Las Colinas or Stay Put? (Dallas, Irving: for sale, real estate, apartment)

[crmorgan7]

Hi all,

As of next week, my husband and I have been living in Uptown for 2 years. We moved here from South Carolina and we're in our late 20s-early 30s and do not plan to have children. We really love Uptown and have enjoyed every minute of it, but we are now getting to the point where we need to consider buying something if we are going to stay in Dallas. Our plan is to start looking over the Summer but I am SO TORN about what to do.

I currently work at Methodist Dallas, near the Bishop Arts District, and my husband currently works in Las Colinas. Eventually it's possible that my husband's office will be moving to Grapevine. Although he works from home most of the time, that may change. I would really like to stay in Uptown but obviously it's going to be very hard to find something sort of new & 2000 sq ft for under $300k. If money wasn't an issue I would buy one of the nice townhouses in Uptown and stay there...but unfortunately $300k is the very extreme top of our budget. That means sacrificing on space, and to be honest we are both ready for a little more space.

So, my questions are:
If you live in Las Colinas, do you like the vibe? Is it as walkable as Uptown? Are there plenty of restaurants/shopping? What do you like best and least? Suggestions on townhomes or certain areas we should check out?

How long do you think it will take me to get to work from Las Colinas? Mapquest says about 20 minutes so my instinct is to double that.

I plan to drive out there this weekend just to check out the area. Any feedback you can give would be great!

Thanks!

[Rakin]

Las Colinas is booming and unless you want a townhome (there are a few) getting a SFH for less than $300k may be tough. I love it here and if all the plans go as planned you will in a year or three think you live uptown. I just closed a new townhome today in the mid $250's that's within walking distance to quite a few good restaurants.

I would think your commute is 25-30 minutes depending on when you leave. Check out all of LC not just the area on the canals. It's not uptown but it's pretty darn nice.

[TurtleCreek80]

Have you priced any of the new townhomes in North Oak Cliff? I think they're under $300k and would still be a fun city neighborhood which you seem to like while being a good commute for both of you.

[ChristieP]

North Oak Cliff to Grapevine will be a BRUTAL commute once her husband's office moves.

[crmorgan7]

We went last night and looked at this area 6457 Naples DR Irving 75039, Home For Sale Dallas Real Estate Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty
It seemed really nice and well kept.

Rakin, in what neighborhood is the new townhome that you just bought? I think I want to go back out this weekend and go to some of the Model townhomes.

[crmorgan7]

I looked on some realtor sites for North Oak Cliff but didn't come up with much, do you have any specific neighborhoods in mind?

[TeamLynn]

I guess my first question would be when you say walkable....what does that mean to you. Are you eating out or drinking out 3-4-5 nights a week and walking from your apartment to the venue? Are you walking to the grocery store? Are you walking to the post office? Are you walking to WalMart and Target or wherever you shop.
I would never describe Las Colinas as walkable...not like Uptown to me.
There is about 1 block in downtown Las Colinas that has some bars and restaurants. The only thing for purchase there is in Grand Treviso high rise condo. 1700sqft there now is just under $300K. I would not describe this area as a 'vibe', like perhaps uptown. There are townhomes in the $200-$300K range, but not what I would consider walkable to anything.
With all that being said though, it's still a place I would consider living based on your circumstances. I would guess the drive would be 30mins to Methodist, but that depends on what days and what times, and if you take any of the backroads or not.
You can probably get a home in La Villita for $300,000 or less.... great lake and trails all around the community if you just want to walk for exercise. Probably less noise, and less crime too.

[Rakin]

Originally Posted by crmorgan7

Rakin, in what neighborhood is the new townhome that you just bought? I think I want to go back out this weekend and go to some of the Model townhomes.

Those are probably the best around in the Mid 250's. My guy just bought one of these.

I'm in La Villita and there are 2-4 year old town homes here that go from $230-300k.