Dallas, TX area

[The Mystery Machine]

Lucky you left. Flower Mound/Lewisville area just had a twister go through it last week.

Weather issues. In spring there are no "showers". There are thunderstorms, severe thunderstorms and head for shelter. In winter you get occasional flurries but it's usually ice and freezing rain (which is worse then ice IMHO).

Other then that the forecasts are usually the same. Sunny and hot.

Oh and if you're used to the beach then we do have plenty of lakes for recreation.

I saw something on the news regarding that. Did it do any damage?

Here in MO it is freaking miserable right now.
The humidity is crushing us with all of the rain. Flooding is our biggest problem right now.

 

[Angrypenguin]

How high are utility bills usually? We're thinking of around 3500 sq ft. or so of a house. I'm guessing between 400-600/mo?

Traffic can't be as horrendous as Southern California, can it? We're famous here for traffic for a reason .

 

[The Mystery Machine]

How high are utility bills usually? We're thinking of around 3500 sq ft. or so of a house. I'm guessing between 400-600/mo?

Traffic can't be as horrendous as Southern California, can it? We're famous here for traffic for a reason .

We were paying 800 a month for electric (peak) for a 3300 sq ft. house.
Bills are high in TX.

Traffic is bad. You can either choose to believe it or not.

 

[Hercules10]

I saw something on the news regarding that. Did it do any damage?

Mostly tore roofing off, uprooted/split trees and downed powerlines. I was without power for almost 3 days. Neighbor of mine lost all three of his mature Bradford pear trees.

How high are utility bills usually? We're thinking of around 3500 sq ft. or so of a house. I'm guessing between 400-600/mo?

Traffic can't be as horrendous as Southern California, can it? We're famous here for traffic for a reason .

Depends on your HVAC set-up and the house's insulation. I have a 2K sq ft house and during June, July and August my eletricity is around $250. However during the winter I have a gas furnace and then's it's not as bad. Maybe $100 tops. Water is an issue here since drought conditions seem constant. Watering your lawn can get as costly as cooling your house.

I've driven in LA too and will say it is worse then Dallas traffic but not by much. Being in McKinney though you won't see much of that traffic but they are still working on expanding the road system to accomodate all new residents. It is a rapidly growing community.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Man, y'all pay a fortune in AC! We must have a well insulated home. I have 2800 sq ft and pay around $150 in July/August. NEVER have we paid over $200.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Man, y'all pay a fortune in AC! We must have a well insulated home. I have 2800 sq ft and pay around $150 in July/August. NEVER have we paid over $200.

Maybe you have the dial set to 80?

We had a 2 story in Flower Mound and would have a 800 bill in the summer.

 

[dennis99ss]

Dallas sux. Come to Houston instead!

 

[Hercules10]

Dallas sux. Come to Houston instead!

No thanky...talk about hot and humid.

Man, y'all pay a fortune in AC! We must have a well insulated home. I have 2800 sq ft and pay around $150 in July/August. NEVER have we paid over $200.

That's why I say it depends on the set-up. My HVAC is over 15 years old and not as efficient as newer models. Ya'll have a radiant barrier?

 

[dennis99ss]

Just commenting on hou bills, so no comparrison to DFW. Except, it looks like HOU is again better than DFW on this front as well

It all depends on the age of the house and how it is built. We have about 3600 ac sq. ft, with two units. Well insulated, etc. and our summer bills run in the 3-400 range with the ac set at 72 degrees 24 hrs a day.

property taxes are probably higher, as there is no income tax in texas. Property taxes will depend on the local community you live in, as will homeowners dues. Expect to pay 600-1000 or more per month in hoa if you have a gate and guard. In a master planned community, expect a couple hundred or so. less if there is less ammenities.

With regard property taxes, expect high taxes. If you have a 500k house, expect 12-15k per year in property taxes. Again, this is just a guess, as different areas have different tax rates, etc.

In texas, there are only a couple of people who can foreclose and take your house. The IRS, the Taxing authorities, the hoa, and the bank with a mortgage on the house. other loans, etc. cannot.

 

[Kirby]

What's the weather like where you live? A couple moved in across the street 10 years ago from California. The wife hated the weather here. They divorced (not because of that) and she moved back to California. She did not like the heat in the summer plus the thunderstorms and threat of tornados.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

What's the weather like where you live? A couple moved in across the street 10 years ago from California. The wife hated the weather here. They divorced (not because of that) and she moved back to California. She did not like the heat in the summer plus the thunderstorms and threat of tornados.

Oh stop it.Come to MO where we have tornados all the time.

You guys have great weather...you are sooooo spoiled.

ETA.....

Just looked up the weather....

Here it is 92 and feels like 105.

In Flower Mound it is 91 and feels like 98.

 

[Hercules10]

You guys have great weather...you are sooooo spoiled.

Lessee...last year roof and cars got beat to crap by baseball size hail at 2am. This year small F1 comes thru followed by two days of flash flooding after they predicted a 20% chance of thunderstorms. Right now the heat index is over 100 and it isn't even summer yet. So when does the "spoiling" happen?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Lessee...last year roof and cars got beat to crap by baseball size hail at 2am. This year small F1 comes thru followed by two days of flash flooding after they predicted a 20% chance of thunderstorms. Right now the heat index is over 100 and it isn't even summer yet. So when does the "spoiling" happen?

We are hotter than you, have severe flooding in many parts of the counties and almost DAILY tornado watches, hail, and storms. A TX thunderstorm is nothing compared to here. Now I will say the lightening is worse.

The spoiling is during winter and spring. Ours can suck to the max. I have been here now for 1 yr now and the weather has just been awful.
The rain just won't freaking stop!

 

[KristaTX]

This thread seems to have turned into a competition over who has the worst weather, who has the highest electric bill, who has the worst traffic, etc.

 

[Angrypenguin]

This thread seems to have turned into a competition over who has the worst weather, who has the highest electric bill, who has the worst traffic, etc.

I agree, let's get back on topic! The weather doesn't scare us so much because we're originally from Michigan, so we've had: nasty thunderstorms, tornadoes, ice storms, buckets of snow, really hot and humid summers. Obviously, Dallas won't have the same weather as Los Angeles, but hey, it costs $400-700 per sq ft. to have perfect weather, which, in my opinion, isn't worth it. Hence the possibility of moving .

Is there really a difference between West/East Plano? Or is it more of a fabricated thing?

 

[Planogirl]

Hey, maybe both areas have bad traffic and weather. Does that work?

You won't necessarily have traffic issues. If you work in McKinney and commute from McKinney, Allen or Plano, I doubt that you'll have much trouble. Like I said, I work in Allen and drive from Frisco and it's not so bad. The main thing is to avoid the toll road and the freeway.

As for differences between west and east Plano, east Plano just tends to be a bit older and the lots tend to be bigger. Also, the houses in west Plano tend to be bigger and there are newer businesses. There is a seedy area in east Plano but it's small and easy to avoid. Most of the differences are just silly competitive things. We actually have the same competitive thing going on in smaller Frisco but it's mostly just playful stuff here.

 

[Angrypenguin]

Thanks, Planogirl! You've been a big help.

Does anyone know what the market is like there? Just looking around on Zillow, it doesn't seem like the TX market is as competitive as it is here in SoCal, as houses are sitting for a bit. Just curious as to what the going rate is per sq ft., (i know, lots of factors vary in it, but I'm just looking for a ballpark.)

 

[Kirby]

I told my husband about this thread and he said you should check out the Prosper and Celina area. They are just a little north of McKinney. His job takes him around the metroplex quite a bit and he thinks that that area is nice.

 

[gm]

ot Has anyone from the dallas area been to great wolf lodge? how is it? we are planning to come from Houston to check out grapevine mall and great wolf lodge

 

[Aimeedyan]

Maybe you have the dial set to 80?

We had a 2 story in Flower Mound and would have a 800 bill in the summer.

Nah, 76 to 78 degrees. However, we bought a home with no huge ceilings and windows for this very reason (don't know what kind you had) and have two units on the house so some areas can be cooler than others. We also watched where the sun was and made sure we protected our windows well.

No thanky...talk about hot and humid.



That's why I say it depends on the set-up. My HVAC is over 15 years old and not as efficient as newer models. Ya'll have a radiant barrier?

Um, don't think so? This house is 3 years old.

Thanks, Planogirl! You've been a big help.

Does anyone know what the market is like there? Just looking around on Zillow, it doesn't seem like the TX market is as competitive as it is here in SoCal, as houses are sitting for a bit. Just curious as to what the going rate is per sq ft., (i know, lots of factors vary in it, but I'm just looking for a ballpark.)

I think it's pretty much a buyers market in most areas of the Metroplex - esp those with land still to build on. In some areas, the market is even poor for a seller - I don't think I'd be able to give my home away right now

I don't know what the going rate per sq ft in that area...