Relocating Student: Where to Live? (Plano, Richardson: apartment, renting, buying a home)

[Texasbound77]

Hello! I'm a new member of this forum but have been reading the boards for some time now. This board in particular seems to be quite helpful in providing insight to new arrivals, so I thought I would ask for some quick advice. To be brief:

Husband is attending Baylor Dental School at the Texas A&M Health Science Center; we are moving from OK this summer. We would like to live as close to the school as possible, but still need to feel very safe as I may be home nights on my own, etc. Our housing budget is probably 200K, and we need a house as we have two dogs and this limits our renting/apartment options (we are house people anyway). I'd like to move somewhere we can comfortably stay for 5-10 years. We'd love husband's commute to be as short as possible (definitely no more than 30 minutes!!) We don't have kids, so school districts are not a huge deal (even though I am a teacher and am in the process of switching my OK certification to TX - will apply for jobs soon).

Safety and commute for him are our two biggest needs, but some trees and newer construction would follow as being something we'd like (but can live without). If you have any input to help in our search, we would appreciate it so much! This is a big move for us and we are trying to stay positive and not get overwhelmed (easy to do). Thanks in advance - we're excited about making TX our home!

[mSooner]

Well, to be honest, you are kind of a in a pickle. The school is near downtown, and for newer homes, you have to go North (I wouldn't go South). Plano, Allen, even Richardson are great areas, but the commute still isn't going to be fun since he'll be traveling south into the city.

Richardson is probably your best bet for buying a home under $200k and still being relatively close to the city. Not a lot of newer homes there though--some are renovated, though.

If you are willing to buy an older home, check out the areas near White Rock Lake. There are some older (like, pre-1950s homes) there that are adorable, and the area has a nice vibe. Anything under 200k is probably going to require at least a little renovation. You might hit something that's already been updated, but I think it is kind of unlikely. That being side, the drive to the Dental school from this area would be a breeze!

PS--I've spent the last 4 years in OK--great place to live. I'll miss it too