialized w/ the merchants help and they have done a wonderful job. Rockwall also has a downtown square area. Beautiful courthouse as they are the countyseat. A few shops and restaurants. I go there to North Texas Appliance for anything I need appliance wise and have for many years. Great guys and I highly recommend.
If none of the neighborhoods fit what you are looking for please let me know and I can help steer you in the right direction. Good luck.
W O W Momof2DFW, Many Many thanks for that critique. I have printed it, and will give it to my husband. Its funny, because I told him when he first "found" Rowlett on the internet, that when a town sounds too good too be true, it probably is!! As for Sachse & Wylie... I was wondering why there were so so many for sale!! Now I know.
I like the idea of an older home - hopefully we can avoid any foundation issues with a home that has "settled." Some of the homes I've seen on the internet have interesting stone fireplaces & wood beam ceilings - touches you don't see here on the East Coast. As long as the home has good bones, I will run a crew myself for the renovations, just like I did here, for what I can't do on my own (Dad was a carpenter).
Hmmm... I'd have to disagree based upon my experiences. I just moved to Sachse from Powhatan, VA (just west of Richmond) a few months ago. So far I love it.
I'm in Collin County, Wylie ISD schools for my 9 year old daughter. The school is great, plenty of after school activities and the in school programs are a lot more advanced than the schools back home.
I work from home most days, so traffic isn't a real concern.. but when I do want to go into the office it's in Richardson. To get to most locations I can take back roads and be there in minutes.. I rarely take 78 or FM544 even though I live less than a mile from either.
Plus we were able to get a gorgeous brand new home for $72 sq/ft. Back home our last house was $150 sq/ft new construction. When we were looking at other areas prices were still reasonable, but closer to $100-110 sq/ft.
Hey Momof, would you happen to have any pictures of Plano? My grandson of 9 years old is flying out to see his mom for the first time. I thought it would be nice if I could show him where he is going.
It not, no problem. I don't know how far it is from you.
Thanks much for all you do for us.
Plano is VERY close (all of like 4 miles). I don't have any pics but can probably get some tomorrow.
Pretty cool, is he nervous? Depending on when he is coming out there are all kinds of neat things going on for the holidays that he can do w/ his mom. Six Flags has Holiday In The Park. Lots of neighborhoods do GREAT Christmas lights and decorations (check out Spring Park in Garland, each street/circle has a theme and they go ALL OUT).
As far as Sachse, they DO have one of the highest water rates, which is what I said. It is also a pain in the rear to get out of or into during rush hour. Other times are okay but rush hour, pack a lunch. There is no denying that. And yes, Sachse does have a lower price range for buyers. Just depends on what you are looking for.
Plano is VERY close (all of like 4 miles). I don't have any pics but can probably get some tomorrow.
Pretty cool, is he nervous? Depending on when he is coming out there are all kinds of neat things going on for the holidays that he can do w/ his mom. Six Flags has Holiday In The Park. Lots of neighborhoods do GREAT Christmas lights and decorations (check out Spring Park in Garland, each street/circle has a theme and they go ALL OUT).
He is coming in April for his Spring Break from school. Mom has only been there two months and loves it. He is so young that he didn't realize how far she went. Yes, he is excided and Dad is nervous and doesn't have a clue what Texas looks like either. So, I would just love it if you could. That would be so nice of you. All those pictures you posted made us all feel good that we are all going to a good place. Except for the taxes.
Dad is a little worried about him flying. IF we can get past this first time then he can go again and again.
Thanks so much.
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Are there water or flooding problems over there? I'm a bit concerned about flood plain, too. Why are there SOOO many houses for sale in Rowlett/Sachse/Wylie??????
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Pictures of Plano
