A few questions from an out-of-towner (Dallas, Richardson: city hall, crime, homes)

[305guy]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

That is what I'm thinking. To be in a "safe and clean" area in your price range your either going to be getting a major fixer upper or move a bit furhter out. Some areas to still consider and are not too far away would be the Lake Highlands area and Richardson Heights. Your still going to be finding houses that might need some updating but not as much work as those in the other areas previously mentioned. Lake Highlands has gone thru and torn down all of the old rundown apartment complexes and they are building a new area w/ shops & restaurants on ground level w/ offices and residential above. This might be an option. At least to rent and it would give you a good idea how far the commute would be if you decided to stay in that general area.

Of course as you have seen online........ go way out in the burbs and in your price range you can get a brand new house. You would also be looking at a MAJOR COMMUTE!!! For a better ROI I'd go w/ the older house that is a major fixer and use all of that "commute time" on working time around the house. If you did not mind the fixer upper.

How long would you estimate a commute time from the Frisco area and all the other communities up there? Thanks again!

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by 305guy

Cool, thanks for the info, I found the area and I wonder if my price range of 150k is too low for that area. What kind of neighborhood is it? Older/newer? I'll check out that area when I go up..

Yes, I'm afraid that the single family homes are going to be above that price point. A tear down in Cochran Hts. or Vickery Place (both of these 'hoods are bordered by Henderson Ave.) would be at least $200k. You might find something livable for about $250k, but even that's iffy. These are old, established neighborhoods with lots of character. Because of their great location, there has been a significant amount of tearing down old homes to replace them with McMansions. There are lots of new apartments in the area too along Henderson Ave. and along Fitzhugh. So you might also consider leasing in this area for your first year.

It is still possible to find a nice house in a decent part of inner-city Dallas for $150k, but you may have to forfeit the walkability. Little Forest Hills in East Dallas or certain sections of N. Oak Cliff come to mind. There are a couple of neighborhoods right around Love Field Airport where you could find homes for $150k or less, but they are not all that desirable IMO. Plus, the noise from the airport is a drag.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by 305guy

How long would you estimate a commute time from the Frisco area and all the other communities up there? Thanks again!

NO WAY!!!!! And that is SOOO not the type of area you described you were looking for.

Anyway, you would be looking at a MIN. on a GOOD DAY w/ zilch traffic, no road construction, no school zones, NOTHING to hold you up at least 45 Min. Granted you can use the Dallas North Tollway but that can get congested but does move along.

[momof2dfw]

Okay, seeing the different areas spoken of along w/ price point..........
Do you currently live in Miami?
What part?
Is the surrounding area more important?
Do you REALLY DESIRE to live in a "burb" of "cookie cutter" developments?
Or do you REALLY DESIRE to live in an area closer it and walkable to dining/shopping? (fyi, the only "walkers" in the burbs are those doing it in their neighborhood for excercise ).
Do you like the area of Miami you reside in now?
Are you wanting something similiar?

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by **NoodLes**

The Albertson's on Lemmon in Uptown is so much better than that Kroger's. Its as plain as night and day. Also Oaklawn and Cedar Springs are the homosexual areas, unless that's your thing I wouldn't recommend it.

FYI, not everyone is a bigot. Yes, Oak Lawn is the epicenter of gay Dallas, but there are lots of straight people who live there too. Besides, gays are good for property values.

[WillysB]

For 150K you might start in Garland or south Arlington. You're not going to find much inner city, well, excepting maybe south Dallas or far east, going south. And then you're certainly not going to want to walk very far, unless in broad daylight and in a busy area. Any free standing house that gets sold in Oak Lawn or UpTown is for demolition, being replaced by at least four townhomes @ 250k+++ each on the same lot.

[WillysB]

Originally Posted by **NoodLes**

The Albertson's on Lemmon in Uptown is so much better than that Kroger's. Its as plain as night and day. Also Oaklawn and Cedar Springs are the homosexual areas, unless that's your thing I wouldn't recommend it.

I've been in that Albertson's a few times and find it particularly disgusting, added to lengthy check out times.

The Kroger on Cedar Springs has as much to offer with a broader selection, is brighter and smells better.

The WalMart Grocery on 75@Hall is good but WalMart tends to limit selection. They do have a large frozen food option.

The Whole Foods is good for better quality goods with an expiration date or other specialty foods. Not good for value on usual items.

Cedar Springs @ Throckmorton is the actual gay area, including some shops that have no evidence of gayness and of course a Black Eyed Pea and Cafe Brazil. Be careful about Grapevine though. There's plenty of gays out there.

[FarNorthDallas]

At $150,000 you can find an old house (1950-60s) in an inner ring suburb that happens to be "walking distance close" to the nearest strip mall.

Frisco is all new subdivisions where residents will walk around inside it, but won't go outside it. There may very well be zero retail within walking distance of your subdivision and if there is retail there is a big brick wall surrounding your subdivision separating you from the places. Frisco is not designed for destination walking.

[305guy]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

NO WAY!!!!! And that is SOOO not the type of area you described you were looking for.

Anyway, you would be looking at a MIN. on a GOOD DAY w/ zilch traffic, no road construction, no school zones, NOTHING to hold you up at least 45 Min. Granted you can use the Dallas North Tollway but that can get congested but does move along.

OK, sounds like Frisco and all the other surrounding suburbs are just that..suburbia with a lot of traffic. I'll make a point to visit Richardson Heights and Lake Highlands. Thanks for the advice. I don't want cuttie cutter suburbia even though I live in suburbia now and nothing is walkable.
I know there are alot of apartments that meet this criteria in Dallas but finding a house for that price range I guess will be challenging! Thanks

[portorro]

"The homosexual areas??" ROFL

What a dork!