Need an overview of Dallas/Irving housing market

[zzzz]

I will begin a new job in Las Colinas in about a month. I'm looking to find a moderately priced home in the surrounding area. Where are the most desireable areas to live?

I'm single, but I'll probably want a single family 3/2 home because it will be easier to sell. Along those lines, I don't have children, but I'm especially interested in how the shool districts in Irving and the small communities nearby stack up. How would you rank them?

If you can give a brief description of how the rush-hour commute from the areas you suggest to Las Colinas (& possibly Dallas/Ft Worth) would be I would appreciate it.

Feel free to suggest specific areas/subdivisions to avoid as well.

 

[Cancer Man]

Well, I don't know much (I'm not a realtor) but I'll try. First, define "moderately priced." If you want to live anywhere in Dallas proper worth living you're looking at $200,000-250,000 minimum.

If you're able, I'd live in the M Streets/Lakewood (near White Rock Lake) area just to be close to many going-out things (especially since you're single). You're not too far (15-20 minutes from Las Colinas -- it might take a little longer in rush hour) from Las Colinas in M Streets but Lakewood, while cool, is kind of off the beaten path (not very convenient access to major freeways but that's kind of the charm).

Again, if I'm a single guy moving to Dallas, I'm not sure buying a house -- unless I can afford a place near nightlife/desirable places to hang out -- is my first option. Instead, I'd be renting a place (apartment/condo/loft in Las Colinas/West Village/Uptown. Much to do, much within walking/stumbling distance.

If you're dead-set on buying a place and don't have a lot of money to burn, I'd look into Frisco. You can (or at least used to) be able to get quite a big bang for the buck out there. Otherwise, a suburb is a suburb is a suburb. I will say that Irving ain't that great (unless you get a condo/apartment in Las Colinas). You'd be better off in Grapevine/Flower Mound/Colleyville/Southlake if you're looking to buy and it won't be cheap there either (maybe Flower Mound). Avoid Hurst/Euless/Bell and Arlington and Grand Prairie like the fuckin' plague.

 

[gunnerhorn]

I live in east Ft. Worth (right next to Arlington) and work in Las Colinas. My commute to work everyday is 30 minutes tops.

I don't know what's so bad about the Mid-Cities, except that they may be on the lower end of the middle class spectrum.

Define moderately priced. That could be $150-$400k... as I have heard such. You would be a little better off buying north of the airport, like Coppell, Grapevine, and such as Cancer Man suggested.

 

[Teasip63]

I will also put a vote in for Coppell and Grapevine. Both have a wide varitey of homes, excellent schools and a great location, near lakes, low crime and good shopping. The new Gaylord hotel thought it was good enough to build there.

It would be a short drive to work for you. Now if it is nightlife you want then you are short drive to several places close.

 

[Owlhorn]

pretty much any suburb not called Wilmer-Hutchins will have decent schools despite how people get on here and bash some of them. If you want Las Colinas you'll either be renting an apt, Living in a Mansion above one of the Byron Nelson courses or buying a loft of condo in Las Colinas. As for the surrounding burbs, they are all identical. The closests are Grapevine, HEB, Southlake(wealthy like Las Colinas), Coppell and Carrolton. Don't let them scare you from Grand Prairie or Southwest Dallas. They both have nicely priced new homes and are in a much prettier setting than the northern sprawl burbs. You might even get some hills to look at.

Dallas and Fort Worth Proper aren't far either and neither is bad. Despite their school reputations, both have excellent magnet programs that usually kick most suburban asses when all these useless rankings come out. Like it was said before a house in Dallas aint cheap unless its in southwest Dallas, which is very nice to look at. If you don't mind a townhome there are a ton of those going up around Uptown and east dallas. Just not super cheap. If you don't mind that or paying a little more for rent or even living in a condo, downtown and Uptown are great and get better each day. Its just all about what you really want once you look around as there is a lot of variety because Las Colinas is right in the middle of the metroplex, so living anywhere between the I-35s is probably very viable for you.

 

[Sasquatch69]

If you like older homes with some character, there are some great neighborhoods to the northwest of the intersection of Northwest Highway and Midway Road. You can get a nice 3/2 for around $200k, it's a short drive to 114 to head right into Las Colinas, and you know your property values will continue to rise as the neighborhood further gentrifies (a friend bought a 3/1 there last year for ~$140k and it's already worth $20k more than that).

 

[Cancer Man]

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[zzzz]

Thanks for the suggestions. I lived in Dallas before as a renter, but didn't have a feel for the housing market. I'll probably rent an apartment again for six months and check out the areas you have suggested. If anyone has any other areas they'd like to suggest, I'd still like to hear them.

 

[Cancer Man]

Uptown, zzzzz. You won't be disappointed.