Need Town With Great Schools - Accessible to TCU and Irving (Dallas: new house, neighborhoods)

[allisonhorn]

Hi all -

We are relocating to the DFW area in two months and are looking for recommendations regarding where to focus our home/neighborhood search. We have young children and therefore need to be in an area with excellent public schools.

My husband has a job at TCU and I will be working in Irving (Las Colinas). As such, it looks like maybe Keller or Colleyville would be a good fit for us - but I need help to verify this and would appreciate opinions as to why we should pick one area over the other.

Would like to stay around the $300k mark for a 4 BR home.

Priorities (in order) are:
1. Schools
2. Safe, well kept, kid friendly neighborhoods
3. Cost of homes
4. Commute time to TCU (commute time to Irving less important)
5. Access to quality commerce (good grocery stores, shopping, movie theaters etc)

Really appreciate any advice you can offer -

Many many thanks. (and many thanks to all who have posted on Keller and Colleyville in other threads - I'm finding those very helpful!)

[loves2read]

when you say "commute time" what do you rate GOOD, Acceptable, Less desireable, and Won't work at all...
because commute is the one factor that is more directly limited--
and you said 4 bedroom house--but what sq ft--there are 4/2 homes with 2100 sq ft and 4/3 homes with 4100 sq ft--big difference in prices

Southlake is the top rated district in Tarrant county and it is not available in your price range--unless maybe you can find a home in Grapevine city limits and Southlake Carroll ISD--like MLS 11333447--but there are not many homes that fit that parameter
price is little over your top price--it is north of 114--would be easier commute to Las Colinas probably than TCU (but maybe not shorter time line)
can get on 114 fairly readily and then go S to 360 S to I-30 (not an easy intersection) and then West on 30 to TCU
or follow 114 into Las Colinas area itself...

if the commute to TCU carries more weight then you are choosing between GCISD in Grapevine or north Euless town limits though, Birdville ISD in north Hurst or North Richland Hills, HEB ISD, maybe Keller ISD's southern zone in Birdville or Hurst city limits...

MLS 11375451 is in Keller ISD and Hurst city limits--good school set-house is large and looks attractive--has some wallpaper issues but real problem is that it is very close to train tracks--right now that is only sporadic noise disturbance but IF there is commuter rail in the future that is the line that will be used--and it will be very noisy then...so something I would not recommend just because there is serious consideration for doing that...

Coppell that I recommended on the Dallas board would probably not be good choice if you want a quicker TCU commute

I think anything in Northwest ISD like the Haslet area that has lot of younger families would be horrible commute into Las Colinas--like 45 min each way--maybe more when 114 is fully involved with construction

check out this MLS 11364750 in colleyville--great neighborhood--lots of younger families and teens for babysitting--would be about a 30-40 min commute to TCU and about the same to Las Colinas
and except for fact that it has almost no backyard that seems like a good price ...but the house is 2530 sq ft--that is expensive price point--118 a ft...

this MLS 11213783 is in Keller city and Keller ISD--in good school catchment--but would be a horrible commute--it is sort of land locked--not close to freeway--


almost any area you would buy in has good groceries/shopping/movies except out in the Haslet/Alliance area/north FTW--there is infrastructure going on there but many surface roads are still two lane and stop sign vs stop light--makes crowded commute that much worse

[Squirl]

Hurst has highly rated schools; not a terrible commute to either place. Homes in your price range.

Keller is also worth looking at.

[loves2read]

The only problem with Hurst is that most of the housing in that price range is older--10+ yrs--and most people want a newer home...
Keller is NOT a good option for going to work in Las Colinas unless you are in the north part by 114--and that is still past Trophy Club...and that area is a BAD commute to TCU...I-35 is about the only option for N/S and it is the pits...

[Squirl]

New house in Hurst under construction: MLS #11340931