DFW businesses - why keep your office in downtown? (Dallas: apartments, big house)

[hazergore1198]

Originally Posted by JoeSiczpak

>I don't even mind taking a paycut to have this option.

You're fortunate and wise. I've been a full time telecommuter / programmer for 15 years.
I make it a priority to keep up to date on select technologies, and use that knowledge to position myself for new projects.

I could make more money elsewhere, but then I'd be spending it on commute expense, car expense, more taxes, and be boxed into a more rigid schedule. I don't want it.

Do you want to live to work or work to live?

You are where I want to be in 10 years or so. I agree with you 100%. I could make more money elsewhere, but for the time/money associated with commuting, it usually makes sense to take a little bit of a paycut to work from home. Plus, I'm much more comfortable and productive at home.


Lots of good advice and points made in this topic, especially from TurtleCreek80. Thanks for the post, definitely some food for thought.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by bencronin04

I would also rather live in this:
http://www.mstreetsdallas.net/wp-con...519-img001.jpg

Than this:
http://thumbs.trulia-cdn.com/picture...3f6a14ccf4.jpg

Me too, but most of us don't have unlimited funds to buy a house...we have to live within our means!

[seat21d]

Before we consolidated our offices downtown a few years ago, the office managing director plotted out where everyone lived. Turned out that downtown Dallas was very near the center point to where everyone lived.

[MckinneyOwnr]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

4. Whether you do or not, many people love living and working in a vibrant city environment. There willing to live in smaller and older spaces to have a short commute and enjoy all the city's offerings in their free time. You could have easily found a 2500sf home for under $300k in the northwest Dallas area (around Marsh & Royal). You would have been zoned to a top public elementary school and middle / high schools that are at least as good as Anna's (that's a pretty low bar anyway), plus access to apply to the top high schools in the entire country. A downtown commute would have been less than 20 minutes. But the house would have been built in the 1950's and the schools are full of brown people.....so probably not your thing. Trade offs to every decision- you picked big/new house at the expense of a shorter commute. ("you" being hypothetical since your job isn't downtown).

Why on earth would you put something like this in your post? Talk about judgmental. I see nothing in the OP's post that warrants this.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by MckinneyOwnr

Why on earth would you put something like this in your post? Talk about judgmental. I see nothing in the OP's post that warrants this.

Because from what I have seen, the majority of people living in the suburbs believe two things:

1. Bigger & newer is always better: They can't possibly fathom why someone would pay $350k for a 3/2 2000sf that is. 70 years old in the city when 25 miles away, a $350k house is brand new and 4000sf++.

2. All DISD schools are awful: They take one look at a school's demographics and run for the hills. A school that is 90% Hispanic and 80% Economically Disadvantaged will scare away 99% of white / Asian / middle class black families even if it is a solid school academically. If this were not true, the enrollment of such schools (DeGoyler, Kramer, and Preston Hollow are great north Dallas examples of this) would look drastically different and actually resemble the surrounding neighborhood vs the surrounding apartment complexes.

OP may be in the TINY minority that doesn't believe these two things, but it's a good guess that OP does hold one or both of those beliefs.

[MckinneyOwnr]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

Because from what I have seen, the majority of people living in the suburbs believe two things:

1. Bigger & newer is always better: They can't possibly fathom why someone would pay $350k for a 3/2 2000sf that is. 70 years old in the city when 25 miles away, a $350k house is brand new and 4000sf++.

2. All DISD schools are awful: They take one look at a school's demographics and run for the hills. A school that is 90% Hispanic and 80% Economically Disadvantaged will scare away 99% of white / Asian / middle class black families even if it is a solid school academically. If this were not true, the enrollment of such schools (DeGoyler, Kramer, and Preston Hollow are great north Dallas examples of this) would look drastically different and actually resemble the surrounding neighborhood vs the surrounding apartment complexes.

OP may be in the TINY minority that doesn't believe these two things, but it's a good guess that OP does hold one or both of those beliefs.

That's gotta be one of the most unreasonable things I've read lately. Good to know you can classify the majority of people living in the suburbs like that. Neat.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by MckinneyOwnr

That's gotta be one of the most unreasonable things I've read lately. Good to know you can classify the majority of people living in the suburbs like that. Neat.

I'm just going on what I've heard and read on this forum over the last 5 years. It's pretty damn hard to get anyone to consider the city of Dallas- even when it IS the best option - and these are the two main obstacles.

[frenzyrider]

Originally Posted by bencronin04

I would also rather live in this:
http://www.mstreetsdallas.net/wp-con...519-img001.jpg

Than this:
http://thumbs.trulia-cdn.com/picture...3f6a14ccf4.jpg

The first one is gorgeous but possibly substantially expensive than the second one? Some people cannot afford the first one who choose to own the second one... Just saying.

[rantanamo]

Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80

Because from what I have seen, the majority of people living in the suburbs believe two things:

1. Bigger & newer is always better: They can't possibly fathom why someone would pay $350k for a 3/2 2000sf that is. 70 years old in the city when 25 miles away, a $350k house is brand new and 4000sf++.

2. All DISD schools are awful: They take one look at a school's demographics and run for the hills. A school that is 90% Hispanic and 80% Economically Disadvantaged will scare away 99% of white / Asian / middle class black families even if it is a solid school academically. If this were not true, the enrollment of such schools (DeGoyler, Kramer, and Preston Hollow are great north Dallas examples of this) would look drastically different and actually resemble the surrounding neighborhood vs the surrounding apartment complexes.

OP may be in the TINY minority that doesn't believe these two things, but it's a good guess that OP does hold one or both of those beliefs.

I've studied this subject academically, and unfortunately #2 is true for a lot of people in the city and suburbs. Its as if parental involvement and their own academic and socioeconomic success have nothing to do with how their children would perform.

[MckinneyOwnr]

Originally Posted by rantanamo

I've studied this subject academically, and unfortunately #2 is true for a lot of people in the city and suburbs. Its as if parental involvement and their own academic and socioeconomic success have nothing to do with how their children would perform.

Parental involvement only helps at home. When children are at school, that is a non factor.

I grew up in Plano. I remember we had a computer lab in 2nd grade (1986.) Back then, that was EXTREMELY rare for a school district to have. I had some friends who lived in Richardson at the time, their school didn't get a computer lab until years later.

There are advantages to living in a suburb that have a strong school district serving them. Parental involvement only goes so far. Socioeconomic success is exactly what we are talking about here, and why people would choose the suburbs over DISD in many cases, because it DOES help performance.