Advice on where to look, working near DFW airport (Fort Worth: rental, low crime)

[Ivy_CA]

Hello all. I've been reading a lot of posts the past couple of days about the area but I realized I was just going to have to make a post and ask for advice.

My husband has been asked by his company to relocate from Orange County, CA, to the DFW area. Their office is a couple blocks south of the airport. He has been told that many of his coworkers live in Euless and Bedford, so I've kind of been looking around there, but I would love to know where else to look.

We have three children (all boys) and by the time we moved they would be entering grades 7, 4 and preschool (or pre-preschool - he's 3). My older two boys have been in their district's gifted and talented program, and that district takes all the g&t kids and puts them in their own classrooms full time. I know that that is not that common, which is too bad, because I know especially for my kids being gifted isn't all about just being brainy and getting good grades. The kind of gifted kids my family produces are definitely the type to be listed "underachievers" and the ones that are in danger of not reaching their potential and dropping out of school. I would like to find the best g&t program I can, but I know that I might not get exactly what I get here. But anyway. The other specialized issue is that my middle son is a gymnast and has been doing competitive club gymnastics (it's club or nothing out here) for two years now and I know he wants to continue. He's not top all around or anything like that but he really enjoys it and works very hard. Also the boys are in scouts here (and their dad and I are active volunteers), but they're in pretty, well, "secular" units. In fact we don't belong to a church or other place of worship and nobody has ever cared - church membership isn't required by the BSA, but still. I don't know if we can find scout units like that out there.

The other issue is, while we're going to be renting at first (we've never purchased a house before, and that will not be surprising if you are familiar with Orange County) I can't imagine we could afford a house any time soon that would cost more than say, $300k or so. If we could afford a $600k home we'd already own one here and would be doing everything we could NOT to relocate. Just from looking at the listings, the housing market out there is so unlike it is here. For one thing it seems so widely variable. I'm a little confused by these really "cheap" houses not far from million dollar homes. I keep thinking there much be a catch or a scam or something. I know there are "bad" and "good" neighborhoods, but they're pretty close together for that to be the whole story, I think?

Of course, my financially-minded brother says we should just buy a $175k house in DeSoto (we have family friends there) no matter what we could afford and take the savings and pump up retirement/college funds. But DeSoto is almost 30 miles from the office and I know my husband doesn't want to have more than a 30-minute commute and would prefer shorter.

I know that was rambling, and I'm sorry. Here's a summary. Where should I look if:
1. I'm looking for a good school district that ideally has a good gifted & talented program (not just a program where all you get is extra homework)
2. Is near to a gymnastics facility that has a boys' team (hopefully less than 30 minute drive away)
3. Is less than a half hour commute to just south of DFW
4. It's possible to buy a home in the community for $300k or less? In a neighborhood that isn't high crime?

Maybe this doesn't exist. Maybe he'll have to drive farther, I don't know. The company is flying us out there next week so we can take a look around, so I would love to know where to look. I appreciate the help.

[ChristieP]

Any community here where the homes are in the $300k price range will be low crime. That budget will buy a nice house here. You won't have problems with crime unless you get into neighborhoods where the houses are $125-150k or lower. As a general rule, you will want to stay north of 183 to get the better neighborhoods and schools.

Honestly, the northeast Tarrant County area has plenty of good schools and homes in your price range. Hurst, Euless and Bedford all share a school district (HEB ISD), which is well regarded. The other big school district in the area is Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, whose scores are a little bit better than HEB, but not by much. I wish I had information on the GT programs in this area, but alas, I do not.

No way would DeSoto be feasible for a job near DFW airport. The commute would be horrible, and you'd spend a fortune on gas! Decent houses there are the same price as decent houses closer to work, so there wouldn't be any financial incentive. Also, DeSoto ISD isn't one of the better ones.

Most gymnastics here is also club. Again, I don't have much info on it, so someone else will have to share.

[4Movingeast]

GCISD for sure would be a good fit- and after your children are enrolled and students at their neighborhood school you can apply for Aspire Academy for the next year if you feel it would be a better fit. Regardless, GCISD will transfer your GT children right into services at their neighborhood school. It is a pull out program, but the level of "regular" instruction in our district is fairly differentiated for a public school and many schools are 1:1. Lots of info on the website for prospective parents. We applied for and gained admission to the STEM academy but decided to stay at our neighborhood school as I am returning to work part time soon and will need bus service. Plus we love our neighborhood school and my children really want to stay there, Lego robots or not

Kim Zmeskal's gym Texas Dreams is close by in Coppell and I would say look there, zoned to Pinkerton Elementary, as well. Rumor is it will be an IB PYP school soon. There is a gymnastics facility about 5 min from my house in Colleyville but I don't think it is club level. Several of my boys' friends take classes there, boys and girls.

We moved to Colleyville in Sept after selling our home quickly and moving into a rental in Coppell and focusing there. My husband was unwilling to compromise lot size and updates but I will always second guess giving up! Love the diversity, and the keeping up with Jones vibe is so much lower although parents and children are still super competitive (It's more about grades than stuff like it is in Colleyville/Southlake, gag me). That said I have already made some great friends here and no one seems bothered that I have a Suburban instead of a Lexus and that our home is a humble 1 story non McMansion.

Bottom line:You can't go wrong with GCISD or Coppell ISD in my opinion. But- if you luck into a rental zoned to Pinkerton (all the elementaries in CISD are great, none to avoid, but that is their "choice" school you have to apply for or live in the zone) that might be the best fit based on the type of school your children currently attend.

[loves2read]

LD Bell and Trinity high schools in HEB ISD had state and nationally ranked teams for decades in the 90s-2000s but those coaches have retired by now
Don't know how strong gymnastic programs are currently but you can certainly Google
Gymnastics are state sanctioned school athletic

I don't know any ISD that does GT like that
In fact schools are having difficult time giving GT the support it used to get
Doesn't mean schools aren't good or don't turn out knowledgeable kids but my son was GT and pretty unmotivated by grades

300k is a decent price for house but because of location close to DFW it is likely to be older one
Bedford was basically built out by 90-
North Euless might be best option especially anything in Grapevine ISD

Housing is not CA expensive but it isn't cheap either and taxes and home ins add up

[WorldKlas]

I agree with all above. Look for Grapevine-Colleyville ISD if you can. Otherwise, HEBISD (Hurst, Euless, Bedford Independent school district). School zones here don't always follow town names so you may find a rental in Euless (especially zip code 75039) that is zoned to the GCISD. I am sure you will find a gym program for your middle son; there are lots of choices here. I don't think its that important to be cautioned to find a place north of 183 because of crime -- really not a problem -- but just that the areas north of 183 tend to have better shopping and other conveniences. There is a nice cluster of neighborhoods south of 183 near Americanan (very close to your husband's work) that is considered Fort Worth/Euless and is zoned to brand new schools in zip 76040

http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...15-11966?row=6

this one in McCormick Farms is a great location, too
http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...23-21152?row=4

[BetsyC21]

Also, Yes you can find VERY nice homes in the $300k's. And the drastic difference between the prices are old smaller homes vs. larger new beautiful homes. The Bedford, Grapevine, Colleyville areas have always been desirable areas with good schools.

[Ivy_CA]

Thanks everyone. My husband's company brought us out last weekend to take a look around. The HEB area is very nice. We do seem to prefer the northern part of Bedford at the moment, but I need to look more into the elementary schools, so that might change. From what I have heard Harwood JHS is preferred over Euless (only looked at those two so far), so will probably look more in Bedford and Hurst.
And it's nice that it is so close to where he'll be working, but to be honest I kept having this strange feeling that everything was closer than I thought it would be. I mean, we were staying at the Sheraton in Irving and I kept thinking it would take longer to go around the airport to Bedford than it actually did.

I guess now I need to look into how much things like preschool, rec center classes, etc cost out there. I noticed a lot of water park type facilities, which I guess makes sense. I need to see if they have membership fees and how much they cost.

It's too bad that everyone recommends that you buy a newer home, too, because I didn't like the look of the new construction (we did also drive through Colleyville a bit) and I do like the look of many of the older homes.

There's so much to know moving to a new area. I am sure there are things I'll never think to ask. But again, thanks everyone for your advice.

[4Movingeast]

Re: traffic, operative word= weekend. And who is recommending new construction??? Your money will go so much further and you'll get a better lot if you buy existing.

When you need specific recs for gym etc LMK.

[ChristieP]

I agree that there's no reason to buy new construction, especially when you like the look of the older homes!

[loves2read]

New construction in n Bedford= one snall development at Central n Cheek Sparger
That land built up w fill in areas to rise above the creek there
Brookwood Hills , the one across from it, then Bedford Estates , and one on Cummings west of Forest Ridge--best older neighborhoods IMO
But remember Cheek Sparger boundary between Bedford n Colleyville
Different school districts just across the road