considering move to Texas from S. California (Dallas, Austin: for sale, real estate)

[ellabella65]

I would appreciate any feedback or suggestions anyone might have.
My husband and I are considering a move to Texas from S. California.
We are looking at S.A., Austin, North-Dallas, Fort Worth.

We are a fairly conservative Christian family.
Although we are Cal. Natives and love the climate, we are tired of the high cost of housing and the ultra liberal values economically and socially of our community.

I homeschool our two daughters so we are not particular about school systems.
My husband has a small recycling company and would like to continue running it .

We would ideally like to find a safe but affordable neighborhood.
Possibly small (1000-1500 sq. feet), older house in an established community, lots of churches, mature trees, community pools, parks, bike trails, lakes but would need to be relatively close to a city (20-30 minutes) for business.. We are seeking to spend about 100K or less.

I would ideally like to involved in the "homeschooling" community.
Is anyone familiar with any groups out there?
I haven't been able to get much info. here.
Thanks so much!

[Squirl]

You will be challenged by your price point in nicer communities in good driving distance, but its not impossible. Look in North Richland Hills, Lake Dallas and Corinth because they are very family oriented and near good parks/lake.

There are some good (limited!) pocket sections in Irving in your price range that border nicer areas and don't have exposure to large multi-housing communities in zips 75062 and 75061, too. (both links to homes below in Irving are in good neighborhoods). Irving is very close to Dallas. My neighbors in Irving home school and I hear there are many home school networks available in the Dallas area.

7916 Limerick Ln North Richland Hills TX - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - MLS #11562062 - Realtor.com®

3662 Fairview Dr Corinth TX - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - MLS #11512301 - Realtor.com®

1602 Addington St Irving TX - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - MLS #11518811 - Realtor.com®

102 E Ireland Dr Irving TX - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - MLS #11517086 - Realtor.com®

[Eric S]

Proximity to a christian church is the least of your worries in N. Texas. I think that you could probably find something in your price range in Arlington. Arlington has decent proximity to both Dallas and Ft Worth. I think that there are actually new home developments in South Arlington that are in the Mansfield Schoold District that are just above your stated price range. I realize that you home school your kids, but for resale purposes, having a home in the Mansfield ISD is better (to most people) than having a home in the Arlington ISD. I've seen signs advertising new homes from the $130Ks. I don't know how flexible you are with your price, of course. Just offering my $0.02.

My only two close coworkers with kids home school theirs. So there is no shortage of home schooling around these parts, but I am honestly unaware of and unfamiliar with their network.

My only concern for you and moving to the area is that you are seeking a location that is fairly close to our urban core with a low-ish price point while seeking a safe and more conservative alternative to your native California. While TX is largely conservative and christian, our urban centers tend to be less so. I think that a low price of entry and the desire for close proximity to "the city" may make finding your ideal problematic around here. Even living in South Arlington probably puts you over 30 minutes outside of Ft Worth or Dallas.

Squirl offered up North Richland Hills as a place to look. Let me add Hurst, Euless and Bedford to your list. You may be able to find an older well kept home in the mid cities area in your price range.

Good luck!

-Eric

[ask76]

You should also consider looking into the North Fort Worth area such as Alliance, Keller, Watauga, and Saginaw. There are plenty of newer neighborhoods with home prices in the range you're looking at. The other suggested cities are good too.

By the way, I'm a transplant from San Diego

[EricaStarks]

I know of several neighborhoods in the Fort Worth Suburban area which would suit you. North Fort Worth/Keller Is wonderful and has a clean, new feel while still retaining a small-town community appeal. In your price range, neighborhood pools are probably not going to be easy to find, but all of your other amenities should be. Lucky for you, some of the towns in the area have water parks and community pools that are open much of the year, with low resident rates for day and yearly passes. The under $100k price range is possible here, if you know where to look. In general, Fort Worth is a wonderful area, and has a more home-town feel than Dallas. For that reason, I would suggest staying on this side of town. I grew up in the Mid-Cities area, and know what some of the commenters are saying about the urban feel of some cities. They are absolutely right, but not all cities nor their entire areas are like that.

A resource for finding a network and support group of home-schoolers is Tarrant, Texas (TX) Local Homeschool Support Groups - Local Homeschool.com

I hope this information helps make your transition to Fort Worth smooth! Welcome to TX!

[loves2read]

if your husband is planning on running his business out of your home then you need to take into account any HOA/city code restrictions--
some areas are much more strict about enforcing code requirements for home-based business

[ChristieP]

You could also look at areas in the Dallas ISD. Specifically, Little Forest Hills neighborhood in zip 75218. It fits all of your crieteria, including the price point, and since you homeschool your children, the (awful) public schools there won't be an issue. City of Dallas also doesn't seem to care about people running businesses out of their homes.

[FiddleDeeD]

Little Forrest Hills is extremely liberal and full of young professionals and hipsters as well as hippies.

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by FiddleDeeD

Little Forrest Hills is extremely liberal and full of young professionals and hipsters as well as hippies.

When my husband and I lived there back in the late 1990s, it was mostly older folks that had owned their homes forever. We were on the NE end closer to Casa Linda. Still, there is a HUGE difference between Texas and California hippies!!

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

When my husband and I lived there back in the late 1990s, it was mostly older folks that had owned their homes forever. We were on the NE end closer to Casa Linda. Still, there is a HUGE difference between Texas and California hippies!!

It's nearly impossible to find a sub-$100k home in LFH anymore. The least expensive one the last time I looked was $130k-ish for a 700sf 2/1. It was TINY. Most are in the $175-225k range these days.