pros and cons of living in Coppell (Dallas, Plano: homes, high school)

[Falafelosophy]

Pulled it from Realtor.com for 400k and under without filter for schools but even after that its a sizeable inventory for a small town. OP's budget is 350k so negotiating for homes upto 420k seem fair game in today's market.

[TX75007]

I'd worry more about stopping when the light changes and driving defensively, rather than someone drilling a hole in the ground.

But since you like to worry, the biggest source of damage to your cells comes from Radon gas and then GCRs.

Radium and radon in the environment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Background radiation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[mSooner]

When you find a good home you must move fast. There will be multiple offers.

As someone who just went through the process (albeit in a lower and more competitive price range), I can say this is true.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by Rakin

Not sure where you get your data but there are only 48 homes available (not under contract) in Coppell ISD, single family (not town homes) priced from $200-350k. That's not many homes for such a large price range. There are 133 in Flower Mound in the same price range. There's a big difference if your buying a $150k home or a $300k home, it's not even the same buyer price range.

Yup, and good luck "negotiating down" in Coppell as falafelosophy suggested. Coppell is one of the only areas in all of DFW where prices never went down (or only were down for a quarter or two). It has consistently - prior to the in-town Dallas/ Park Cities markets heating up in 2012- been the ONLY MLS area to have sales prices AND transactions up to prior year during the overal slow market (2007-2012).

Originally Posted by Falafelosophy

Pulled it from Realtor.com for 400k and under without filter for schools but even after that its a sizeable inventory for a small town. OP's budget is 350k so negotiating for homes upto 420k seem fair game in today's market.

Falafelosophy, you may want to brush up on Coppell's market before handing out real estate advice. Homes sell quickly, often with multiple offers. Just because there is 20% room to negotiate in some local markets doesn't mean they're all that way...

[Falafelosophy]

A friend bought a home last year with all the bells and whistles for $514K and it was listed for $559K. There are always some homes that go fast but there are always others ready to negotiate like any other market. I am looking at comps for Georgian Place as I write. Coppell is a good market but not isolated from rest of the market.

[new2aus]

Originally Posted by Falafelosophy

A friend bought a home last year with all the bells and whistles for $514K and it was listed for $559K. There are always some homes that go fast but there are always others ready to negotiate like any other market. I am looking at comps for Georgian Place as I write. Coppell is a good market but not isolated from rest of the market.

I don't think Georgian Place is representative of the overall Coppell market. People typically move here for the schools and when they have kids they usually want a backyard. That's the issue with Georgian Place. Most of the homes have very little outdoor space which I think makes it more challenging to sell. That and the fact that many of the homes back to Sandy Lake.

[ChristieP]

Another thing to keep in mind about Coppell is that the property taxes are very high. We recently compared them in this forum, and on a $200k house, you will spend $1200 more per year on taxes alone in Coppell vs. Grapevine.

Yes, the Georgian Place homes have very little yard and back up to a noisy, major street.

[wi44]

Coppell is one of the best school districts in the metro area; as good as Highland Park (if not better) without the million dollar prices; They are also very competitive with the best Private schools in the area. The late 90s and early 00s saw an influx of highly educated tech-industry parents (predominantly Asian Indian, Mainland Chinese, Taiwanese) which has considerably amped up the performance of the schools. This opinion is from my neighbor of 22 years who has taught and administered in all three environments.

Real estate in the <$350K range moves very fast esp in the late spring, early summer seasons. Up until late 2010 you had decent bargaining room in the $500K+ range. With the development of Alexander Court and surrounding subdivisions and the influx of McMansion refugees from North Dallas and Plano fleeing their dysfunctional schools, demand has been very strong. Patience pays.

Property taxes do tend be on the higher side, but comparing Grapevine (which is in Tarrant County) and Coppell (in Dallas County) is idiotic. Coppell's taxes is +/-5% of what you would pay anywhere else in Dallas County, which subjects you to Community College and Parkland Hospital taxes (both worth the $ in my opinion). Grapevine schools are good and comparable to Coppell, but not the same and Coppell is clearly a better ISD.

Coppell police are very strict - there are only 3 or 4 entry points into the city and they are all well-policed. Parks and trails are excellent and very family friendly - the experience will speak for itself.

This is a straightforward, no-nonsense town with the top schools and the most convenient location.

[Falafelosophy]

I was just using that as an example as I did detailed research about that community but only looked at the houses with bigger yards that didn't back to Sandylake. House that I mentioned is 0.27 acre with pool & yard, sauna and other perks. I know Coppell sells well because a small town's inventory is usually low but it's very much possible to find what you want if you have few months and a budget above 500k. It's difficult to find one below 300K because that niche has more competition.

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by wi44

which subjects you to Community College and Parkland Hospital taxes (both worth the $ in my opinion).

Tarrant County also has a community college system that is very good, so DCCCD has no advantage there.

As long as you have health insurance, you will most likely NEVER use Parkland's healthcare system. It is almost exclusively used by indigent patients, and those who have a choice go elsewhere and receive better care. (The rare exception here is their burn unit, which is one of the best in the country.) Tarrant County has the JPS system for its indigent patients, so again, there's no advantage.