Moving from Chicago (Naperville ) to Dallas (Plano, Irving: to rent, houses, buying)

[amikum123]

Hi,

We are moving from Naperville (Chicago suburb) to Dallas area in Sept. The relocation is mainly due to the work. The new work location in in Las Colinas area. We have 10 year old son going to 5th grade so schools and proximity to work location are two main criteria for us. We plan to rent for sometime (6-8 months) and then buy the house. Our budget is around 600k.

We are hoping to find something similar to Naperville which has one of the best school district and is very family friendly.

I am not too familiar with Dallas area. We did some research on Frisco, Plano, Coppell, FM area. It looks like the travel from Frisco and Plano will not be easy. We read great things about FM area but there are also lot of negative publicity on forums about drilling etc...not sure how big of an issue it is.

appreciate if current residents can help us.

thanks

[synchronicity]

Of all the suburbs in Chi, Naperville strikes me as one of the most similar to DFW. Lots of new construction and growth, lots of relos, lots of generica suburbia.

For 600K, you can buy in almost any suburb in DFW other than Park Cities (that's the collective name for Highland Park and University Park, which wouldn't be terribly convenient for you anyway). Houses here are generally larger but don't have basements, so a 3,000 sq ft house is just that, no additional 1,000 sf basement to store stuff. Lot sizes are generally smaller - it's all new construction (a home from the 1990's is "older"), so it follows the new model everywhere of cramming as much house as possible onto as small a lot as possible.

Coppell would be an excellent location to check out first - very close by, some of the top schools in DFW. If for whatever reason you don't like the ambiance there or just want to check out other choices, Flower Mound is also an option. To the west of the airport (longer commute but still doable) are Grapevine, Colleyville and Southlake. The latter 2 have more larger lot sizes (0.35 acre or more) than Coppell, if you care about that.

Plano has super schools but would be a trek. Frisco would also be a bit of a trek and the school metrics aren't as good as the other choices listed.

We relo'd from Chicago (NW burbs) over 3 years ago. It's different and personally, I'm not much of a fan of Dallas, but that's me. Obviously lots of posters on this forum love it here. Housing is MUCH cheaper here than up in Chi, so you'll be happy about that. Southlake and Colleyville are roughly equivalent to Glencoe/Wilmette/Winnetka, for example, but the entry price to get in is about 450K for Southlake and slightly less for Colleyville, and for 600K you'd have plenty of options. Coppell is also very nice. I'd still recommend that you start in Coppell and then work from there. Be warned that Coppell's location in addition to its amenities makes it very attractive to many people so listings there can go very fast.

Renting for 6-8 months before buying is a wise choice. Good luck with your move!

[TurtleCreek80]

In no particular order: Coppell, Colleyville, Southlake, or Flower Mound.

All are fantastic suburbs that fit your budget, location, and great schools needs. You really can't go wrong with any of them, so just take a long weekend to visit and drive around and see what you like best.

IMO, Plano is too far and doesn't offer anything you can't find in the above central suburbs.

[WorldKlas]

look in zip code 75063 specifically in Coppell schools.
Also Hackberry Creek (zip 75063) or Irving (75039) have decent elementary schools in the Carrollton/Farmers Branch school district. Hackberry is served by Las Colinas Elementary and zip 75039 is served by La Villita Elementary. Perfectly fine grammar schools close to your job.

[amikum123]

thanks everyone.. appreciate your valuable feedback.

[Texasguy_14]

Congratulations on getting out of Chicago's crazy harsh winters. While DFW can get some strong wintery weather (varies from year to year), it is nothing compared to what you are probably use to up there!

[colts_01]

Just a word of caution 600k in coppell does not buy you much especially newer construction.

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by colts_01

Just a word of caution 600k in coppell does not buy you much especially newer construction.

And Coppell has some of the highest property taxes in DFW...

[mSooner]

I think it depends on what you consider to be "much." Coming from the Chicago area, I think the OP will be pleasantly surprised with his/her options. It's all relative.

Coppell isn't that much more expensive than Flower Mound or Colleyville, and definitely not more than Southlake.

[amikum123]

We don't really have a big list of must have in the house. Just looking for a something around 3k - 3.5k sqft. with a decent size yard and good quality construction. Access to the schools is probably the only MUST have. We are open to both new construction and old. I have been researching and looks like there is hardly any new construction in Coppell area...most available new construction is out of our budget.

My wife work location is Los Calinos and I will be traveling for few months on weekly basis from DFW to Chicago. I do plan to change jobs in next few months after our move so we also want to make sure that we buy something which is kind of central.

can anyone pls. suggest good subdivision to look for in Coppell and Flower mound area which are around 600k price range.

thanks once again.. you all have been very helpful..