Where or where should I be looking. DFW. Family. And a descent size yard. (Dallas: for sale)

[three_yutes]

Hello,
I've accepted a relocation assignment to the DFW area. My current house is for sale and hopefully i'll be in Texas before the end of the year! Our entire family is excited as Texas seems to be a great state that still holds onto its values.

Please help me learn about the areas that may fit our family needs. We are in our mid 30's with 3 kids ranging from 5-9 years old. We believe in god and family values. We enjoy spending our free time on recreational activities and being outside. We enjoy farmers markets, swap meets, team sports for the kids, swimming, hiking, fishing, waverunners, dirt bikes, working around the house, etc.


We would like something a little spread out but yet still in or near the mix of things. I have no interest in these new developments in which each home is literally 15 feet from the next one. The minimum I may consider would be a 1/4 acre. I would prefer 1/3 acre upto 1 acre sized lot in an area with younger families who have children. A price maximum would probably be around $215,000. I have seen these properties all throughout the area, but looking at pictures just doesn't tell me about the areas.

A good public school system in a low crime area is a must. I have various locations that I would be traveling throughout for work so I would be ok in any area surrounding the DFW area. I'm also not interested in a nice area that is then surrounded by bad areas. I would like to sit out back and relax without hearing sirens, horns, and highways. An area that is mixed of white and blue collar families seems to fit us best. I would also like an area where everyone keeps their houses looking nice. I don't want to look at unkept yards and mics "stuff" strewn all around the house if you know what I mean.

I've read in other forums that you should avoid south of Dallas. I also read to look north of the cities for family oriented people. What about south of Fort Worth or in between the 2 cities?

Thanks for your opinions and information!

[ChristieP]

The areas south of Dallas are not all bad, and with your budget, they would be worth looking at. Honestly, it's going to be tough to find that much land in your price range to the north unless you go way out to the edge of the metroplex.

Where will you be primarily driving to for work? DFW is huge, so if we could narrow it down even a little, that would be good. Example: if your primary location will be near downtown Dallas, then suggesting Weatherford or Haslet isn't a good idea.

[loves2read]

if you have seen properties you think fit your priorities "all around the area" then ask about some of the towns specifically--
personally I think your price point is probably too low to get you the size lot and other amenities you want in many places...

[three_yutes]

thanks ChristieP for the quick reply.

i will not have a primary location but will be continuously visiting multiple facilities that are located to the east of dallas near mesquite all the way over to the north side of fort worth and in between.

i see that upto 1 acre in my range probably isn't feasible unless i was on the outskirts of the metroplex which isn't ruled out as of yet.

but 1/4 to a 1/3 acre is definitely possible and i would consider it if everything else fell into place. such as fully updated and in good repair.

[three_yutes]

loves2read... thank you.

I will be flying in next saturday and i am hoping to narrow down my options and areas prior to arrival. I plan to spend 3 days driving around the metroplex taking in the sights and touring the areas.


i feel pretty informed about areas such as flower mount, keller, etc. but what can you tell me about these outlying areas such as ponder, denton, lewisville, saginaw, crowely, burleson, south arlington..


thanks...

[loves2read]

Denton as "town" is busy RE area because it has two universities and a growing business environment--new retail/commercial business
Denton OUTSIDE city limits has various types of neighborhoods/price points--
Denton ISD has good schools but ratings vary so you need to check the elementary zone especially for any house--
it is much easier (relatively) for an elementary school to get the highest rating from the state education rating system than for a high school -- because elementary schools serve smaller/localized demographics---the stronger the demographic usually the higher the rating

You can search for any of those towns here on FTW forum and get many threads w/info about housing and schools--I suggest you do that and read threads that might even be several years old because some things don't change--

One town you didn't mention but might fit your bill is Roanoke--
it sits on I-35 (not recommended because of construction) but close to 114 which goes E/W across much of Metroplex--can be crowded commuter artery--
it is close to Southlake/Keller areas--has built up its restaurant/entertainment offerings--and has some neighborhoods with larger lots...
Haslet is area W of I-35, N of 820 Loop that also has some larger lots--some of that is in Northwest ISD I think which is better than Saginaw ISD...

South Arlington--the Martin HS zone is considered preferable to other high schools in AISD--would suggest you stay in that catchment

be aware that in area around Kennendale/Mansfield/S Arlington there can be rural areas where roads are pretty bad (two-lane, stop signs, open bar ditches) and traffic can be congested...there can also be flooding because of lack of drainage in heavy rains...
so even if a neighborhood is attractive there can be problems in areas around it

Your driving area will cover most of the Metroplex
I have no idea if you will be going to some areas more than others or how that pattern might change later--i.e. if other stores come into your area...
but traffic in this area is becoming relentlessly more crowded and troublesome--
toll roads are becoming the norm so I hope your work will pay for your toll tag
you might prefer to sacrifice a larger lot for more centralized location
my experience is that land here in Metroplex is expensive--more so than most people realize-so for a developer smaller/less expensive homes usually are built on smaller lots--
even having a 1/4 acre doesn't mean you will have more privacy because your neighbor is likely just 10 ft away...with overlook if there are two-story homes...