So Cal to Ft Worth move (Dallas, Fort Worth: for sale, to rent, insurance)

[Awesomeroxy23]

Hello, my family is getting ready to make the move from southern CA to the Ft Worth area in the next 6 months. We currently own a home here and I work from home for a company that has offices in Irvine CA and Ft Worth. So the opportunity to relocate is there and since the cost of living is so high in CA we think Ft Worth is our best option.

Hoping to get some feedback on the best areas to look for a home. My office would be right where the I-35 and 820 intersect and I have heard that north of that is best. We want to consider areas in the best school districts, safe and family oriented neighborhoods (we have two kids under 3), around 250-300k, and whether it is best to rent or buy. We fear if we sell our home in CA we would never be able to afford to come back, but we could live off one income in Ft Worth I think.

Also would love any information about weather (tornadoes??), home insurance costs, property taxes, daycare costs, etc. anything that anyone would be willing to share would be greatly appreciated.

Lastly, can someone explain how homes are so affordable there? What I mean is, my current home costs more than some of the newly constructed homes I've looked at online and is less than half the size! What's the catch? Is there something I'm missing?? Thanks so much!!!!

[Threestep2]

Your budget will get a cookie cutter subdivision house. Have you been to DFW or are you looking on-line only?

[Austinite76]

Originally Posted by Awesomeroxy23

Also would love any information about weather (tornadoes??), home insurance costs, property taxes, daycare costs, etc. anything that anyone would be willing to share would be greatly appreciated.

Lastly, can someone explain how homes are so affordable there? What I mean is, my current home costs more than some of the newly constructed homes I've looked at online and is less than half the size! What's the catch? Is there something I'm missing?? Thanks so much!!!!

Tornadoes are exceedingly rare, but they do happen. Hail is the bigger challenge. Property Taxes are higher, but there's no state income tax, YMMV on whether that's a benefit or not. Really depends on the value of the home you purchase on your HH income.

Homeowner's insurance costs will be DRAMATICALLY higher, unless you're currently in a fire-prone canyon area, then it will only be a lot higher. A good rule of thumb is .5%-.7% of the home value on an annual basis.

Daycare costs appear to be about the same, depending on what you're looking for.

The catch is the weather. it'll be 90+ today, with 50+ humidity. It'll feel like 100 and something and that's typical. It'll also ice in the winter, maybe even on a day that the morning temp is in the 50's or 60's and drops to the 20's while you're at work.
You'll also have FAR fewer social services available, if that's something you use or rely on.
Personally, I wouldn't buy a new construction home in any Texas city right now. The sweet spot is homes built in 2008-2010.

Oh. And it's just "35" or "820"... NO "THE".

[tcualum]

FYI 820 is a loop. You are talking about North Loop 820. You can easily get lost in Fort Worth if you don't know what part of the loop something is on. There's North Loop, East Loop and West Loop. The south part of the loop mostly overlaps with I-20 so you'll usually refer to I-20 instead of South Loop 820 although you'll sometimes see someone mention Southeast or Southwest Loop to refer to the portions between I-30 and I-20.

Also, within the DFW area I-35 splits and goes through downtown Fort Worth and downtown Dallas. It merges north and south of the Metroplex. I-35W is in the Fort Worth area and I35E is in the Dallas area. If you ever venture into Dallas be warned that most of freeways and highways have names that are also used.

[Awesomeroxy23]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I visited DFW for work about 4 years ago for a week in January. Thewheather was cold but not overwhelming at the time. I enjoyed my stay and the areas that I saw. Downtown I think, the stockyards maybe it was called? But since then have only been lookin online. We are planning another trip in October to check out some areas and homes and get a general feel
For how we will adjust to the change.

I think the weather will be tough to get used to and having to factor property taxes and insurance into our monthly payments will be an adjustment for sure. Also getting used to how to refer to the freeways/highways. I'm so used to saying THE before the number

[Austinite76]

You cannot base winter in Texas off a few days. We'll have weeks in the 70's followed by weeks in the 20-30's, bookended around a couple days that are:

Mother Nature: you can't have all four seasons in two days.

Texas: Hold my beer.

[asiatrails]

Look in ZIP code 76244 for schools in Keller ISD, Zillow will show a lot of existing homes for sale, at your price point this is probably the best option, you can always upgrade the interior as you want.

https://www.zillow.com/fort-worth-tx-76244/

Keller ISD School link: Home

[abelinkkin]

Houses in the $250k-300K range are very competitive right now. Typically they have multiple offers within the first day. Take a look at the Justin or Haslet area if you want a little more rural.