Best Dallas Suburbs to Live? (Plano, Irving: apartment, foreclosure, lease)

[GoingtoDallas]

Originally Posted by MckinneyOwnr

You didn't list Plano or Allen in your choices, but they should be. If your choice was between Frisco, Flower Mound, and McKinney, McKinney is arguably a better choice. McKinney was recently ranked #2 in the country by Money Magazine on their Best Places to Live list for a reason.

If you live in West McKinney, where I do, a commute to Dallas is 30 miles down I75... Not pleasant in rush hour. However, it sounds like you have a pretty flexible schedule, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Did you get to see the downtown McKinney area? It's a great place for a family to spend an afternoon.

Downtown Mckinney is charming as it actually reminds us of small towns here in Illinois. I did hear 75 is a disaster but the Dallas Tollway is smooth and about a 35-40 minute commute which is doable if this is the case. Thank you

[GoingtoDallas]

Originally Posted by MckinneyOwnr

You didn't list Plano or Allen in your choices, but they should be. If your choice was between Frisco, Flower Mound, and McKinney, McKinney is arguably a better choice. McKinney was recently ranked #2 in the country by Money Magazine on their Best Places to Live list for a reason.

If you live in West McKinney, where I do, a commute to Dallas is 30 miles down I75... Not pleasant in rush hour. However, it sounds like you have a pretty flexible schedule, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Did you get to see the downtown McKinney area? It's a great place for a family to spend an afternoon.

We actually liked Craig Ranch but we keep hearing about concerns it will not get fully developed for a long time down the road and therefore that should be a concern to everyone living in that community I suppose.

[CREW747]

West Mc kinney is one of my favorite areas in DFW.Check out Stonebridge Ranch...

[MckinneyOwnr]

Originally Posted by GoingtoDallas

We actually liked Craig Ranch but we keep hearing about concerns it will not get fully developed for a long time down the road and therefore that should be a concern to everyone living in that community I suppose.

There are better developments in McKinney to consider than Craig Ranch. The prices there have really taken a beating, there was a poster on here awhile back who said he'd lost over $200k in value I believe. It was really just too ambitious of a project, tried to do too much, too fast, and it fell apart.

For $250k you can afford housing in many of the neighborhoods around Winding Creek, which is where I live. For those saying you should rent if you plan on moving again, they have a valid point, as you'll spend quite a bit on commission when you sell. However, I disagree that you won't make a profit, McKinney houses are selling quickly. We bought ours two years ago for a very attractive price, the exact same house just sold two streets over for $305k, which is a nice bump in price for us.

An investor bought the house next to us earlier this year, and is renting it out to a family of four for two years. So, there are houses in McKinney for rent as well if you decide you like that area but can't quite decide whether to rent or buy.

Good luck with your decision, let me know if I can answer any questions for you.

[Lakewooder]

I would rent - if you end up working downtown and live in the far north suburbs/exurbs, you will certainly want to move sooner than 3-5 years!

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by GoingtoDallas

Downtown Mckinney is charming as it actually reminds us of small towns here in Illinois. I did hear 75 is a disaster but the Dallas Tollway is smooth and about a 35-40 minute commute which is doable if this is the case. Thank you

DNT is better than 75 but McKinney is on the 75 side of town, not the DNT side. For DNT and good location / schools/ home values, try central to west Plano.

DNT gets backed up nearly every day coming from the northern suburbs. Wrecks are common and it's about an hour from Frisco all the way into Downtown. From W Plano, 35-40 minutes dpending on how long it takes you to get out of your subdiv and onto the tollroad.

From McKinney via 75, I'd always budget an hour and more if possible.

[GoingtoDallas]

Originally Posted by MckinneyOwnr

There are better developments in McKinney to consider than Craig Ranch. The prices there have really taken a beating, there was a poster on here awhile back who said he'd lost over $200k in value I believe. It was really just too ambitious of a project, tried to do too much, too fast, and it fell apart.

For $250k you can afford housing in many of the neighborhoods around Winding Creek, which is where I live. For those saying you should rent if you plan on moving again, they have a valid point, as you'll spend quite a bit on commission when you sell. However, I disagree that you won't make a profit, McKinney houses are selling quickly. We bought ours two years ago for a very attractive price, the exact same house just sold two streets over for $305k, which is a nice bump in price for us.

An investor bought the house next to us earlier this year, and is renting it out to a family of four for two years. So, there are houses in McKinney for rent as well if you decide you like that area but can't quite decide whether to rent or buy.

Good luck with your decision, let me know if I can answer any questions for you.

Any ideas as to whether the commute from Coppell to Downtown would be better or worse than Frisco to Downtown as when I Google Map it they are literally only 3 miles apart and a few minutes based on google directions? Thank you

[GoingtoDallas]

Originally Posted by GoingtoDallas

Any ideas as to whether the commute from Coppell to Downtown would be better or worse than Frisco to Downtown as when I Google Map it they are literally only 3 miles apart and a few minutes based on google directions? Thank you

We liked Craig Ranch and it seems the prices now are similar to most other places in price in Mckinney and Frisco that we have seen. 250k is definitely possible...perhaps the bottom their has hit rock bottom and on upwards. With that said, I just read Hunters Creek has alot of Hike and Bike trails. Is this known as a place folks like to spend outdoors after work and school? Thank you

[GoingtoDallas]

It is a thought but not want the family prefers of course.

[MckinneyOwnr]

Originally Posted by GoingtoDallas

Any ideas as to whether the commute from Coppell to Downtown would be better or worse than Frisco to Downtown as when I Google Map it they are literally only 3 miles apart and a few minutes based on google directions? Thank you

Depends on where you'd live in Frisco. I think generally speaking, you'd have an easier commute to downtown from Frisco, because it's basically straight down the tollway. From Coppell you'd have to get on 635, then the tollway or 35, and 635 is a real pain in rush hour.