Keller/North FW neighborhoods - rate them? (Fort Worth, Spring: foreclosures, rentals)

[NCtoTX2012]

We've narrowed our search for a house to Heritage and the Villages of Woodland Springs in NFW and Chase Oaks in Keller. They all seem to be zoned for great public schools in the Keller ISD. All offer homes right in our price range with layouts we like. Heritage has awesome amenities, VOWS has good pools and a house we really love at the lower end of our budget, and Chase Oaks is closest to my husband's office.

Those of you with knowledge of the area, would you please weigh in about what you know? Is one neighborhood better in terms of overall reputation, safety, etc? What about resale value? is one known for having a great builder?

We've heard some things very third hand (we are new to the area) and are hoping to gain better perspective.

[kellermaverick]

Hello, and welcome to Texas! My wife and I moved to a small neighborhood that borders the Fossil Creek golf course...I like that both I-35 and I-820 are very accessible, and we have 20 quality restaurants within a two-mile radius.

Heritage shares the same traits while offering that awesome pool complex, a variety of home styles, and a variety of retail stores.

Woodland Springs does not have the roadway infrastructure that Heritage does -- many of the access streets are two-lane roads, and traffic along the southern edge can get congested.

Chase Oaks is away from the freeways, but has access to Rufe Snow Drive and North Tarrant Parkway. Many folks on this forum have a bias toward "Keller proper" over Keller ISD neighborhoods that are located in Fort Worth city limits. The *real* benefit is that Keller has lower city taxes than Fort Worth.

[NCtoTX2012]

Thanks! We are thankful there are lots of choices.

Does Woodland Springs have a ton of foreclosures and rentals?

[snuffster]

The traffic in in those parts is unreal now. Have fun getting on the highway. I think if one more family moves there the whole area will burst.

[NCtoTX2012]

It's no joke! I saw an update recently that said Alta Vista will be done in Jan, but looking at it I'm not convinced.

[padcrasher]

"great public schools"???????????????

No. Those schools aren't that great. In fact Fossil Ridge and Keller Central are mediocre schools.

[Justaminute]

No, I wouldn't recommend Keller...

[RedRaider05]

I live in Heritage and we really like it. We love the trails, ponds, pools, clubhouse, and there are tons of families with kids and the HOA does an amazing job. If I was moving to the area and my priority was resale value, great schools, safe area and trying to stay around $200k I would choose Heritage or Crawford Farms. Heritage wins in the amenities, but Crawford Farms typically has bigger lots. We chose Heritage for the awesome amenities and the neighborhoods were more well-kept. We have small kids and the pools are awesome and all the activities are great that the HOA organizes for us. Village of Woodland Springs has poor resale value and more foreclosures, but you can really find great deals if you're more concerned with getting square footage. You mentioned Chase Oaks, I like Highland Oaks better but those homes are more expensive as they're in Keller city limits but neighborhoods are mature so you get the large trees and values hold better and Keller High School is very highly sought after. I'm really glad we chose Heritage, but if I could afford Highland Oaks (high 200's, low 300's) I would move there for the mature trees, Keller HS, but I also would have to find a home that's not too outdated which can be an issue in a lot of the homes in that area. If you find yourself leaning toward the Chase Oaks/Highland Oaks area you should also go checkout Trophy Club area.

Hope this helps,

Evan