Relocating in October to the FW area. Need advice on great neighborhoods. (Fort Worth: sales)

[Relo-Kitty]

Hello there, new member here.

My husband's job will be transferring to Westlake in October. We have a budget of 220k. We have a 5 year old, and a 5 month old.

We have already been looking in the Keller area. Heritage looks like it has fantastic amenities. Upon reading some posts here, I've gathered that Woodland Springs, Crawford Farms are the places to be? Am I correct? Also, is it better to have your own pool, or to go by what certain communities have to offer in amenities?

I've also searched other areas such as Flower Mound, Carrollton, and Highland Village. The houses have more trees (as a New Englander I’ll need trees) but are older, but judging by how the properties have held their value I'm assuming there's a good reason for that?

However, a community like Heritage seems very convenient. Do HOAs let you plant trees in your yard?

Of course there’s the issue of schools, I read somewhere about budget cuts in Keller, are they still worth it? Or should we save ourselves the sales tax and live in Fort Worth and send them to private schools
So many questions!

[ChristieP]

The west side of Flower Mound is OK (not great) for commuting to Westlake, but not the east side. There is no bridge across Lake Grapevine, so the commute would all be on surface streets with schoolzones, lights, etc. Carrollton is much too far away; take it off your list. Highland Village is further away than the east side of Flower Mound. For me, that would be too far.

Definitely look at Grapevine. It's in your price range, not far from Westlake, has LOTS of houses with trees, and very few HOAs. GCISD schools are better-rated than Keller ISD.

Personally, I am not a pool person. Maintaning it will cost about $150 a month, and if you build one, you will not see a dime of your investment returned in a higher resale price. Also, many buyers look for homes without pools, so it may negatively affect your resale. If you can find a community pool, I would go with that option.

[babs7907]

Yes, KISD have had some cuts that will affect the schools, but that's not to say that any other ISD will not encounter the same financial issues down the road, Keller just happens to be one of the 1st to take the big hit, I'm sure other's will follow.

Southlake is a great area, but it's out of your price range. If you're looking at Keller, I would suggest looking at houses in Keller-Keller, because there are some houses in Keller that pay Fort Worth taxes, like Woodland Springs I think.

Grapevine is a good area, though most of the houses there are pretty old, Trophy Club would be a good choice too, but might be out of your price range.

Try Roanaok, it's part of NWISD...