600-700K, would you buy a small house in University Park or a nice house in Colleyville/ Southlake

[skids929]

Originally Posted by synchronicity

(just checked the Tax Foundation numbers, they put "total tax burden" on Texas at 7.9% and IL at 10.0%, although this was back before IL raised their tax rate from 3% to 5%. The Tax Foundation does have their biases like any other organization, but I expect their methodology is relatively consistent among all states and for this type of data they're likely one of the best resources out there).

I have found ACCRA to be one of the best out there.

[synchronicity]

Originally Posted by skids929

I have found ACCRA to be one of the best out there.

For COL or taxes (or both)? Thanks much for the ACCRA link, although apparently they charge for COL comps and my curiosity isn't that great right now. If CNN uses their data, then that's one of COL calculators I was looking at.

Love that the Bankrate calculator includes the price of Lipitor. Do they adjust for the fact that there are 7 burger places within 1.5 miles of my current residence but only one such place that close in Chicago?

[LALadyNewYorker]

Southlake, in my opinion, is much, much nicer than Colleyville.

[Pama]

University Park

[Jasmine0]

University Park's location is better and schools are a notch above other two.

[synchronicity]

Originally Posted by LALadyNewYorker

Southlake, in my opinion, is much, much nicer than Colleyville.

Can I ask why you say that? We preferred Colleyville to some extent but wound up in Southlake because we happened to find a "best-fit" house there. We liked Colleyville because it's slightly "older" (not that either is "old") and a little less "busy", also seems a bit more "eclectic". Southlake seems a little heavier on the shopping and with more traffic, although obviously there are quieter parts of both communities.

I admit that the shopping areas along Southlake Blvd appear "shinier" than the more limited choices along 26 in Colleyville, but in terms of residential areas there's not a lot of difference IMHO, and Colleyville appears to have more mature trees in residential neighborhoods than Southlake overall, although again there are exceptions either way in both areas. Carroll ISD has better metrics than GCISD but GCISD serves a slightly less affluent demographic overall than Carroll (some multi-family housing and such in parts of Grapevine) which likely is most of the difference.

I don't have a dog in this fight, but don't see either as being "much" better or worse than the other. Both are generally affluent communities with very nice housing and schools. Southlake has more shopping than Colleyville, which to me is more of a plus to Colleyville (more/worse traffic in Southlake) but to others would be a plus to Southlake (shopping/dining out more often/easier). The differences between two are minor compared to the differences of either vis-a-vis Park Cities.

And re-visiting threads like these, along with some of the others about Park Cities vs. Preston Hollow, suddenly makes me feel poor.

[LALadyNewYorker]

I know what you mean. I love the Highland Park area, with those beautiful stores. But sometimes I think there are people in HP who feel poor because their house is "only" worth 2.5 million. Southlake is consistent in its calm suburban feel. Colleyville looks nice enough, but it's actually sort of weird. I just don't like the vibe over there in the stores and restaurants.