Is the DFW real estate market cooling off? (Plano, Pasadena: townhome, school districts)

[kyam11]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

It's not a free forum though; there are moderators here who work pretty hard at keeping forums relevant to their titled subject matter. IMHO these constant comparisons between Dallas & California don't belong here, they belong somewhere else. Most people here don't really care about how much your Flower Mound house would cost in Malibu or Santa Monica.

No they probably don't care, but you see someone saying CA is only 2x as much when in reality it is 4x (or more) as much. Comparing Plano to Riverside is ludicrous, but if no one says anything then most will think that is a valid comparison. The subject here is DFW RE market. Comparing the DFW market to multiple other markets is surely on subject. If you don't like it ignore it or move on.

If you don't think the comparisons belong here then don't make those comparisons here, but it isn't your job or my job to decide what I think people should post about here. Now if you post about the best color of puppies then that would be off subject, but anything related to DFW RE is certainly on subject, even comparisons.

I have no interest in Amazon's second HQ, yet I certainly don't care that people post about it, nor do I care about the multitude of subjects that are likely being posted about on that thread so I ignore it and/or don't post in the thread.

[serger]

Originally Posted by kyam11

No they probably don't care, but you see someone saying CA is only 2x as much when in reality it is 4x (or more) as much. Comparing Plano to Riverside is ludicrous, but if no one says anything then most will think that is a valid comparison. The subject here is DFW RE market. Comparing the DFW market to multiple other markets is surely on subject. If you don't like it ignore it or move on.

If you don't think the comparisons belong here then don't make those comparisons here, but it isn't your job or my job to decide what I think people should post about here. Now if you post about the best color of puppies then that would be off subject, but anything related to DFW RE is certainly on subject, even comparisons.

I have no interest in Amazon's second HQ, yet I certainly don't care that people post about it, nor do I care about the multitude of subjects that are likely being posted about on that thread so I ignore it and/or don't post in the thread.

While comparing the suburbs of Dallas, or Dallas metro as a whole to South Bay or Malibu makes all the sense?

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by serger

While comparing the suburbs of Dallas, or Dallas metro as a whole to South Bay or Malibu makes all the sense?

Right?!

[kyam11]

Originally Posted by serger

While comparing the suburbs of Dallas, or Dallas metro as a whole to South Bay or Malibu makes all the sense?

Well if you are comparing high end suburbs of DFW to high end suburbs of LA then yes it does. If you are comparing Carrollton to Malibu then no. However the type of people that would live in West Plano, Highland Park, Uptown, Southlake, Coppell, etc would likely live in places like Malibu, Hancock Park, Pasadena, San Marino, La Canada, Laguna, Newport, etc..

If you live in a place like Grapevine, then places like Arcadia, Glendale, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, are good comparisons.

Foe someone like numbersguy a few pages ago he is not likely to move from where he is to Riverside (if he had to move to CA) thus a bad comparison. He is likely to choose places like Malibu, San Marino, La Canada, etc which is what he pointed out that it would cost in the millions for him to find a desirable home.

[numbersguy100]

Originally Posted by kyam11

Well if you are comparing high end suburbs of DFW to high end suburbs of LA then yes it does. If you are comparing Carrollton to Malibu then no. However the type of people that would live in West Plano, Highland Park, Uptown, Southlake, Coppell, etc would likely live in places like Malibu, Hancock Park, Pasadena, San Marino, La Canada, Laguna, Newport, etc..

If you live in a place like Grapevine, then places like Arcadia, Glendale, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, are good comparisons.

Foe someone like numbersguy a few pages ago he is not likely to move from where he is to Riverside (if he had to move to CA) thus a bad comparison. He is likely to choose places like Malibu, San Marino, La Canada, etc which is what he pointed out that it would cost in the millions for him to find a desirable home.

Wow, we agree again. Strange times.

The reason discussing things like CA real estate (or other locations) matters in this forum, or is at least relevant, is that we have tons of people who crow about corporate relocations (perfectly relevant). Then someone will inevitably say that DFW is too expensive to be attractive to employees at those places that are moving here. So it's relevant to point out that people are still getting a lot for their money here, even though those of us who have lived here a long time can't believe how high prices are getting. That involves discussing their alternatives in their existing location. A lot of the relocations are from CA, NY, etc. Hence it's relevant. Then someone will inevitably post about how as prices go up, people will stop moving here, or the people already here will begin to move away. So it's also relevant to those of us who could choose to live elsewhere to figure out what does our quality of life look like elsewhere given a certain income? How much income does it take in another city to replicate what we have here that we enjoy?

Don't confuse this post to imply that there aren't trade offs to moving from, for example, San Fran to Dallas. There obviously are. Nor do I want to see posts that solely focus on the various suburbs of other cities. But it's certainly relevant to point out that DFW's high end suburbs are very, very affordable against their peers in other large metros. That this topic doesn't interest some people is another point entirely.

[Hacker1234]

Quality of life isn't always about the cost of living. After leaving DFW, we now spend very little time at home.

[kyam11]

Originally Posted by Hacker1234

Quality of life isn't always about the cost of living. After leaving DFW, we now spend very little time at home.

Completely agree.

Having said that though

1) Less $ on housing gives you more $ to spend on things you enjoy, thus improving QOL.
2) A nicer house allows you for more amenities at your house which is where you and your kids will spend 50-70% of your time daily.
3) Cheaper homes give you a chance to send your kids to better schools (where they will spend 30% of their time)
4) Better access to live near where you work allows you to save a good 1 hr per day (maybe 2 hours)

I don't blame you for not spending as much time at home since $ for $ the homes suck in Seattle compared to DFW. $600K in DFW gives you the ability to have 3500sf with a home theater, a pool, a nice yard, play rooms, etc. in a high end suburb with superb amenities. $600K in Seattle gives you an decent starter type home in an average to below average suburb, thus I would want to get out also.

When I lived in SF I too spent very little time at home. It was because my house sucked comparatively speaking,

[UnfairPark]

I think this fascination with "better" housing is what ruins our lives.

[Mr. Clutch]

Originally Posted by UnfairPark

I think this fascination with "better" housing is what ruins our lives.

I don't necessarily agree but I see your point. Different people have different values as far as housing goes. Some would pay a lot of money for location/neighborhood/regional amenities, and don't need as many in-home amenities or space. Others don't care as much about location or the area, and want to maximize their level of in-home amenities.

Luckily we live in a country that offers both!

[TexanByMarriage]

Kudos to BigDGeek for pointing out the unnecessary discussions of California. I get the relevance in some threads, but all housing threads end up as the same, it seems. It would be nice to hear the experience of ppl from other states/countries moving to DFW, where the reasons weren't solely job opportunities and COL. This thread is probably not the place though