niugnip

I may be relocating from South Florida back to Texas, more specifically in the DFW area. Our office is in Addison (Preston and almost Beltline) and I would hate to have more then a 45 mile commute one-way. I would be driving the s2000 as my primary ride so I need to live somewhere I feel comfortable driving around and leaving the car in parking lots. Any recommendations? I have an uncle in Southlake, but I don't know if I want to deal with that level of taxes again. After living in East Texas (Henderson) for two years I like the country atmosphere. So with all that mumbo-jumbo I am open to recommendations. Thanks!

Thuda1

You might look around the area North of Hwy 380 from Aubrey over toward
Mckinney if you want to be out in the country a liitle bit. Don't know how the
taxes are in Collin Co. , still not too bad in Denton Co. but they have been going
up. Good luck with your move!

mxt_77

Kinda depends on what you're looking for. House, apartment, condo? I think Frisco is a pretty nice area and reasonably priced. If money is no object, I'm sure you can find something in West Plano (right along the tollway) that suits your needs.

I'd recommend not moving to Wylie if you want to have any sort of social life. You can still get some "country atmosphere" here, but it's so far removed from everything, and there is no easy access to anything. I've been here about 3 months now, and already I regret not buying in McKinney (my other option). Oh, well... live and learn. If you don't mind having a 15-20 minute drive just to get to a major freeway, then Wylie might be OK, though.

fperra

Just move to Addison. Low taxes, great health club ($10 for lifetime membership) and tons of restaurants. Not to mention short drive to work.

Wildncrazy

Yeah, the area you live in will depend a lot upon your age. If you're younger and want clubs, etc that's one part of town, but if you are older and more settled that is a completely different part of town.

Way out Wylie is just that - way out and with no easy way out.

Sexy Sachse is just as bad.

Addison is too crowded for my tastes but whatever floats your boat.

Aubrey over to Mckinney is more country with all that entails. Which means there is nothing close to you, not even a grocery store.

Frisco will be nice but with only 2 ways in or out and both of them soon to be toll roads you had better hope you can live and work there.

Richardson, Plano & North Dallas still are tops on almost everyone's list.

Similar but pricier areas are Keller, Southlake, Colleyville but expect to pay twice to 3 times the taxes. And if you must travel to Addison they are too far.

That leaves Carrollton and Farmer's Branch which are very close. They have some nice areas but the blighted areas are growing exponentially. Lots of empty retail which is just a symptom of other issues.

niugnip

Thanks for all the ideas. Being married and my wife expecting our first child I am not too interested in clubs, just nice home life. I have looked at many of the places y'all bring up, and can say that we have looked (online) at the Aubrey and Wylie areas and the home prices seem great. Moving from South Florida has it's advantages as far as resale goes, so I am not too worried about taxes (though I do not want to be in Southlake as it is too close to family). We have toyed with the idea of a condo, but don't see many of them listed online. Do most of the areas of reasonable subdivisions with at least paved sidewalks and maybe a park or two?

fperra

Check out the condo's at Addison Circle. Here are a few links:

http://www.bobvila.com/RealEstate/Zip/75001.html

http://www.intownliving.com/cgi-bin/re2.pl...l&id=1115390163

http://www.addisontexas.net/event_planners...circle_park.asp

Wildncrazy

I doubt you will find ANY areas without paved sidewalks and parks!!!!

With very rare exceptions Condos have crappy resale in Texas!

And more importantly financing is tough to come by. When you can get it quite often it is very limited and at higher interest rates. Remember there are exceptions to every rule but as someone once said "the race may not always go to the swiftest and the battle to the strong, but that's the way to place your bet." (or something like that)

The thing you have to remember about condos is that the association recent history and the owner occupancy rate determines your rates and the availability of financing. If your owner association has had special assessments (showing the potential of mismanagement) &/or the number of investor owned properties has spiked you can't get financing. If you happen to own one of those properties at that time it means you can't sell it.

Except for Condos and townhomes VERY FEW foreclosures are the fault of the property, it is usually an owner issue.

High density areas like NY city excluded, resort & 2nd home communities are about the only area condos and THs perform well in Texas.

niugnip

Thanks for all of the help. It looks like I will take the position in Dallas and now I have a better platform to look at a home. Now to find my wife a job..then again she is an OR nurse talk about an easy gig to get a job. Hopefully by the middle of September we will be back in Texas...wahoo!

downhil

im in miami as i type this on business. needless to say, i can't wait until i get back to texas. i bought my first $8 beer on south beach, had numerous crappy meals for $50 on ocean drive, and have been given horrible service at restaurants that automatically include an 18% tip. all while not even smiled at or shown any gratitude for supporting their pretentious, self absorbed little world.


i did have good service from the cheescake factory....in a mall!

maybe they're just mad b/c of a hurricane bearing down on them....