New K. Hov Communities in Farmer's Branch (Dallas, Arlington: new home, transfer)

[crmorgan7]

Hi everyone!

My husband (33) and I (29) have lived in Dallas (Uptown) for 3 years now, I can hardly believe it. We are finally ready to settle in and buy a home.

I work in Oak Cliff and my husband currently works from home but may eventually have to begin commuting to his office in Grapevine. We are looking for a good spot inbetween so we're open to Addison, Carrollton, and some areas of North Dallas. We had not given Farmer's Branch much thought until I received an e-mail that K. Hovnanian is building 2 new communities there. The only thing I know about Farmer's Branch is that Brookhaven country club is nearby and Addisons shops and restaurants are not far either.

Does anyone have a first hand account of living in Farmer's Branch or even in 1 of the 2 new K. Hov communities? I just want to hear some pros and cons. The 2 most important things to us as far as location is that we have a reasonable commute (30-45 min) to each of our jobs and that the area is safe & clean.

Mustang Crossing: New Homes Texas, Farmers Branch, Dallas County, TX by K. Hovnanian® Homes® @ Mustang Crossing
Branch Crossing: New Homes Texas, Farmers Branch, Dallas County, TX by K. Hovnanian® Homes® @ Branch Crossing

Any feedback you can provide would be great. Thank you!

[theloneranger]

I don't think either community is done yet.

They're located right on the DART line and I-35. You should be able to do both commutes within 30-45 minutes by car, though that's going to be mostly sitting in traffic.

Farmers Branch in general is in a great location, but these communities aren't particularly close to Addison or to Brookhaven Country Club. If that's what you're looking for, I'd look east of Webb Chapel. Otherwise, the K. Hov communities are about the same distance from the main stuff in Addison as northern Preston Hollow is.

CFB is a mediocre school district, particularly in Farmers Branch, where the schools feed into Vivian Field Middle School and RL Turner High School. Honestly, you'd be better off in DISD--it's not particularly difficult to transfer into one of the better elementary schools in North Dallas (right now, Withers, DeGolyer, and perhaps Walnut Hill). Parts of Farmers Branch (generally south of Valley View) are in DISD as well.

I would look at houses in North Dallas in the DeGolyer and Withers Elementary attendance areas which are close to Marsh or Midway--that would make it easy to get to the highways.

As a longtime FB resident, I will tell you that FB is not particularly welcoming towards Latinos, even middle class ones. Things have been getting better, and the racist bloc has lost two consecutive elections, but there is still ingrained prejudice against Latinos, particularly amongst the remnants of the old blue-collar community that Farmers Branch used to be. If you're a Latino or a progressive Anglo, it may not be your kind of town, and even living a few blocks away in North Dallas might be preferable.

[crmorgan7]

Thanks for your feedback, theloneranger. We rode over to see the neighborhoods over the holiday and although the surrounding area near the town hall seemed nice, when we went a couple blocks over it seemed a bit run down. For the amount of $, I was hoping for something more (but as my husband said, my hopes are too high lol). I will take a look at some of the areas you mentioned in North Dallas.

Thanks!

[TurtleCreek80]

I would actually recommend buying in North Oak Cliff. You'll have no commute and if your hubby has to office in Grapevine in the future, his will be mostly against traffic. If you look in North Dallas / Carrollton/ FB/ etc, then you'll have a VERY slow moving commute on S/B Tollroad and he'll have a sucky commute via 635. You'll be in the middle distance-wise, but signing up for two mediocre commutes.

If you're hell-bent on brand new homes, something in southern Grand Prairie / Arlington (along I-20) or Irving/ Las Colinas would work better, commute-wise.

[crmorgan7]

I'm glad to hear you say that, TurtleCreek. I am very interested in Oak Cliff but was concerned about my husband's commute so I haven't looked into it very much. I will definitely look into it now.

I'm not very interested in brand new homes, I would prefer something older with a mature yard. My husband feels the opposite though lol. I have a feeling this home buying process will be a difficult one!!

[ChristieP]

Are children in the future, and if so, how soon? If so, you definitely want to make a good school district a top criteria, or you could end up paying $$$ for private school.

[crmorgan7]

No kids in our future, only the furry kind. However, I think we should still keep school districts in the back of our mind because we will probably end up selling one day. We plan to stay put for a while but if there is a job opportunity elsewhere it is a possibility that we will move in the next 5-10 yrs.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by crmorgan7

I'm glad to hear you say that, TurtleCreek. I am very interested in Oak Cliff but was concerned about my husband's commute so I haven't looked into it very much. I will definitely look into it now.

I'm not very interested in brand new homes, I would prefer something older with a mature yard. My husband feels the opposite though lol. I have a feeling this home buying process will be a difficult one!!

It's probably 25-35 minute commute to Grapevine, and with multiple route options (Hampton -> 35 -> 114, 30-> Loop 12 -> 183 -> 114, Hamton -> 35 -> 183 -> airport Tollroad, etc).

[DFWtransplant189]

There are also new homes from Khov coming in in North Las Colinas / Valley Ranch area called Campion Hollows. I believe there will be other builders there as well. If you're looking into an older home, La Vallita has some unique homes on a lake. I would recommend this area over the Farmers Branch neighborhood.

[ritholtz]

Originally Posted by DFWtransplant189

There are also new homes from Khov coming in in North Las Colinas / Valley Ranch area called Campion Hollows. I believe there will be other builders there as well. If you're looking into an older home, La Vallita has some unique homes on a lake. I would recommend this area over the Farmers Branch neighborhood.

Other builder is DW. Khov homes are going to be start in mid 300's. I think, they are building flyover from Valley Ranch pkwy to 635/GB. I am not sure if they are going to feed into Lavillata elementary or Tom Landry.