Keller (Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington: to rent, mortgage, appliances)

[2happy]

I am interested in Keller Tx as a place to relocate. I have heard about the explosive growth of the area, the traffic and the high property taxes. I actually visited there a few years ago and it was nice. What I did not like were the homes on very small lots and the fact that I did not see any natural food stores. Has this changed at all? Also, what is the school system really like? Are the Kellerisd schools rated well? I have one in 10th grade and one in 5th grade. Which school district is better- Central, Fossil Ridge or Keller? Another question I have concerns safety. Is this a safe area for families? I appreciate your response. Thanks in advance.

[Guingirl]

Keller is traditionally more towards Fort Worth. So you will probably find more responses there

Keller has a wide variety of houses with everything from Villages of Woodland Springs (Heritage is in Fort Worth but bounderies into Keller and uses Keller ISD) (master planned communities) to the Hidden Lakes area. Fossil Creek area is technically Fort Worth as well.

Keller ISD is one of the highest rated districts in the area. I would go to greatschools.net to do your research on each of the schools. As far as high schools, I think they are all "acceptable", but from my understanding there is the traditional rivalry between Fossil Creek and Keller High.

The whole area is growing leaps and bounds as well as the whole Alliance corridor. Keller is VERY family friendly.

As far as taxes, www.tad.org would be the place to go to see the boundaries. Hope that helps!

[loves2read]

you should do a search on Keller on this forum--will get lots of info

two children have been involved in separate traffic accidents in Keller trying to cross busy street to get to their schools or home--forget which--the ISD zoned development so that kids have to cross busy street but ISD would not pay for busses Inside the 2 mi circle) and City would not pay for bridge across for safe walkway ---Google for Traffic accident Keller school children and you should get some hits---most current one was couple of weeks ago--not sure what school or development are at issue...
Houses in Keller are on smaller lots unless you spend quite a bit of money for house in Manors of Waterford or Southern Hills or Wildwood or Ashville Estates to get half acre or larger....some lots in older neighborhoods might be larger than newer...land in Keller has been getting more expensive over past 5 years---
but IMO you need to check who built house--there are some builders that I would not buy from because of what I have read and seen regarding their quality

There is a Whole Food store being built on 1709 which runs through middle of Keller more toward the Southlake end--think it is by Randol Mill but not sure...not ready yet but pretty soon I think...
there is also a Central Market in Southlake down 1709 which is pretty close to most places in Keller if traffic is not too bad---they have lots of natural foods if you want to pay the price...
might try farmer's markets in area--some farmers are going organic/pesticide free...
KELLER ISD is having big growth spurt and internal strife on school board over two clicques--one that wanted to oust the super and one that wanted not to---TEA got a complaint about undue influence on part of board member and is doing investigation--think the Board has been run out of someone's pocket for a while and that type of narrow focus does make a difference in what happens in the schools to some degree...

Keller ISD has large area where homes are actually in Fort Worth city limits--large developments of tract homes...some people like that --people can get amenities like neighborhood pools instead of city pools or private ones, Keller just had a big argument about its library...the mayor has received a lot of criticism because she promised to work on roads and she didn't and now that she is running for reelection she is promising to work on the roads...
some people don't have long memories--she may be re-elected....

I don't mean to sound that negative---I am looking to build a house in Keller myself--but I don't have any kids at home...
Keller is really a city that has lots of different faces...some old and some new, some wealthy and some not...
has start of good parks system and swim facility--but will have to work to keep up with all developments that the city has green-lighted...

[2happy]

Wow!!! Guingirl and loves2read thank you!! You've both given me alot to chew on. A few more questions...which home builders would you consider when looking to purchase a home? Our price range will be between $150-200,000 so we do not get overwhelmed by high property and energy costs. Also, with my price range can you get some kind of back yard without feeling like you're right on top of the neighbors? Not looking to have a farm, just a yard to have a garden and a place to hang out and play. Loves2read, you are building in Keller, but if you had children at home would you still want to live there?? Is it better to look in Keller 'proper' as opposed to Keller in Fort Worth?? So many questions...thank you a bunch for all responses.

[Guingirl]

I have a daughter and we kept going back to look at living there. For the money though we decided that we are going to build and build in Haslet. If we weren't going to build, I would definately live in Keller.

I have a friend that lives in Crawford Farms and she loves it. She has a nice house built by Meritage and has been really happy with it. They have a great play park and nice pool area. They also have a brand new elementary school going in. She has lived in the area all her life and really loves it there. She has two small children.

I think you should definately come back and give the area another shot

[loves2read]

In Keller, the yard thing will be the problem unless you try to find older home in price range that may have larger lot --most newer homes in that price range have small yards (and no natural trees) and since most homes have second floors now there is loss of privacy most of time in backyards---the usual height for fences is 6 ft and that does not block any kind of second story balcony or windows overlooking people's back yards...

I really don't know much about homes in that price range because I haven't looked there...you need to run a Google for complaints and the name of any builder you are looking at...

The paper has had articles lately about builder named Thurmond (I think) where they guarantee their foundation for like 50 years---they are building down in Benbrook area, maybe in Haslet or west of FTW--smaller local tract builder--

foundations are big problem because of soil composition/shifting and drought/watering issues around this part of country...most lower priced homes are built w/slab on grade construction--not piered beams---and some slabs are not constructed well enough to stand up to test of time...

Most builders win awards frankly for how pretty their houses look or what kind of amenities the development offers--like community pools or park areas---the model home usually looks great and is well built but quality can vary significantly after that---there are a few builders who are using insulated sheathing on exterior walls and upgraded insulation and radiant barriers under roofs to help w/energy costs...but all of those upgrades add to price of home...Unless the builder builds enough homes each year to make that a feasible cost factor, most people buy lesser=expensive homes even if they will pay more in energy bills monthly rather than take the larger mortgage for the better built home and hope that the money they save on energy bills will offset the mortgage increase...

Google for Energy Star home builders--that is a first start--those homes are supposed to be inspected to make sure they do comply with the energy star guidelines--I don't know if inspectors review general construction factors builders use--like Energy Star appliances or the types of windows installed or if they actually inspect each house (which is supposed to include a blower-door test to check the HVAC energy system)...you should ask any builder what their energy features are....
remember that building in a city's zone, means the builder must build to code and a 13 SEER a/c is base line (not something they are doing because they are trying to save you money...). The city may mandate a certain level of insulation---always ask if the builders' basic components are to code or above code---that is one way to single out builders in same price range....

Where people work and the drive to work has big impact on where people live.
You did not say anything I saw about that....Tarrant Co has limited system of public transportation--city buses run FTW and to N.Richland Hills and outskirts of Arlington but no into Hurst/Euless/Bedford...
there is Trinity Rail which runs into downtown FTW and downtown Dallas for commuters..
There are couple of stations in Mid-Cities but not in Keller
The country/cities have floated balloon of using the Tarantula/Cotton Belt train track which runs through Grapevine/Hurst/N Richland Hills into downtown FTW and s to TCU and zoo area for light commuter rail---like the BART above ground system...but that is long time away...

Some parts of Keller have very high speed cable/internet system which seems to be bonus for people who work in-home....some parts of Metroplex have limited computer high-speed access---so if that is important to you, you need to check specifically for what your area offers...

If we had kids in schools, I don't know that we would be moving to the area of Keller that we are because I don't know really anything about the area schools....I know that the new neighborhood that borders the development where we have optioned a lot has mainly young families with children and most of them are probably going to local schools and not private schools...
I know the district where we live now so well because I taught there, that I would not mind having kids go to our local schools now...I also know the teachers whose classes I might not want my kids in--and that is something that I can't tell you about Keller...

[2happy]

Thanks again for the input. I really appreciate it. There is alot to think about and consider. Probably the best thing would be to rent first and not rush into buying anything. Then I really can get the feel of the neighborhoods and the area in general.Our relocation will not be "overnight" as we still have home and business to square away.

[LoriRN]

Any insight on the homes in the Park Glen area? Builders - quality? I know they are a bit older than Woodland Springs, etc. but the homes "appear" to be of quality. A few weeks ago we checked out quite a few of them.....and are seriously looking into purchasing in that area. Any dirt on the area I should know about? If anyone has any info it would be greatly appreciated. I read what loves2read wrote about builders not being of the best quality and I got the impression that it was on the newer homes or was this just an assumption? Thanks

[Synopsis]

I don't know much about Park Glen but when I drive through there I'm impressed by the nice homes and cleanliness. The Christmas lights up around the city are really beautiful when the Holidays come around. I recently had a friend who sold her house there and was amazed at how low a price she was selling it for (around 145 k or so). It had a pool, and was only 10 years old (2200 square feet).

[loves2read]

you can use the tad.org site to check who built a home usually...check address and then look at past history---will show owners and that usually gives the company/builder who did the house originally....
at least then you can see if it was large co or independent...and check them out...