Would Fort Worth Be a better choice than Dallas ? (Arlington: apartment, rentals)

[domabozo]

In terms of rentals : can I get 2 BR house in a nice walkable area in range of $1000 ?

If I considered buying : can I find a good 2 br house in range of 150 K ?

Safety : is it in general more safe than Dallas

Affordability : which cities is more affordable generally ?

[RonnieinDallas]

Originally Posted by domabozo

In terms of rentals : can I get 2 BR house in a nice walkable area in range of $1000 ?

If I considered buying : can I find a good 2 br house in range of 150 K ?

Safety : is it in general more safe than Dallas

Affordability : which cities is more affordable generally ?

There's only a handful of walkable safe areas in both cities. Dallas is too expensive you won't be able to find a house in a walkable neighborhood in that price range. Downtown Fort Worth and the Cultural District/West 7th development are out of your price range.

The near southside (76104) might work, but an actual house will be hard to find. Check craigslist and padmapper for rentals there.

[4Movingeast]

agree with RonnieinDallas that you need a bigger budget to buy in either area, esp if you want walkable. Renting is going to be tough in FW also if you want safe and walkable honestly. Someone more familiar with Dallas rentals can hopefully advise you as to that situation. In both cities, the fact that you are going for a 2bed is working in your favor price wise rather than 3 bed, obviously.If you are willing to use an apartment, I would say you can probably do pretty well in certain areas in FW but not sure how walkable they will be. As to safety, that is just totally dependent on where specifically. There are safe and unsafe areas in both cities. I'm not someone who walks around feeling particularly "unsafe" in the world so I'm not a good one to ask anyway. Affordability is prob pretty close too honestly. Best of luck!

[domabozo]

so if discarded walkable / nicest place condition .. is $1000 / month sufficient to rent 2 BR
And would 150 k be sufficient to buy a house .. in any area that is just ok ( not bad /crime ridden )

[ChristieP]

You might have a tough time finding a 2 bedroom house (3 bedrooms is the standard here) but I would think that would be sufficient to rent one if you found it. Yes, you can buy a house for $150k, but it is going to be small, older, and not in a trendy area, and it might need some work.

[4Movingeast]

Yes, if you eliminate the walkable item from your list you might have a better shot at finding a safe town home or house to rent or buy. Dallas has more 2 bedroom homes. Even in the older parts of FW they tend to be 3 beds. But- maybe a townhouse?

[loves2read]

you can check lot of MLS sites in either town for your criteria points for house to buy--
once u see something you think is possible then check crimemap on line for details as to "safety"

most of any lower priced home area are going to have more crime than higher $$ homes
just fact of life
but most crime in FTW is personal property--theft/burglary/car breakins vs assault/murder
and the same is probably true of Dallas

just know that the RE market in both towns--especially in some areas--is red hot and there is high level of competition -
homes are going for more than list in some cases

[domabozo]

would Arlington be a better option to buy or rent on that budget ? any other suggestions for any place served by DART and is affordable , safe and have a muslim / arab community

[4Movingeast]

If I'm not mistaken, there is a Muslim/Arab presence in Arlington. You might try contacting a mosque for suggestions as to housing/proximity to transit. I lived in Arlington for a short time but it's been 14 years ago now, and wasn't using transit, so I can't speak to that. There might be some kind of walkableish areas closer to UTA. Are you moving for a job or just a change of scenery/future prospects?

[loves2read]

Arlington has started a route into FTW and maybe into Dallas but has no public transit per se--
you can't catch a bus to go someplace IN Arlington--
FTW has public transit but it is not a great system
check the website for both Dallas and FTW to see how well you think it works if you are familiar with metro systems...

if that is a big factor in your decision then Dallas probably as the better metro system and it does do into some areas of Las Colinas (Irving) and Plano and into Garland I believe

don't know anything about the ethnic community aspect except there seem to be Muslims in almost any community in NTexas