Little Overwhelming this Texas thing (Arlington, Flower Mound: section 8, apartments, foreclosures)

[Sidney2Tex]

Looking at other people's posts regarding area builders and there seem to be some quality homes that are also affordable (under $200k). As I poke around various RE websites - I have noticed many areas such as area code 76131, 137 etc 120 & the homes offer a bit more than Keller area etc.

Are there any specific areas where the house & land surrounding house makes sense? We require an inground pool & yard for dogs, deck & updated interior. Best area options under $250k?

Thanks!
-Sid

[Mckellyb]

Unless you insist on buying new, I'd seriously consider shopping a 2-7 year old place.

Determining the builder isn't ultra-easy, but it can be done.

[loves2read]

in Tarrant county the Tarrant Appraisal District site lists any residential address
this is the Tarrant Appraisal District site--the entity responsible for appraising property/collecting taxes/apportioning to the tax receipient like the ISDs or the county or city its taxes for that property

if you check on the history of the property--usually the initial owner is the builder or the next one--
some of the older homes don't go that far back
and if people bought the land and contracted with a builder vs the builder owning the land and building a spec home to sell then there would be no builder info in TAD but if it is a subdivision you can check other homes and see who builders were
I used it a lot to investigate builders of homes when I was house shopping
some local custon/semi builders own in the names of their development companies so sometimes it is difficult to find out the person behind the name--but you can ask for info and see if anyone else recognizes it...

most people here don't shop by zip code--that covers a lot of ground/homes/neighborhoods and there is too much variance in quality of neighborhood to make a blanket statement
most people shop by school districts--even if they don't have kids--and by specific neighborhoods where home values/quality are likely to be more homogenous...

IMO--76120 is less expensive because of the area and the schools--north arlington--apartments--section 8 housing in some of them...the age of the homes--most of them are 25+ yrs old I would guess on average--some of the houses are foreclosures
does that mean you could get a home you would like--yes--but you have to be more specific about all factors
and the builder is not the most important factor on a home that is 20+ years old


most people also have requirements for a work commute--the zip codes you listed are pretty separated--one in Azle/Saginaw area and then the north Arlington one--
where are the jobs at
do you have children or plan to
(and even if you don't -- better ISDs are usually better long-term bets for house choice)

[Kibby]

I agree with the school district search criteria but the commute criteria is also very important in this area. It's not unusual to end up with a 1 hour+ commute each way to work if you wind up in the wrong area. Some of these freeways are horrors during drive time.

Finding a nice house with a pool in your price range should not be a problem. Finding that same place with an acre of land is a whole lot harder, if that's what you have in mind.

[Sidney2Tex]

Thank you. May have kids at some point so definitely a consideration. Fiance will be flying out quite a bit - so need to be near airports as well if this is helpful. Any other good areas for us to consider?

[loves2read]

WHERE is your job located???
if you don't know--then you are probably making a mistake to buy a home based on what you like vs decent commute
there is little public transportation in Tarrant county--people have to drive on freeways to/from work
they are crowded during normal commute times and generally during the day
as another poster said it is perfectly possible to have an hour's drive each way--
most people would NOT want to do that for years on end...

[Sidney2Tex]

Thanks loves2read - work is @ 170/377 for fiance but he travels mostly so close to dfw is really more important since he will be back/forth from there a couple times a week. Any suggestions are helpful!

[5stones]

So you are now looking to buy verses renting an apt?
I would still suggest renting an apt (you can probably get a 6mo lease) in Roanoak.
Use that as your base for looking for a house. You will become more famililar with the area and the traffic etc...
Easy work commute easy DFW drive.

You might also look at the TH in Southlake Towncenter, someone might be renting one out. It would be a great place for a newcommer to be located. You are in the middle of work and Airport and could walk to shops, resturants etc... It seems many young professionals reside there.

Aslo there are TH and aptments in Keller town center as well. It doesn't have the shopping that Southlake has but has a few resturants and grocery etc... Also it would be cheaper than Southlake.

close to Raonoak and DFW and under 250k will get a new house out in the Allaince area or along the I-35W area and 377. OR to be closer to DFW you wil be looking at an older house, like in Grapevine.

You are young without kids..so I really don't think you will be happy living in a trac neighborhood out by I-35W. The Saginaw area would be a pain to get to DFW a couple of times a week.

The Las Colinas area might be good..work commute wouldn't be that great but not aweful either. he would be going against the 114 traffic that heads into Downtown. but afternoons getting back it bogs down at the construction on 114/121. But the trips into DFW would be a breeze.

[Sidney2Tex]

Thanks 5stones - you're awesome. We may just need to get our feet wet & step onto the property ladder - even if it is a 2 year commitment. Want to go through RE exercise while we are both gainfully employed etc. What do you think of Flower Mound? If we have to rent for a bit - I agree, it will be helpful in order to learn the lay of the land. Sort of all over the place so any insight you have is truly appreciated. Will be lots for us to do once we get the green light to get there.

[Rakin]

I do quite a lot over in north Tarrant County / Ft Worth and I'd highly recommend Flower Mound compared to NFW. It's one of the nicest cities around and loaded with kids. You can go around the back part of lake Grapevine to get to the 170/377 area without hitting heavy traffic.

There is a Development named Lantana I had quite a few move to that work in NW Tarrant County.