Thoughts on Garland? (Dallas, Plano, Richardson: loan, how much, house)

[puffpett]

My husband and I are thinking of relocating from SLC, UT to Garland. He's been offered a job at Baylor medical center. Is that a good place to raise children (we have two, 3 & 7)? We'd like to keep our costs down since taxes will be higher than what we're currently paying and we want to do a 15 year loan. Are there better suburbs than Garland? Would like cost <$177k. Thanks

[BeenThereDunThat]

Garland, TX is considered more blue-collar than most communities in the DFW Metro area. Like all areas it has its good and bad points. If the Baylor Med Ctr. is the one on George Bush Turnpike...you can live in the Firewheel area which is considered nice. Of course there's Sachse, Rowlett, Plano, Richardson which is near there, so you have plenty to choose from.

I had a friend relocate to near the Firewheel area and he was looking at Garland. He found some decent areas in Garland but it was more a choice of shopping amenities, etc. for his family.

Here's a link to a thread I started on his behalf not too long ago:
//www.city-data.com/forum/dalla...-thoughts.html

Good luck!

[matteo81]

There are several Baylor Medical Centers, so you may want to specify which one. Like BeenThereDunThat said, I'll asume you talking about the Baylor campus off of PGBT. If you want to avoid property taxes, you'll want to steer clear of Garland.

Plano - 2.39% (includes PISD & Collin County)
Murphy - 2.47% (includes PISD & Collin County)
Wylie - 2.85% (includes WISD & Collin County)
Garland - 2.61% (includes GISD & Dallas County)
Richardson - 2.63% (includes RISD & Dallas County)
Rowlett - 2.65% (includes GISD & Dallas County)
Sachse -2.68% (includes GISD & Dallas County)
Wylie - 2.85% (includes WISD & Collin County)

I'd recommend starting your search in East Plano, which in addition to having the best tax rate, gets the best schools of NE Dallas County & South Collin County. Something under $177,000 should be doable.

[matteo81]

FWIW, I think Garland is underrated by most folks here since it is a blue collar, inner-ring suburb. It's a safe community with everything one could need and a school district that will support your children's efforts if education is a priority (for example Garland HS is under most folks radar despite a great IB program) - you just won't impress anyone when you tell them you're from that part of DFW.

[puffpett]

Thanks for the help! I'll definitely clarify which location it is.

[BeenThereDunThat]

Below is a googlemap link to the Baylor Med. Ctr in Garland. Click and see if this is the one you're talking about.
It's not far from the Firewheel area (to the North East on the map on PGBT / 190)
Some folks have mentioned a preference for areas north of Buckingham but I've been through this area not long ago and found some decent older neighborhoods. The more you go north though, the newer the homes in my observation.

BAYLOR MED CTR / GARLAND:
http://goo.gl/maps/pxPGK

[MurphyPl1]

We lived north of Beltline near Naaman Forest HS and raised my daughter in GISD schools. We had a good experience. Firewheel would also be a good choice too, along with the Spring Park area near Shiloh and 190. All of those would be a nice commute to Baylor Garland.

There's plenty of shopping and easy access to 190 for anything else you'd need.

Sachse would be a little further commute but they'd be all surface streets so you wouldn't be locked into a certain route. Sachse is GISD also.

[CMC_TX]

The Firewheel area & Club Creek by Eastern Hills CC is nice. However, Garland in general is an older, inner-ring suburb and the demographics and majority of neighborhoods reflect that.

[HockDad]

Originally Posted by matteo81

There are several Baylor Medical Centers, so you may want to specify which one. Like BeenThereDunThat said, I'll asume you talking about the Baylor campus off of PGBT. If you want to avoid property taxes, you'll want to steer clear of Garland.

Plano - 2.39% (includes PISD & Collin County)
Murphy - 2.47% (includes PISD & Collin County)
Wylie - 2.85% (includes WISD & Collin County)
Garland - 2.61% (includes GISD & Dallas County)
Richardson - 2.63% (includes RISD & Dallas County)
Rowlett - 2.65% (includes GISD & Dallas County)
Sachse -2.68% (includes GISD & Dallas County)
Wylie - 2.85% (includes WISD & Collin County)

I'd recommend starting your search in East Plano, which in addition to having the best tax rate, gets the best schools of NE Dallas County & South Collin County. Something under $177,000 should be doable.

Just curious, but how much of a difference are the properties between Garland and Murphy (the second lowest you listed) on a 177k house? (.2%) is that around $400.00 per year difference? Hardly a reason to avoid a city to avoid property taxes. Heck, you might use that up in gas commuting to another city trying to avoid those property taxes.

Now, I don't like the schools or really even the area, but the property tax difference is hardly a reason to avoid it.

[Iamdamon]

We're about to close on a house in firewheel estates. We like the area and Abbett elementary seems like a good fit for our kids. Garland definitely has a reputation of being a little less highbrow then other northern suburbs. I think that's one of the reasons we like it. Nobody moves to Garland just to say that they live in Garland. The area near Garland Avenue and 190 really has all you could want or need for a normal day within half a mile or so--except for my office which is in Dallas. We decided that was a trade-off would be willing to make to have a little more land and quieter streets than we currently do in Dallas. It definitely doesn't feel as crowded or congested as Plano, Frisco or Allen. There is a lot of green space with the Firewheel golf courses, Breckenridge Park and a nature preserve in that area as well.