Where should I look for homes in the Dallas area? (Flower Mound: townhouse, transfer)

[SMB2012]

I know this question is asked a lot, but I'm hoping I can get some really specific answers by giving you all a lot of details out our situation! =)

I have a potential job opportunity in Coppell. If I am offered the job and accept it, my husband would transfer with his company and would work downtown. So I'm looking for locations that would be an ok commute (ideally no more than a half-hour drive, but that's not set in stone) for both of us.

We currently live in southern CA, where we live in total suburbia. It would be nice to get a different experience in Dallas, so we have a couple of scenarios that we like: (1) A neighborhood that has a cute little "downtown" area we could walk to; not a lot of strip malls and chain stores/restaurants. I assume in this case we'd be talking about a smaller house (3 bedroom, 2 bath) and lot; we'd also be open to a townhome-style setup. (2) A more rural-feeling neighborhood, with large lots - like an acre or two - and larger houses. Newer construction or older houses, doesn’t matter, as long as there's some space between me and my neighbors! In either case, we're definitely not looking for a fixer-upper.

In terms of budget, ideally our upper limit is around $450k. However, if we found something we loved we could go higher, up to $700k - but that would have to be at least 4 bedrooms, formal dining room, etc. and the house would have to be AWESOME.

We're in our 40s, and our only child has left for college, so we're empty nesters but not "old." (ha ha) We like walking/running, so somewhere with nice trails or parks would be great, or even just shaded sidewalks and not a lot of traffic. We're kind of homebodies but we do like to go out for a nice meal, and we love wine - for whatever all that is worth. =)

So given all that, where should we be looking at houses??

[Rakin]

Old Town Main Street Coppell or Lakeside Flower Mound

You are not going to find large lots unless you get into older areas like Bedford. Keep in mind there are 8.5 million people packed in here. This is much like LA and SoCal... total suburbia.

This will make your search difficult.....

(2) A more rural-feeling neighborhood, with large lots - like an acre or two - and larger houses. Newer construction or older houses, doesn’t matter, as long as there's some space between me and my neighbors! In either case, we're definitely not looking for a fixer-upper.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Rural and 30 min away - bwhahaha!

[SMB2012]

Originally Posted by SouthernBelleInUtah

Rural and 30 min away - bwhahaha!

Yeah, I thought that might be a bit optimistic. How far do you think we'd have to go to get something that feels even a little bit rural??

[SMB2012]

Originally Posted by Rakin

Old Town Main Street Coppell or Lakeside Flower Mound

Thanks for the idea of Old Town Coppell - it hadn't even occurred to me to live right where I work but it looks like a cute little area with some good house options!

[TurtleCreek80]

Cute downtowns- historic downtown Grapevine or North Oak Cliff near Bishop Arts District (75208). Both have the walkable downtown area but Grapevine is a suburb near Coppell and North Oak Cliff is < 5 minutes from downtown Dallas.

Rural / semi rural : acreage- doable within 30 minutes to downtown (Ovilla, Red Oak, Midlothian, Waxahachie) but Coppell is another 30 minutes past downtown so anything within 30 minutes of both downtown and Coppell is going to be city or denser inner ring suburbs.

[speedyg]

Prosper has some acreage. The drive to Coppell might be 30 minutes but the only way you are getting to downtown in 30 minutes in down the tollway in the middle of the night.

Also, I'm not sure about acreage and your price range. 3-4 years ago maybe but prices have soared since then.

I think you are going to need to look at your townhouse option but I don't know that side of town well enough to suggest a particular area.

[Vicman]

Originally Posted by SouthernBelleInUtah

Rural and 30 min away - bwhahaha!

Ironically OP would have had it easier if the job was in Downtown Dallas. Ferris isn't that far away. I imagine Ovilla, Red Oak, Midlothian, Waxahachie are all nicer!)

[SMB2012]

I was in Dallas the last two days interviewing, and spent some time driving around to some different areas. It was interesting - not quite what I had expected. Thank you all for your help!

[KORJK81]

Originally Posted by SMB2012

I was in Dallas the last two days interviewing, and spent some time driving around to some different areas. It was interesting - not quite what I had expected. Thank you all for your help!

Which parts did you go and which area did you like?