Advice needed: Sunnyvale, Allen, Murphy? (Plano, Richardson: real estate market, 2015, houses)

[keribeth818]

If you are taking peak commuting off the table, then I will add this. I lived in E. Plano near Murphy/Lucas before moving to 75013. It took 10 minutes to get to 75 on average from where we were. We often drove into Murphy for shopping and dining and felt really limited. It was 10-15 minutes to any decent shopping or dinning in either direction, east to 75 or west to Murphy. From where we are in Allen I can be in Shops at Legacy, Frisco/Preston/DNT areas, Villages at Allen, etc in the same amount of time. We moved to be closer to the kids' school and shorten our commutes. Access to highways and entertainment is so much better and has made a much bigger impact than we expected. Neighborhood is also MUCH friendlier with many more amenities and planned activities.

[ITguy1981]

yea.. i am leaning towards Allen at this point.. can you tell me what the different communities in Allen are like? My realtor was saying Twin Creeks and Star Creek were really worth looking into..

Originally Posted by keribeth818

If you are taking peak commuting off the table, then I will add this. I lived in E. Plano near Murphy/Lucas before moving to 75013. It took 10 minutes to get to 75 on average from where we were. We often drove into Murphy for shopping and dining and felt really limited. It was 10-15 minutes to any decent shopping or dinning in either direction, east to 75 or west to Murphy. From where we are in Allen I can be in Shops at Legacy, Frisco/Preston/DNT areas, Villages at Allen, etc in the same amount of time. We moved to be closer to the kids' school and shorten our commutes. Access to highways and entertainment is so much better and has made a much bigger impact than we expected. Neighborhood is also MUCH friendlier with many more amenities and planned activities.

[lifofifo]

Originally Posted by ITguy1981

yea.. i am leaning towards Allen at this point.. can you tell me what the different communities in Allen are like? My realtor was saying Twin Creeks and Star Creek were really worth looking into..

We recently moved to Star Creek and I can't say enough good things about it. Very convenient location close to all the shopping and activities. And star creek is a very pretty neighborhood and almost 100% built out (there are about 10 new houses left in total).

[bamaintex]

Originally Posted by lifofifo

We recently moved to Star Creek and I can't say enough good things about it. Very convenient location close to all the shopping and activities. And star creek is a very pretty neighborhood and almost 100% built out (there are about 10 new houses left in total).

Welcome to the neighborhood. I too enjoy living in Starcreek, been here almost 3 years. Plenty of neighborhood activities and nice people. I've been through Twin Creeks, and some of the neighborhoods are very nice but I don't really know anyone who lives there.

[ITguy1981]

thanks for the info.. is Star Creek a subdivision like Twincreek or is Starcreek a neighborhood? I keep seeing numerous names of subdivisions like Watters Crossing and then in the property description they say this neighborhood is located in Twincreeks subdivision whereas for Starcreek, i have only seen Starcreek #1, #2, #3..

Originally Posted by bamaintex

Welcome to the neighborhood. I too enjoy living in Starcreek, been here almost 3 years. Plenty of neighborhood activities and nice people. I've been through Twin Creeks, and some of the neighborhoods are very nice but I don't really know anyone who lives there.

[keribeth818]

I live in Twin Creeks. There are sections identified as Twin Creeks 2,3,6 etc, and also a few like Ashwood, Lexington, Wimberly, etc. Watters Crossing is not Twin Creeks, nor is Cumberland Crossing or Custer Meadows. I think those are all relatively close but not part of the community.

Homes range in size, style and age from about 20 years old to brand new construction, though not as much now other than high end SF homes and town homes. Two amenity centers including the main one with a huge pool, tennis courts, and huge playground in a large fenced sand area, similar to the Beach at the Village at Fairview. Several neighborhood playgrounds. The one near us is even covered which is nice. Golf course offers lots of walking/bike trails. Even though my kids are in private right now the elementary schools are great and we plan to send one next year.

We considered Starcreek briefly and have friends that live there and like it. Again, its a different feel. Check them both out and see what feels right.

[bamaintex]

Starcreek is a subdivision with phases, not separate neighborhoods. It is significantly smaller than Twin Creeks. There is one clubhouse, a playground, a large pool with a splash park, a separate somewhat smaller pool (still pretty big) in the newer section, and walking trails. Cottonwood Creek runs through the middle of the neighborhood. Homes on the east side are newer, the first several phases are on the west side. Homes on the east side are zoned for Cheatham Elementary, and the west side is Lindsey Elementary. I live on the west side in a home built in 2007. The schools in West Allen (west of 75) are all pretty comparable and fairly full. The school board is considering building an 18th elementary school that will reportedly be built on the corner of Stacy and Watters Road directly across from the west side of Starcreek. If that happens, we will likely be rezoned again to that school. The zoning has only been split since Lindsey opened in 2014.

[ITguy1981]

thanks for the info.. so Twin Creeks and Star creek are both considered West Allen?

Originally Posted by bamaintex

Starcreek is a subdivision with phases, not separate neighborhoods. It is significantly smaller than Twin Creeks. There is one clubhouse, a playground, a large pool with a splash park, a separate somewhat smaller pool (still pretty big) in the newer section, and walking trails. Cottonwood Creek runs through the middle of the neighborhood. Homes on the east side are newer, the first several phases are on the west side. Homes on the east side are zoned for Cheatham Elementary, and the west side is Lindsey Elementary. I live on the west side in a home built in 2007. The schools in West Allen (west of 75) are all pretty comparable and fairly full. The school board is considering building an 18th elementary school that will reportedly be built on the corner of Stacy and Watters Road directly across from the west side of Starcreek. If that happens, we will likely be rezoned again to that school. The zoning has only been split since Lindsey opened in 2014.

[lifofifo]

Originally Posted by ITguy1981

thanks for the info.. so Twin Creeks and Star creek are both considered West Allen?

Yeah. Anything west of 75 is west Allen.

[Allison81]

OP, what is up with putting two periods and a space everytime you write a sentence?