What neighborhood to consider in Dallas? (Austin, Plano: fit in, how much, home builders)

[jbstx]

My husband and I currently live in Austin, but may be moving to Dallas to be closer to my husband's office. We'd like to buy a home within a 30 minute commute to his office - his office is located just south of Preston and Belt Line Road. We have two young children (3 and 6) and are currently in an area of Austin which offers exemplary schools and a very family friendly master planned neighborhood (Steiner Ranch). We would like to find a neighborhood in Dallas with great schools and young families and am open to newer construction or older, charming neighborhoods. Our price range is $450-$700K. Any thoughts? One more thing, my husband does travel from time to time so it would be nice to have an airport within a reasonable distance. No problem, right? I'll be really sad to leave Austin, so any words of encouragement are welcome

[Grainraiser]

West Plano sounds like a perfect fit for you guys. Great schools and his commute would not be that bad.

[turnbun]

I would look in north Dallas. Check into the area that feeds into Brentfield Elementary in Richardson ISD. You may also like the area called Canyon Creek in Richardson - much of that area feeds into Prairie Creek Elementary which is an excellent school. Those areas feed into JJ Pierce High School, which is a fantastic school.
Both of those areas are nice because there are a lot of beautiful mature trees in the yards. I lived in Austin for many years and really miss the trees!

[needsomeinfo]

I second west plano. if you want trees, look in some "older" neighborhoods like willow bend lakes. not sure if $700k will get you in there, but lovely trees. a newer neighborhood that has a master planned feel in plano would be lakeside on preston. beautiful walking path/pond as well as a tennis court and pool. there are also plenty of parks in w. plano- esp. arbor hills nature preserve. not quite austin, but the closest you will get in n. dallas.

if you want a little closer in, there are also nice trees in bent tree. would be closer to your dh's work, but not sure about the schools- I think it is dallas isd.

the kicker in finding your dream home may be having a lot of young families around but also within a quick commute. you could look at master planned communities like stonebridge ranch in mckinney, but the commute might be outside of 30 minutes, esp. if he travels during traffic. frisco also has a ton of younger families.


good luck on your search!

eta: dfw airport is about 30 minutes from w. plano, and love field is about 20 minutes. bent tree would be about the same. add about 15-20 minutes to each time from mckinney.

[ysms]

Move to Allen, you will love it, guaranteed!. I am speaking from experience. My wife balanced all the factors you mentioned and Allen was the perfect fit for us. Good luck.

[ufcrules1]

My wife and I did extensive research and it landed us in Castle Hills which is a beautiful neighborhood in North Dallas. Houses here range from 300k to 3 million. It's built on a golfcourse and they have playgrounds, pools, a community center, a elementary school, etc. here. All of the homes are beautiful new construction homes. There are tons of young upscale families here. My wife and I are very picky and it took us 2 years before we settled on Castle Hills.



Custom Luxury Home Builders Dallas, TX - Castle Hills Community of the Year

[stouchstone]

I think you need to consider (and tell us) what kind of home you currently live in, i.e. square footage, living areas, backyard, etc...There are many good schools (and plenty that aren't), but there are so many different variables to consider. In Dallas, on the whole the DISD schools aren't the best, but if you can afford Highland Park school district, they are the best. However, you get very little (tiny old houses with tiny yards) for your money there, in part because of the schools and because of all the restaurants, shops, cultural and entertainment features, etc...You pretty much have to go to a 'burb like Plano, Allen, Frisco, or Mckinney to get the Master Planned Community. So depending on how much of a commute, you can get an amazing house, fabulous backyard, media room, game room, study,....all the bells and whistles in your price range. There are plenty of restaurants and shopping too, but you are far from any concert venues, museums, trendier/local restaurants. I always suggest that clients with young families drive around right when school gets out or on a beautiful Saturday and see how many kids are out playing in order to know the true composition of a neighborhood. There are many older areas of Dallas that are short on kids! PM if you would like more detailed info, especially on schools.

[turnbun]

If you love Steiner, Castle Hills is similar to Steiner. Good recommendation.

[DFWAdvisor]

I agree with the areas mentioned above, but I would also recommend Southlake. Southlake offers Carroll ISD schools, which are exemplary. It is conveniently located near DFW and has beautiful neighborhoods that fit in your price range. The Town Center is great for shopping and offers some great restaurants as well.

[txgolfer45]

Look in Bent Tree. It's in Collin County which is Plano schools but City of Dallas. I live in Bent Tree West. Great location and neighborhood.