Relocating to Fort Worth (Dallas, Plano: mineral rights, foreclosure, HOA)

[CAMOMOF2]

Hello Everybody,
My family and I will be relocating to Fort Worth. My significant other will be working in Coppell. We are looking for an area to live in that is great for raising a toddler and teenager and an easy commute. Good schools are a big plus for us. Any information would help. We would like to stay in the 300k-400k price range. Would love a new developing community, but a established community would work too. Right now we are just trying to narrow down area to live in that is safe and has really good schools..
Thanks

[loves2read]

Coppell itself might be good fit--
the ISD there is well-regarded and property values are good--most areas are safe--don't think there is much new construction though...

Grapevine is another area you might like--has historic downtown--nice retail/restaurants in the area--good ISD
Lewisville, Flower Mound, Colleyville are also pretty close
a little further away west are Keller, Southlake, North Richland Hills,
east is Las Colinas in Irving
or if you go further north on I35 areas that are little more rural...

Google a map and then do search on this forum...lots of posts about specific towns/neighborhoods/builders or ISDs

You don't say where you are moving from so if it is outside TX
couple of things to know--
in TX our ISDs do not run congruent with towns' boundaries--

one ISD could be in 2-3 different towns and some towns could have 2-3-4 ISDs that overlap their boundaries...ISDs can set their own tax rates but their property valuations are done through a central agency--in Tarrant county it is Tarrant Appraisal dist and in Dallas co it is Dallas appraisal district...

they have public access--you can check address for any house on MLS and see what the tax entities are that homeowner pays to and what the rates are...

you can claim a homestead exemption for a primary residence which gives some tax relief and if you are older can claim a senior citizen reduction as well as disabled status if that is the case...

Taxes add quite a bit to the overall cost of home expenses--some people who move here think they are high compared to where they come from--just depends...
most new construction/subdivisions have HOAs -- you should ask for the HOA rules/conventions when you consider a home--
there was post on the Dallas board not long ago about man who bought home in Frisco--northeast of Coppell--and found out that it was against the HOA conventions for him to park his new Ford p/u on his driveway...more expensive brands like Cadillac or Lincoln models would have been ok--but they would not allow the Ford...
So check out what rules might affect your living in specific neighborhoods and realize that some HOAs are really strict about enforcing their rules...
Also be aware that in the Tarrant county and west--there has been big surge in drilling for natural gas--Barnett Shale wells -- many of them are on the DFW airport property--that is not that far from Coppell--so some might be drilled IN Coppell--
some people are keeping their mineral rights if they have any associated with their lot...
putting in pipelines in residential areas is also a bone of contention in FTW because companies have to have means to take the NG from the wellhead to the some central distribution point...

[5stones]

I'll second and say yes to Coppell!
It has all that you are looking for and no commute!


Grapevine, Colleyville, Lewisville and Flower mound would also be good areas to look into as well, but added commute time.

[CAMOMOF2]

Thanks loves2red and 5stones. We will be moving from outside of TX. Do any of the areas mentioned have new communities/construction? What about golf course communities? Also in the areas mentioned do most of the homes have private swimming pools?
5stones you mentioned areaa that would add to the commute time. Which one would have a shorter commute?
Thanks

[5stones]

shortest commute to Coppell (besides coppell itself) would be Grapevine and then Plano is pretty close as well.

There are tons of new construction and golf scourse communities in the area...how much are you wanting to spend on housing and how big of a house?

we found about 50% of the homes we looked at had pools in the backyard. Neighborhoods with community pools had less backyard pools than those without.

BUT...if I were you I'd would really focus on Coppell...it's great tons of families and great schools, lots of community activites etc...
houses do seem to have smaller yards in Copppell though.

[CAMOMOF2]

We want to stay below $400k. If possible low $300k would be great. Would like at least 4 bedrooms/2.5-3 bathrooms with swimming pool. Would I find that in Coppell? Sounds like Coppell is family oriented with great school and a nice area to raise kids. I will make sure it's on our list.
About how far is Coppell from the airport?

[nsumner]

Coppell is very close to the airport <15 minutes. Very family oriented.

In the price range mid 300 up to 400K with the amenities you describe, you would be looking for a home built in the 90s in Coppell. Newer construction starts over 500K and there is very very little of it. Riverchase 18 hole golf course is in the heart of Coppell. It's not the greatest but the only here. Nearby Irving there is a gated community called Hackberry Creek with a much nicer course.

One tricky thing we have here is school districts often overlap city boundaries. So you may be looking at a home in the city of Coppell but the school district is Carrollton-Farmers Branch. Coppell is the creme puff of the 2.

Where in Fort Worth will you be commuting to? that would help to recommend other areas too.

Naima

[CAMOMOF2]

Ok so what about new contruction near Coppell that is also family oriented and with very good schools. I have a daughter that transitioned from a christian school for middle school. She will be finishing 8th then to high school there in TX. Want an area that will not depreciate if market turn for worse.
It does seem like the school districts are a little tricky there. So is it better to find out what school we want to attend then look for housing in that area?
We will not be commuting to Fort Worth. Job is in Coppell. Will have to travel to airport often.
Thanks everybody..

[nsumner]

The next best thing would be a community called "Castle Hills" about 15 minutes north Coppell. There are a few good builders there. It's within the city of Lewisville but at the very SE corner so it's closer to Plano. If a pool is a must, then you would have to look at pre-owned homes only. Castle Hills has only 5 homes with a pool priced below 400K. It is a master planned community with several ponds, many parks, country club and golf course. There are homes up to 2+ mil.

Naima

[loves2read]

CAMOMOF2
there are only a few communities where housing values would not lessen if market turns south--that is asking for the impossible..
Highland Park is probably the only area that you could say that about and that is outside your price range...
there are nice neighborhoods all over Tarrant county in a variety of price ranges where some houses are selling at a discount--almost every neighborhood has at least one foreclosure in its immediate past and probably a few more to come...
be realistic...
don't buy a house if you are afraid it will drop in value in five years...with this bailout plan and the government asleep at the wheel for the past 8 years there is not telling how bad things will get over the next 3 to 5 years...housing here never went quite as California as well California or some other areas...I have seen what some people are paying when I watch HGTV Property Virgins or other RE shows--people are nuts to pay that for a tacky house with one bathroom...things have not gotten that bad here but
where land is expensive and homes are reasonably priced and fairly new--lots are small...
if you want larger lots your options are go north toward Denton or west toward HasletAledo or buy older homes in older neighborhood that could be borderline and without remodeling...
and YES--pick your ISD/school first and then find a house--you pay major portion of your home taxes to the ISD you live in so get one you like...
Teresa -- don't put your phone number here--do a PM to the poster if you absolutely want to share that but IMO that is reckless behavior...