Where in the Dallas metro should 50 Somethings buy? (Fort Worth, Lewisville: houses, new construction)

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by nanomatrix

Nita,

Which part of Grapevine isn't on a DFW flight path?

I believe you would be pretty safe if you go as far west as the little town goes or south, near Euless/Bedford. For a more accuate answer I think you would be safe asking a realtor. Beleive it or not, they normally will not mis-lead you.

[Brookside]

Interesting post.

Have you considered Lakewood, Lake Highlands and other areas around White Rock Lake?

It's a mixed bunch. Yes there are families, but nothing like what you see in Frisco. The homes are older, mostly ranch style and quite a few have been remodeled. Being close to White Rock Lake would be a huge plus, imho.

I like the feel of these neighborhoods, although most of the houses are out of our price range, unfortunately.

[Lesleymo]

Frisco is not so bad! We are in our mid-50's and love it here. Stonebriar is a really nice neighborhood, with mostly 'older' folks. Not a whole lot of kids. Maybe a little more $$ than you want to spend, though.

[Lakewooder]

If you are foodies you should consider one of the ranch homes in the north part of Lakewood - lots of chefs and foodie types and close to all the cool restaurants, coffee shops, wine stores/wine bars, groceries and specialty shops. You would probably have to do a kitchen remodel - if you concentrate on the homes up until the early 60s most of those have pier and beam foundations and hardwood floors. You could try in this general area for your price range: Ridgewood Park -- Dallas, Texas 75214

You could also try the other side of White Rock Lake and north of the lake - Lake Highlands.

[kaykay]

Hmmmm.....yes, I can see how a large kitchen and 3 bedrooms might not describe a lot of houses. Now if you can go up to 4 bedrooms, I would recommend my neighborhood of Chase Oaks in Plano. (Just east of 75, just north of Legacy) The houses range from about $250,000-$400,000. We have a very nice, large kitchen (which is kinda wasted on me but that's another story!) Our house is a one-story. There are a few of them in Chase Oaks. Not sure about some of the other floor plans. My husband and I are in the 50+ range. There are families with children there, but it seems that a great many, if not the majority of the people are older like us. It is a very quiet, tree- lined neighborhood (about 17 years old.) Now a 17 year old house will probably not be as energy efficient as something newer, but I assume you could put some of those things in place if that's important to you.

[donnaaries]

Are you opposed to living in a multi-level home? One neighborhood (or rather, small development) that popped in my mind after reading your post is the Frankford Lakes zero lot homes in far north Dallas (Frankford @ Preston). They're almost brand new (built 2000 and later), multi-level homes that seem to be geared at couples without children (bigger living areas, kitchens, etc). The area is a nice mixer of older empty nesters (far north Dallas along Preston Rd), wealthy families in the Bent Tree Country Club area (homes in the 1-2 million range not uncommon) and younger couples who are flipping the houses from the 70's and 80's, as well as renters in apartment complexes.

Here's an example of a 3/2.5/2 on realtor.com 18111 Frankford Lakes Circle, Dallas, TX, 75252 - MLS ID#11130913 - Single Family Home real estate - REALTOR.com® (http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/18111-Frankford-Lakes-Circle_Dallas_TX_75252_1105887633?mp=1 - broken link)

And since you guys are foodies, you should know that there's a Central Market (Texas' version of a premier foodie market) very closeby, and lots of ethnic markets (I can think of a middleeastern market a few miles away, a few Asian grocers a few miles north, etc).

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by donnaaries

Are you opposed to living in a multi-level home? One neighborhood (or rather, small development) that popped in my mind after reading your post is the Frankford Lakes zero lot homes in far north Dallas (Frankford @ Preston). They're almost brand new (built 2000 and later), multi-level homes that seem to be geared at couples without children (bigger living areas, kitchens, etc). The area is a nice mixer of older empty nesters (far north Dallas along Preston Rd), wealthy families in the Bent Tree Country Club area (homes in the 1-2 million range not uncommon) and younger couples who are flipping the houses from the 70's and 80's, as well as renters in apartment complexes.

Here's an example of a 3/2.5/2 on realtor.com 18111 Frankford Lakes Circle, Dallas, TX, 75252 - MLS ID#11130913 - Single Family Home real estate - REALTOR.com® (http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/18111-Frankford-Lakes-Circle_Dallas_TX_75252_1105887633?mp=1 - broken link)

And since you guys are foodies, you should know that there's a Central Market (Texas' version of a premier foodie market) very closeby, and lots of ethnic markets (I can think of a middleeastern market a few miles away, a few Asian grocers a few miles north, etc).

I have one question, as the OP is looking for the perfect kitchen, do your homes have that to offer? It sounds like she is more interested in a good kitchen than the market, now if it were me, I would want both...

[donnaaries]

Yeah the pictures on realtor.com doesn't show the kitchen. I probably should have posted this link: Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed that has the kitchen photo.

For a 1900 SF house, I think that kitchen is pretty spacious and has the granite countertops and gas range.

I'm just suggesting that a zero lot home or townhome that is geared towards empty nesters may be the way to go (low maintenance). Frankford Lakes certainly isn't the only development, but it is one within their price range, unlike the townhomes at Shops at Legacy or even Addison would be out of their price range.

I love Lakewood, but based on what the OP has said (not wanting an older place that requires a lot of remodeling, and most older homes have small kitchens), I don't see it as the right fit for them, particularly for their price range.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by donnaaries

Yeah the pictures on realtor.com doesn't show the kitchen. I probably should have posted this link: Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed that has the kitchen photo.

For a 1900 SF house, I think that kitchen is pretty spacious and has the granite countertops and gas range.

I'm just suggesting that a zero lot home or townhome that is geared towards empty nesters may be the way to go (low maintenance). Frankford Lakes certainly isn't the only development, but it is one within their price range, unlike the townhomes at Shops at Legacy or even Addison would be out of their price range.

I love Lakewood, but based on what the OP has said (not wanting an older place that requires a lot of remodeling, and most older homes have small kitchens), I don't see it as the right fit for them, particularly for their price range.

we had a zero lot line in Lewisville, loved it. I did miss not having enough room for a small garden, well I did grow a few cukes and lots of parsley.

Oh, and we had a nice kitchen, well I wouldn't say it was really nice as in jazzy, but I too love to cook and the one thing it had was lots of counter space...Always a positive. By the way, some older homes do have great kitchens or updated ones. Our daughter has a huge kitchen, her house is 22 years old and she just re-did it with new counters, etc. I can't wait to see it. We will be going down in 2 weeks to do our annual canning. My house here has a nice kitchen, modern, I love it, but it is really small; that I don't like..

Nita

[Lakewooder]

However, if they really do want a townhome there are some good deals in new developments on those off Lower Greenville, a few around Knox-Henderson and probably the most around the Oak Lawn/Turtle Creek and part of Uptown.