petlover

We are currently living in Orange County, CA and considering selling our home and relocating to either the Phoenix/Scottsdale (maybe Tucson)area or the Dallas area.

We are retired with our family spread out so we aren't staying here or moving to a particular location to be near family. Our primary motivation is to sell our home at a large profit and relocate to an area where we could get a nice home and pocket the difference allowing for more travel and leisure fun.

I know both areas are very hot in the summer and the biggest thing we would be giving up would be our perfect weather in Orange County. With home prices, if we leave we wouldn't be able to return to CA.

Can you recommend areas in either Arizona or in the Dallas area where we could get a 2500-3,000 sq. ft. single family home for under $400,000. A nice, middle class area where English is the primary language is a must. We would want to be within 45 minutes of a major airport as well. My main drawback when I consider Arizona is the desert landscaping...just not my thing and can't imagine my 2 dogs liking it either.

Thanks for any input.

Wayne

My daughter lives in one of the suburban cities surrounding Dallas. What you are seeking is available in several nearby spots, but I would recommend you focus on Lewisburg, Allen, or Plano, where you can certainly find a house in your desired size and price range, as well as meeting the other specs you have mentioned. Good luck.

aggiemom

We moved from Orange County to the Dallas area four years ago. Actually we live about 20 minutes west of DFW airport in a very nice suburb. We are not in any flight or landing path, either. There are lots and lots of trees, hills and some small lakes where we live. We are half a block from the golf course.

We sold a 2,000 sq ft $800,000 house (25 years old) and bought a 4,000 sq ft brand new house, very fancy, and fully landscaped 1/2 acre for $350,000. We're talking granite kitchens, 8-foot solid wood doors, fancy crown molding, 4 bedrooms, 4 baths (the master bath measures 14 x 18). We were stunned by the difference in construction and the quality of the homes between here and OC. You can definitely buy a beautiful custom home in your size range for under $400,000.

However, the weather has become a problem for me. I hate the long, (five months) hot (consistent high 90's and 100's)and humid summers. Air conditioning on 24 hours. You can never open your windows. No marine layer and afternoon breezes here!

We realize we probably won't be buying again in OC, with prices going as they are. But I am looking for a second home somewhere with cooler summers.

Hope this helps!

mom

happytourist

Since you seem to be open to sugggestions, take a look at Hot Springs Village in Arkansas. It's a gated community of 13,000, mostly retired people, with inexpensive housing, low taxes, high quality of life, and a moderate climate. I'll be glad to provide more information if you're interested. We retired here from Texas as we were tired of the heat and wanted trees and hills. We've never been sorry!

aggiemom

Hi again petlover. I guess my corrections to my post didn't work. Here they are - I neglected to tell you some city names to search in www.realtor.com to get some ideas.

Colleyville, Keller, Southlake, Coppell, Flower Mound. The ones that Wayne recommends are good ones, too. These are nice, planned, generally "upscale" communities, or have large "upscale" areas (I do hate that word "upscale" but it fits.)

You could also venture out a little bit and get a non-tract home with a little more land. There are numerous places to choose.

kopp

Hello petlover,

A number of years ago, we made the move from Irvine to Austin. Have never looked back. Sure, the summers are hot, but the advantages FAR outweigh all the negatives that had become Orange County.

aggiemom

kopp - overall, I think I must agree with you that the positives outweigh the negative of hot weather. After all, we have been benefitting from the financial aspects of the transfer and can actually consider getting a "summer home." So, we really are blessed.

I do love Austin, by the way. Got one kid at A&M, but the next one is looking at UT.

Gig 'em!

amwosu

It would put you further that 45 minutes from Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix but going to the Sedona area gets you out of the desert and gives you four mild season changes. No intense summer heat to contend with and the chance of a bit of snow sometimes. Sedona can be expensive but if you go to a town nearby you can get more for your money.

petlover

So much good information. I appreciate it very much. Aggiemom, your home sounds beautiful....just like something we would like! Since posting I've read about areas with lots of trees in the Dallas area called University Park and Highland Park. Anyone familiar with this area? Should we go to the Dallas area, I would certainly prefer neighborhoods with at least some large trees if possible.(same for Arizona).

Amwuso, I have heard nice things about Sedona but concerned that it may be a bit too remote from a major airport?? Happytourist, the same would hold true for Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. We have family in various large cities such as New York City that we visit at least once per year and they visit us as well.

Thank you all very much!

MzPossum

Highland and University Parks in Dallas are very beautiful, but also pricier. I would do a search for a real estate agency (Ebby Halliday is a major agent in the Dallas area) and check on prices. Lakewood is another nice area in the Dallas metro area.

amwosu

You might try Prescott, Az which is 90 minutes north of Phoenix. Cute little town between Phoenix and Sedona. Good info on www.prescott.org and www.cityofprsecott.net.

What an exciting prospect to get to move anywhere you want without regard to work or family constraints. I would definitely spend time in several different areas before packing up and selling the current home.

I have an architect friend who retired in Ohio, built a 4 story mostly glass house on a FL beach and ended up hating Florida as a primary residence. Humidity, bugs, and hurricanes did him in. After three years he sold the house at a tidy profit and moved to Arizona.

happytourist

We're one hour and fifteen minutes from the Little Rock airport. We used to have to fly out of DFW and it was a nightmare: huge terminals (and finding the right one), expensive parking, took a long time to get there, Southwest Airlines at Love was restricted where it could fly, American Airlines monopoly at DFW means higher prices.....

So, we LOVE Little Rock airport! Easy acccess, cheap parking, served by nine airlines with nonstop service to many cities, and never any crowds. We're further away in miles but not timewise, when you consider Dallas traffic and that Dallas is HUGE place, so you could be living a long ways from the airport.

ChristieP

Personally, I agree with the recommendation of NE Tarrant County cities, such as Colleyville, Keller, Southlake, Grapevine and Trophy Club. The homes in this area are mostly new, and there are some really nice neighborhoods. $400k will buy you a NICE one! (Property taxes in Dallas County are generally higher than Tarrant County, too.) We "escaped" from Dallas to NE Tarrant in 2002 and we've never looked back. Our area is more like a small town, but we have the convenience of Dallas and Fort Worth whenever we need them. DFW Airport is right down the road, too.

Highland and University Park do not have many large houses (other than recent tear-downs) due to the small lot sizes, and the prices there are very, very high. Plus, traffic can be a real problem since they are in the middle of Dallas.

Any area in Dallas with $400K homes will definitely have English as the primary language. ;-)

michelleNYC

A friend's (retired) parents recently moved from NYC to Fountain Hills, AZ. I haven't been to the house but have seen pictures and it's VERY nice. Plus, they didn't pay very much for it at all. They chose this area as they are both golf fanatics....

aggiemom

Petlover - I forgot an important point - taxes.

We pay very high city taxes here - about $10,000 per year. However, there is no Texas State tax so it kind of balances out.

I know that in OC we only paid about $2700 a year in house taxes and about $10,000 in CA State taxes, as I recall.

I know of the University Park and other Dallas areas that others here are talking about and they are very pretty, also, but in a different way. Yes, they are older homes but really quite lovely. Large trees, lots of green. It kind of reminds me of parts of the East coast (I grew up in Connecticut.)

We have many trees on our property (I think I counted about 50) and most of them have been there about 20+ years, so they are pretty tall. This house is on a "premium" lot because of the trees. It's very interesting to watch them build the houses around all the existing trees. There are very strict city ordinances against cutting down trees and/or replacing them.

I'd say that this Dallas/Fort Worth area is worth a trip out to look into some property. Also, your city taxes might be lower if you choose an area farther out with a "less quality" school system. The schools in my area are quite well rated, and since you don't need schools it might be something to look into.

amwosu

Hey MichelleNYC- I remember when you were looking for realtor info in the area for your friends. Sounds like it worked out for them. Are they there full time?

I bought a condo in Fountain Hills in the summer and LOVE it. Condos start around $200K and there aren't many houses there under $400K these days although there might be a few. It is a GREAT town but definitely has a desert feel. Always 5-10 degrees cooler than Phoenix thanks to being in the foothills. www.fountainhillsguide.com will get you started in that direction.

petlover

AggieMom, did you mention which town you live in?
I am enjoying doing so much research to decide. This is the FIRST time we've ever felt we were in a position to just pick up and move due to jobs, raising kids, taking care of my elderly Mom etc. so it is all a bit mind-boggling!

aggiemom

Petlover - we live in Keller, in the Hidden Lakes community. It's the only community with a golf course in Keller. The houses range from a low of $220,000 for an approximate 2,400 sq ft home to a high of about $900,000 for about 6,000 sq ft and "over the top" decor.

We bought ours for $350,000 in 2002 and it has appreciated a little bit to being worth around $400,00-425,000 we are guessing. Appreciation is A LOT slower than California!

Our house was a "spec" home. That is, it was built on speculation of being sold by the builders. It's considered a semi-custom home because we had no input into the design (except the wallpaper in the bathrooms).

Many homes here are custom built - some popular and high quality builders are Huntington Homes (ours), Drees, and Sandlin. I'd stay away from Pulte - their quality has been quite poor.

Fully custom homes cost a little more, obviously, because they are designed for you. But we found the many "lightly used" homes and spec homes to be so beautiful we didn't need to custom build. We only had a week to choose and buy a home when my husband was transferred. We were in such total shocking delight with the quality of the homes, - each house was better than the next! The landscaping looks like the houses have been here for 30 years. We just could not believe what we were getting for $350,000. In fact, I was a little embarrassed to say that we had bought a home for only $350,000 because, as you know, what could that buy you in OC??

Southlake is another upscale area, moreso than Keller. There is sort of a "rival" between the two cities. You can get a used home there starting in the $300's but new homes start a little higher than Keller. Their minimum lot size is about 1/2 acre I think. We didn't want to live in Southlake. Lots of it was located in the flight path for DFW and it was very noisy. Then, there was the "snob" factor. I really wanted no part of that. I wanted just a nice place to live.

Colleyville is very, very nice too. Used homes from $300's and newer homes more expensive. I really liked Colleyville but we liked Keller schools better.

After all that, I do want you to know that nice homes are available even as low as $125,000! Smaller, and much less fancy but your basic 3 BR 2 bath home.

Anyway, there you have a quick real estate lesson. Have fun!

Saraho

My step-daughter and family have a house near McKinney (outside of Dallas) You can get a lot more house for the money there but still be close enough to Dallas. Actually my son-in-law has a fifteen month temporary assignment in West Texas so they may wish to rent their house for a few months until they come back in the fall.

petlover

Out of curiosity, just what do you get if you buy a new home? We've never owned a new home, always bought re-sales. In O.C. if you buy a new home it is stark BARE and everything requires upgrades (they look nothing like the model homes). In other areas of the US do they include maybe built in shelving, mirrored wardrobes, crown molding etc.?? Do they ever include sprinklers or landscaping?