Relocating to Dallas - Townhome for Rent; Manchester St. Thomas Opinion (Houston: 2015, apartment complexes)

[NJtoDallas]

Hello Everyone,

I am relocating to Dallas from NJ in 2015 for work. I will be working downtown and have been looking online at areas in Dallas to rent. I have narrowed the area to Uptown and am looking for townhome rentals in the price range of $1700-$2200 for a 2br/2bath. I found a complex in the Uptown area - Manchester State Thomas. I wanted to see if people have opinions on Manchester State Thomas as far as being a place to rent. I have the following questions:

Is the area where Manchester State Thomas a nice neighborhood to rent?
What is the walkability rating of the area?
Is the price range for Manchester State Thomas in par with the Uptown/Oaklawn area or is it 'over-priced'?

I am interested in living in an area where I will have a private entrance; is in walking distance to the restaurants and bars; a complex with a pool; close to a park; close to a grocery...

Along with my other questions, are there other areas/complex that I should also look into?

I plan on visiting the area in Feb. 2015 and will definitely look at the Manchester but also wanted to see what areas to look at when I'm here for a long weekend.

Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks and Happy Holidays!!

[TrueDat]

I've never lived in that building but it's a very nice building and that price -- overpriced for Dallas in general -- is about average for a nice, relatively new 2-bedroom building with all the amenities in Uptown these days.

Uptown is one of Dallas' more walkable neighborhoods -- perhaps the most walkable -- and you are close to lots of restaurants, bars and shops. There are transit options like the DART light rail and the more tourist-oriented free trolley between Uptown and downtown, which you can use to go to work if you're working downtown. You just need to walk over to McKinney Ave. to catch it. Living in Uptown also puts you close major freeways and Love Field when you need to get out of town.

You are relatively close to a few grocery stores: Albertson's and Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market in Uptown itself, the Krogers across Central Expressway, and the Whole Foods nearby in Oak Lawn. There will be a huge, new Whole Foods opening in Uptown on McKinney summer 2015.

If you're looking for a choice of new buildings with lots of amenities that attract tons of young professionals and be close to work as well as shopping/nightlife/entertainment, then Uptown is your best bet.

[NJtoDallas]

Thanks for the response back! It sounds like Uptown is a good choice for me. I look fwd to visiting and scoping out the area and other potential rentals!

[RJ312]

Your questions.....my answers in blue.

Is the area where Manchester State Thomas a nice neighborhood to rent?

I would think the general consensus would that it is a nice neighborhood. I certainly feel that it is.

What is the walkability rating of the area?

It is pretty walkable by Dallas standards. You can walk to restaurants, bars, and shops. One of the things about Dallas, and a lot of Western US cities, is that it is hard to walk to enough places to be completely car free. It will be very difficult, even living in State Thomas, not to have a car and be able to have a fully stocked fridge. There are not corner markets like New York City. State Thomas is close to some grocery stores but good luck walking with a full slate of groceries to your home.

Is the price range for Manchester State Thomas in par with the Uptown/Oaklawn area or is it 'over-priced'?

I would say that it is priced well given the area. Uptown is pricey. Pushing ever closer to East Coast level pricing. Part of the point of living in Dallas, and other Western cities like Houston, Denver, or Phoenix is to avoid high housing prices.

Along with my other questions, are there other areas/complex that I should also look into?

Are you open to apartment complexes, or just looking to rent condos?

[NJtoDallas]

I would prefer a place w a separate entrance bc I have two dogs moving with me. The use of an elevator on a daily could be a bit of annoyance to them and other residents. That said, maybe I should expand my search to a mid-rise? Hi-rise is not an option for me; although the views of downtown are prob awesome.

[TrueDat]

It sounds from your first post that you want a building with all the amenities but if you're willing to give up a few of those, you could save a few bucks on rent by looking in North Oak Lawn, just to the north and west of Uptown. It's quiet and tree-lined and there are lots of young professionals (and lots of pet owners) living there.

The downside for you would be that the buildings tend to be well-maintained but older, and there are lots of duplexes and some condos for rent. And it's not as walkable, in terms of being able to walk to bars and the like, as the heart of Uptown. It's also not going to be as noisy or expensive as parts of Uptown. The owners often only advertise with signs in front of their buildings so the best bet is to drive, walk or cycle around the neighborhood looking for "for lease" or "for rent" signs.

When you're here, you might want to at least drive through to see if anything catches your eye. It would be roughly streets such as Bowser, Holland, Hawthorne, Prescott, Herschel and Gilbert between Lemmon Avenue and the border of the city of Highland Park.

[NJtoDallas]

Thanks for the additional areas to look into. I have looked into the Oaklawn area and will include it in my areas to visit when I get into town. I would def look at trading in some of my 'wants' for cost savings. Very excited to visit and then be able to get a better idea of areas that fit my needs both location and financial.