Relocating to Dallas/suburbs in Texas (Plano, Garland: section 8, real estate, foreclosure)

[Mahealani4]

My family is relocating to a suburb or dallas texas this summer of 2010. I need to know where is the best place to live in a suburb or dallas to benefit our needs of living arrangments, shopping, schools, less crime and etc. I need to know which temp agencies are the best to work with in your state. I would like to have more information on the schools for sports, great teachers, and outstanding reviews. I am also looking for a 3 bdrm place for my girlfriend and her three small children as well. I do have friends in dallas so they are helping me out as well. But if there are any readers out there in dallas or suburb areas please respond to this and let me know.....thanks for your help....happy new year

[sskkc]

We moved to McKinney last July with 3 children.

A word of warning - do not use the school rating system to attempt to judge an area (ie, exemplary, etc). This is wholly inaccurate, as we recently found out that principals can fight (successfully) to have the lowest scores kicked out and you do not get an accurate picture of an area.

Also, demographics don't help much. We moved to an HOA community that looked (online and with first impressions) like a good neighborhood. But living here revealed that the people in this town are nothing like what you'd expect. Everyone wants to blame the economy, but I think trash is trash. There is a high incidence of children living with their grandparents, 10 and more people living in 3 bedroom homes, no parental involvement within the schools, violence (that you have to FIGHT to get documented) within even the elementary schools, little wanna be thugs roaming neighborhoods wreaking mischief with absolutely no supervision and worse.

I am absolutely dissillusioned with Texas. When we move this spring/summer, I hope it turns out that the problem is just this area, this suburb. I really thought the whole "wife beater, redneck" reputation that Texas had was a mischaracterization. Not to my experiences - so far, it's right on the money!

[JoycMarr]

I spent a week visiting different areas before I actually moved. I hated McKinney (sorry, it just seemed dirty and not well-maintained to me) and loved Plano/Allen area. 2nd on my list would be Richardson or Garland. I ended up settling on Plano because it had all the things (including location) that I was looking for.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by sskkc

We moved to McKinney last July with 3 children.

I am absolutely dissillusioned with Texas. When we move this spring/summer, I hope it turns out that the problem is just this area, this suburb. I really thought the whole "wife beater, redneck" reputation that Texas had was a mischaracterization. Not to my experiences - so far, it's right on the money!

This is why I would generally recommend that people rent during their first year in a new city/state. It takes a while to figure out where the best area for you is.

Unfortunately, a somewhat depressed real estate marker in the far north suburbs have made communities that were built with the goal of "middle class utopia" become rental properties (with Section 8 tenants) or so discounted that anyone can buy a place. There was an article in today's Morning News about several UNT frat boys who are renting a 4,000sf home in an "upscale" neighborhood in Corinth that had gone into foreclosure. They are loud & wild and driving the family-centric neighbors crazy!

Beware the $100-200k McMansion. If it's too good to be true, it probably is. You're better off buying or renting a much smaller home in an established neighborhood.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by Mahealani4

My family is relocating to a suburb or dallas texas this summer of 2010. I need to know where is the best place to live in a suburb or dallas to benefit our needs of living arrangments, shopping, schools, less crime and etc. I need to know which temp agencies are the best to work with in your state. I would like to have more information on the schools for sports, great teachers, and outstanding reviews. I am also looking for a 3 bdrm place for my girlfriend and her three small children as well. I do have friends in dallas so they are helping me out as well. But if there are any readers out there in dallas or suburb areas please respond to this and let me know.....thanks for your help....happy new year

To the OP- what is your rental budget? Are there any areas of employment or friends/ family members you wish to live near?

The DFW area has literally hundereds of neighborhoods that meet your vague criteria- stretching about 60 miles east/west by 40 miles north/south.

[sskkc]

This is why I would generally recommend that people rent during their first year in a new city/state. It takes a while to figure out where the best area for you is.

Unfortunately, a somewhat depressed real estate marker in the far north suburbs have made communities that were built with the goal of "middle class utopia" become rental properties (with Section 8 tenants) or so discounted that anyone can buy a place.

Great advice about renting first. We were/are renting here, but as soon as the lease is up, we'll be moving.

I disagree with what you've said about renters ruining an area though - the homes we know of that are the biggest problems are all owner-occupied in this neighborhood. The only other renters we've met are another family that moved here within the last year and got suckered too - they're our favorite neighbors, lol, but they're from Florida.

We've been looking at homes in neighborhoods in other towns more typical to what we expected from Texas - and the few neighbors there have seemed to be much better people.

I hated McKinney (sorry, it just seemed dirty and not well-maintained to me)

This I haven't found to be true. One of the reasons I chose McKinney over Plano was that McKinney is cleaner... much.

[momof2dfw]

If your living near my sister........... I'm sorry Their landscaping leaves much to be desired but her goofball husband thinks it looks great. Yep, letting your weedy flowers grow across the sidewalk is attractive, NOT! They constantly complained about neighbors that did not take care of their yards, parked trucks and trailers in their front driveways for days/weeks on end, etc. And this is in THE neighborhood to be in up there.

Knowing you probably live around the school that you mentioned earlier............I'm not surprised. Trust me, what you are seeing and experiencing is NOT the Texas way nor the way most Texans behave. Come on down a little bit closer to Dallas and you will find a totally different experience that is a lot more positive.

Funny experience with some folks in McKinney and me being in Garland.......... I had my sisters baby shower at my house here in Garland. You would have thought you had asked those women to go into the middle of Iraq in the heat of a war with no protection because they had to come to Garland. Well, they get here and what do they see: a nice clean area of well kept houses and yards, people out walking and playing, nice parks, a brand new mall and retail and they had to come to a upper middle class neighborhood into a very nice house. And a nice hostess and her two very well behaved children that helped out with the event. It was funny........

[suggestions]

This is why I find these blogs so overwhelming......possibly relocating to Plano.

[Grainraiser]

DFW is area is vast. The OP really needs to give better information. Things like budget, commute time and urban/surburban feel etc. all are important factors. Most cities have great and not so great neighborhoods. You could see a not so great neighborhood in a great city and come to the conclusion that the entire city must be bad. The McKinney example given earlier is a prime example. The OP really needs to be more specific as to his wants and needs before getting good advice.