From Austin...to Dallas! (Houston, Arlington: extended stay, fit in, apartment complexes)

[Denver303TJC]

Hi Y'all,

Merry Christmas, first and foremost!

My wife and I are considering moving from Austin to Dallas. I researched Ft. Worth, but am thinking we may be happier in Dallas. However, we are still open to moving to Arlington or Ft. Worth. So, about us, I'm 31 years old and my wife is 26 and no kids or pets. Not sure if it's important, but I'm a white guy and she is Asian. I mention this in case there are some parts of Dallas you shouldn't move to if you're not part of a certain group; I'm hoping Dallas is like Austin for the most part, where folks usually get along well. I am finishing getting certified and will be a high school teacher (ultimately I want to be a school counselor, but TX says that I must teach for two years beforehand). In my past working life, I worked in various office jobs (shudder) and I also taught overseas. My wife and I for the most part go out once or twice a week, so we're not hermits, but we also don't go out a ton during the week.

Long story short, I/we currently have flexibility where we can live and I will be interviewing for a teaching job towards the end of January in Dallas and/or the surrounding suburbs. I need to wait until I pass the content exam to truly start applying for jobs, since without passing that, schools can't hire me. We are hoping to find a decent 1 BR apartment for around $1,000 per month (?). I hear that rents keep rising in Dallas (like Austin), but I'm hoping we can find something affordable, yet decent at the same time.

We have visited Dallas-Ft. Worth as well as Houston and enjoyed both areas, but we are leaning towards Dallas at this point. I've researched various "Dallas vs. Houston" threads online, so I know that both areas have their good and bad points, but I think Dallas might be a better fit for us.

Anything else to remember before moving to Dallas? I have survived rush hours in Austin, so bad traffic doesn't scare me that much and I'm willing to accept it wherever I live. Also, I spent two summers in Texas, so the heat doesn't bother me as much as it did in the past.

Thanks again!

[TrueDat]

Curious: why do you want to leave Austin?

You don't mention whether either of you likes lots of outdoor activities. If so, Dallas comes up short compared to Austin. But Dallas has more big-city amenities, better connected airport, etc. so there's that.

Yes, rents are rising in Dallas and, if you want to live in, say, Uptown, your budget isn't going to be enough.

Dallas rents are the highest in Texas

But if you don't demand to be in the hottest in-town neighborhoods, you should be able to find something.

While there are ignorant people everywhere, you shouldn't find many issues because you're a mixed couple.

[FalconheadWest]

Like Austin, you need to live near where you work, so you really shouldn't be considering where to live until you know which districts you've narrowed down your teaching search. I lived in Dallas for 25 years and Austin now for almost 8. Trust me, you want to live where you work!

[Denver303TJC]

Originally Posted by TrueDat

Curious: why do you want to leave Austin?

You don't mention whether either of you likes lots of outdoor activities. If so, Dallas comes up short compared to Austin. But Dallas has more big-city amenities, better connected airport, etc. so there's that.

Yes, rents are rising in Dallas and, if you want to live in, say, Uptown, your budget isn't going to be enough.

Dallas rents are the highest in Texas

But if you don't demand to be in the hottest in-town neighborhoods, you should be able to find something.

Hi,

Oops, forgot to mention that part . We are leaving Austin since the salaries are higher in DFW/Houston and there are more openings for teaching positions. It seems "everyone and their brother" who teaches is moving to Austin, so from what I hear, there aren't as many teaching jobs available in Austin. Furthermore, five years ago I got a DWI (foolish, I know), so I don't think AISD would hire me. Or, I feel it would make it much harder to get hired there. I spoke with the HR Dept of Ft. Worth and also Dallas, and they said a DWI from over five years ago wouldn't disqualify me from teaching. In the end, we like Austin, but feel there are more opportunities and better pay in DFW.

I like the outdoors, but I do most of my fitness/exercise at Planet Fitness, so we are more of the "explore nature on the weekends" type of folks. If the outdoors scene isn't that great in Dallas, that's not a deal-breaker.

I like that Dallas has DFW and Love Field; I have the Southwest Rapid Rewards credit card, so I like to accumulate points on my CC and use it to fly, and luckily Love Field is their hub. This would be an added bonus when we visit my family in Denver.

We don't need to be in the trendiest part of town, for us it's more about finding a nice place which is safe and utilitarian. We are willing to up the rent to $1200 per month, but were hoping to get a place for around $1k "and change".

Should we also consider looking for a place in Arlington? I agree with what others said about first getting a job and living close to where you work (Believe me, after seeing rush hours here in Austin, I know it ain't fun being stuck in traffic for a long time after working all day).

Are most apartment complexes in Dallas strict with the rule of earning 4x the price of rent? Based on my research, teacher salaries start around $50,000 per year, so I assume that won't be an issue, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask.

Thanks!

[Denver303TJC]

Originally Posted by FalconheadWest

Like Austin, you need to live near where you work, so you really shouldn't be considering where to live until you know which districts you've narrowed down your teaching search. I lived in Dallas for 25 years and Austin now for almost 8. Trust me, you want to live where you work!

Thanks for the reply .

That's a good point; If the district where I'm going to work at is still up in the air in January, are there many decent options for places to stay short-term? I figure we can bite the bullet and put our stuff in storage for a couple months (most of our possessions fit in a 1 BR apartment, so wouldn't need a massive amount of space) then we could either AirBNB it or look at a decent short-term stay at a hotel (Extended Stay or the like) until I nail down where my teaching job will be. We already gave the '60 day Notice' to our apt complex, so we plan on moving at the end of January.

[WorldKlas]

How will you get a lease without a job? Extended stay seems your best bet.

[transientbeingz]

Bent tree fountains is decent, that's where I live now. It's in Addison and you can get a 1Br for 870 (add in water utilities and it works to about 940 a month). It's a mile from Addison circle and the bars off of belt line. The apartments wer built in the 1980s, so older than the apartment in Addison circle. To me, it's worth the trade off.

[Denver303TJC]

Originally Posted by WorldKlas

How will you get a lease without a job? Extended stay seems your best bet.

Good point. After the contract ended on my last job, I have been doing independent contractor jobs such as EatOutIn, Favor, Instacart and the like. The downside is I don't have a stable "9 to 5" job, but I have been working and earning income comparable to my former office job, so I'm hoping I can swing that and have them accept that in Dallas, based on my earnings as an independent contractor. If they laugh uproariously and say that I must have a salaried job before I can sign a rental agreement, then I reckon I'll set up shop at the Extended Stay until I get the contract from the school district.

[Denver303TJC]

Originally Posted by transientbeingz

Bent tree fountains is decent, that's where I live now. It's in Addison and you can get a 1Br for 870 (add in water utilities and it works to about 940 a month). It's a mile from Addison circle and the bars off of belt line. The apartments wer built in the 1980s, so older than the apartment in Addison circle. To me, it's worth the trade off.

Thanks!

I'll check them out and get in touch with the complex.

[hornraider]

Being from Austin also, I would recommend north Oak Cliff or east Dallas. Depending on where you end up working. I've lived all over Austin, but am very happy now in northwest Arlington(DW works in FW, me in west Dallas). Its very centrally located to most things in DFW. As for the outdoors, there is great hiking and biking trails in Arlington at River Legacy Park, as well as decent parks and trails around the many lakes in the metroplex. It makes me laugh every time someone boasts how outdoorsy Austin is....like yeah, it's great if you can afford to live around Zilker or Barton Hills. Most people in ATX don't make daily trips to the hill country for the scenery and outdoors anyway. All my friends and family live in places like Pflugerville and Round Rock, and they don't feel like driving through traffic after work just to get west of Austin.


You might check out Las Colinas or Addison, like someone else mentioned. Grand Prairie is affordable and also in a good location, worth checking out IMO. I think you'll find that Dallas has a lot more to offer than you realize, I know it has been a really good move for us! Good luck in your search!