Commute from 121/75 (Allen) to 635/75 (Richardson) (Dallas, Irving: HOA, house, transfer)

[scyogi]

I think 121 stays pretty open due to the cost of a twice daily commute.

[Galileo]

Originally Posted by JS1

why?

There are crummy houses with wet ink on the building permit, and there are great houses that are 30 years old, and everything in between. Age <> condition.

Agreed. However, there may be other hidden issues (plumbing etc) in an older house; the probability for which is lower in a newer house.

[Galileo]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

And there was no major accident on I-35E yesterday afternoon/evenng in rush hour going north. There will be at least once a week either in the morning going south or afternoon going north and when that happens........ the backup is NORMALLY an hour or more.

No, that is not the norm for 121 at all. In rush hour there will be plenty of traffic.

An accident on I-35E does not really affect this commute because I was on I-35E for about 3/4 mile (transitioning from 190 to 121). This was the slowest stretch but 3/4 of a mile is nothing.

Actually, a friend who travels from Irving to McKinney every day during rush hour tells me that this is the norm on 121, that it is not that busy at all.

[Galileo]

Originally Posted by scyogi

I think 121 stays pretty open due to the cost of a twice daily commute.

This is exactly what my friend said. He commutes from McKinney to Irving and back.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by Galileo

An accident on I-35E does not really affect this commute because I was on I-35E for about 3/4 mile (transitioning from 190 to 121). This was the slowest stretch but 3/4 of a mile is nothing.

Actually, a friend who travels from Irving to McKinney every day during rush hour tells me that this is the norm on 121, that it is not that busy at all.

When there is a major accident on I-35 it WILL make this 3/4 of a mile a PITA. An accident in Lewsiville over the lake backs up traffic for MILES and it comes to a complete standstill. The accidents on I-35 seem to come in spurts. A month or two with none and then like 2-4 bad ones in a weeks time. Since there are no service roads over the lake those people that live north of it have no other options. The service roads on the south will back up if the wreck is in the northbound lanes and also come to a standstill. People that are stuck far enough back that might have other options will take them and that would mean 121 being an option for some.

Being a toll it does keep the traffic off of 121 moreso than other roads. However, if there is an accident on their other main option they will switch to 121 for that commute that day.

Going so far out most of these people have really limited their options when it comes to their commute. Especially when bad weather, accidents or road construction throws a wrench into the grand scheme of things.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by Galileo

Agreed. However, there may be other hidden issues (plumbing etc) in an older house; the probability for which is lower in a newer house.

Newer houses also have issues w/ plumbing, foundations, etc. Trust me. Been there, done that. And NO the builder does not always stand behind their work and that "warranty" is practically worthless. Just letting you know that there can be problems w/ new homes and that builders are not always the best at standing behind that worthless warranty. And don't dare think that the state board for homeowners to go to when they do have a problem w/ a builder will be there for you the buyer either. Builders have so many loopholes to get around actually fixing a problem that it is just downright pathetic.

I know of more NEW houses with foundation problems than I do older ones.

[Galileo]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

You could drop an easy 20 minutes off the commute if your only want a new house by looking east of 75 around 190. There are new and fairly new homes in your price range in that area. Straight on 190 to Irving and then several options to the job at 635 & 75.

Are you suggesting that Murphy may be a better choice?

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Galileo

Hello all,

Hope everyone is having an event-free Monday. We (husband, wife and a 6-month old) are considering buying a new house in Allen near 121/75. How bad would the commute be to Richardson, 635/75? I hear that 75 going south is jammed up during rush hour. Any other routes that work better than 75 south? Any other thoughts? One of us will be making this commute; the other would be headed to Irving (We already know the Irving commute would be a long one). We are basically targeting newer construction and can't seem to find anything in our price range ($250k - $300k) in Richardson or Plano, which were our previous preferences.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Galileo

There is no faster route than 75 south, unless it is closed, in which case you might try Custer (if it goes that far north).

If you are totally committed to new construction on a smaller budget, you are potentially setting yourself up for very long commutes. There is no other way to slice it. 121/75 is very far north Allen. You can find great houses in that price range much further south with bigger yards, bigger trees, possibly a swimming pool in the backyard, and excellent schools.

I urge you to reconsider; both of your commutes will be a beating.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Galileo

Thank you for the reply, momof2dfw. You have made all valid points; the one's we are struggling to decide on. Newer construction, besides that it feels newer, also gives us the latitude to get a few things in the house (such as a media room, good layout, bigger size secondary bedrooms) that may/may not be available in a pre-existing house (not to say that we are not considering pre-existing homes; we are still looking at those). The goal is for us to stay as close to 635/75 so at least one of us is closer to work (and the kiddo). Beside this new construction up in Allen, we are closely looking at east Richardson, east Plano, west Plano, and west Murphy. No luck so far. I take it that there is not good way to get to Richardson from Allen.

Actually, your secondary bedrooms will probably be in better proportion to the master bedroom in an older house. The newer ones have master "suites" that are enormous and the secondary bedrooms, i.e. the "kid" rooms, are tiny. I have seen new construction with bedrooms smaller than the ones in my 1957 small ranch house.

Besides, who says a media room has to be purpose-built in a new house? You can convert any unused, decent-sized bedroom into a media room. I know people who have done it.

A daily commute from Allen to 635/75 is a beating. That area is mainly in Dallas itself anyway, not Richardson. Richardson is further north. I pass by the parking lot that is southbound 75 every day on my way to work. You do not want that. Plus momof2 made good points about being so far from your kids.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Galileo

I haven't looked hard enough at these areas but from what research I did, houses in Carrollton and FB are older houses, and we don't want to buy a house that is more than 10 years old.

Why?