Opinions on Savannah Housing Development in Aubrey (Dallas, Plano: real estate market, foreclosures)

[sunnyday1001]

Hi, my family and I are looking to move to the area over the summer from Southern California. We have been looking at Frisco and McKinney (online) for the most part but we're starting to look at other areas as well before we make the trip out to buy our house.

I saw the Savannah development in Aubrey and it looks really neat! My husband will be working off of Legacy Drive and Corporate Drive at the Plano/Frisco border so miles wise this doesn't seem like a bad commute but I'm not sure if it is in reality. Can anyone tell me anything about that development or Aubrey in general?

We're looking to spend between $400,000 and $450,000 and we need 5 bedrooms because we have 4 kids. 2 of them are elementary school age, one in junior high and one going into preschool, so schools are important to us. I know everyone around here loves Plano for the schools but we're looking in other areas where we will get more house for our money.

Thank you so much!

[Restrain]

Savannah is very nice, as is Providence Village just west. It was hit by foreclosures in 2009-10 but have recovered nicely. Buy an existing home-better value than buying new. The newer sections of Savannah are to the west side. Significant retail development with new movie theater, etc be built at the Tollway and 380.

I can recommend either development. Be aware that there are Freshwater Districts in place of cities in these developments, except for Providence Village, which is also incorporated.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

That would be one hell of a commute for the next 5 yrs or so. FM 423 is being widened from 1 or 2 lanes to 6. Utilities are being re-located now then the fun begins with tearing up and replacing pavement.

Your budget is too high for most of Savannah. Look at older homes in Plano - amazing schools! Even Frisco would be better than Savannah - meh schools to maybe worse?

[TurtleCreek80]

Savannah is out in the boonies. And schools are not great.

Have you looked in Allen yet? I work very close to your husband's new office location and many people live in Allen. It's about a 20 minute drive and is known for big homes that are less expensive than Plano, while offering much better schools than the Collin Co & Denton Co bedroom communities like Celina, Savannah, Anna, etc. Allen's schools are 2nd to Plano's in CoCo...ahead of Mc Kinney and about half of Frisco's schools.

[KeyToFrisco]

Your budget could really get you anything you want in Savannah as the largest and top priced new construction home plan I believe is about $389 right now. I live there and absolutely love it! We've lived in neighborhoods where after years we only knew a handful of people. Here people are very close and really help each other out like in a small town. There are lots of activities and clubs.

Schools are not bad, don't let TurtleCreek scare you! We're in Denton ISD which is a very decent district. That was one factor in us picking this area. We wanted to be closer to Frisco, but really liked Denton schools. The on-site elementary school has a high rate of community involvement. The district teacher of the year was from Navo MS, about 1/4 mile away. They just broke ground on the new high school at 380 and Navo, which is due to open for the 2016-2017 school year. The plans are quite impressive, this one in think will blow highly-desired Guyer out of the water. If your kids are in HS before fall 2016, the neighborhood kids attend either Denton High (an IB school) or Ryan (on the US News top 100 list). The drive to the high schools is one of the bigger drawbacks, but we may keep our oldest at DHS when the new school opens due to the IB program she's in. The district as a whole has a good career prep program. Kids can go through this program and graduate with the education needed for a CNA or cosmetology license, and others. You can see plans for the new HS or school info on Denton Independent School District / Overview.

There is a water district with it's own tax rate, but the development is not in city limits, so there are no city taxes. That makes the rate fairly comparable to other areas. People will probably tell you the HOAs are high, but at just under $800/year, they compare to many Frisco subdivisions, but you get more amenities for the fee than some in Frisco. That is about $65/month if you break it down. We were paying that much for a gym membership, which we cancelled because there is an on-site fitness center.

We both work in Frisco, it's not a bad commute. I usually take the tollway service road, it's much faster than 423 and less traffic. When 423 is widened, it will be great, that part will be a mess for a while, but that's nothing new in the Dallas area. Just look at LBJ and I35.

Lots of development is coming, like another said. That is all Frisco and Prosper land, just search for Frisco EDC or Prosper EDC. Frisco posts most plans online, I'm not sure if Prosper does the same.

With your budget, you could find a great home in Frisco or Plano, too. Both are also stellar school districts. Some of the main differences are the sizes of the high schools. Plano has larger high schools, and has the separate 9/10 and 11/12 campuses. Frisco has planned to keep all high schools smaller to allow more opportunities for students to be in the top class ranks and participate in sports. Frisco also just partnered with the Dallas Cowboys to use the practice facility they're building for games and events. If you have a football player, this could be a very big deal. Frisco and Plano are much more competitive real estate markets than Savannah, too. Be prepared for bidding wars and plan to pay well over list for an existing house or avoid the hassle and build. If you build, look into an inspector that will inspect at each phase of construction.
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[stephwin]

If I had that budget, I would look in Plano. Great schools, close to amenities (you would have to drive somewhere for any type of shopping/amenities if you picked Savannah), and close to work.

Also, I really hate 380. We live in NW Frisco and my husband commutes to Denton, so we are very familiar with that area. And yes, 423 sucks and will suck for many years to come while they widen it. Your husband could take DNT or Legacy down to work.

[sunnyday1001]

Thank you for the insight. I think we probably won't look there too much because of the commute issues. 5 years is a LONG time to deal with construction related commute problems. And we're used to having stores/malls/etc. within about 5 minutes of our house so I think it would be hard to get used to not having that. We haven't looked at Allen yet but I think I'll take a look there too. Thank you!! I like the idea of Plano, but I prefer the more and smaller high schools. Plus with 4 kids I don't want to have to deal with a 9-10 high school as well as an 11-12 high schools. I would have kids at 4 different schools for awhile. Thank you all for your input. It's really helpful.

[Souleiado]

Originally Posted by sunnyday1001

Thank you for the insight. I think we probably won't look there too much because of the commute issues. 5 years is a LONG time to deal with construction related commute problems. And we're used to having stores/malls/etc. within about 5 minutes of our house so I think it would be hard to get used to not having that. We haven't looked at Allen yet but I think I'll take a look there too. Thank you!! I like the idea of Plano, but I prefer the more and smaller high schools. Plus with 4 kids I don't want to have to deal with a 9-10 high school as well as an 11-12 high schools. I would have kids at 4 different schools for awhile. Thank you all for your input. It's really helpful.

If you like smaller high school, then forget Allen and Plano. Frisco or McKinney look like a better fit for you. I also do prefer smaller 4 years smaller schools and I have been very happy with Frisco ISD so far, don't let people in this forum scare you , their opinions on schools are very much outdated.