What do you look for in an apartment? Help from DFW people especially

[Kermit]

DH was just offered a job in Dallas, and there's a pretty good chance that we're moving. We'll want to live in an apartment for a few months so that we can get a feel for the area and decide where we want to buy, but I don't know what to look for when getting an apartment. I lived in apartments in college, but then I just looked for cheap. DH will probably go out shortly before the kids and I go, but I'll do the majority of the apartment hunting from here on the Internet and just give him a list of the places I like most and have him pick one. What types of things can I look for to know that a certain complex is a nice place to live? I don't want to end up in the slums.

For those of you in the DFW area, the job is in Addison. I'm thinking that we'll try to look for something in Flower Mound, Lewisville, or that general area. Am I correct in thinking that those are areas that are close enough but not really IN the city? I grew up about an hour east of Dallas, in Hunt county, so I'm sort of familiar with the area, but I moved away in 1998. Addison is just north of the Galleria, North Park, and Valley View, right? (I never forget a mall. ) We don't really want to live in the city where housing costs a lot more and traffic is really bad, but DH wants to be pretty close to work, too.

 

[JennaTX]

You are right about where Addison is, it is that little pocket right around Belt Line and Arapaho, there are a lot of bars/restaurants there because Addison is not "dry" (they sell alcohol). Plano is also just north of Addison, but it is pretty much just a suburb of Dallas, you can't really tell where Plano starts and Dallas ends. That area of town, north of Addison has grown quite a bit in the last few years (all of my family lives in Plano). Hope this helps!

 

[Beca]

We're in Highland Village, just north of Flower Mound (we're on the shores of Lake Lewisville). There is a pretty nice apartment complex on 2499....I think they are called "Lantana" appts (not to be confused with the town of Lantana...NW of Flower Mound).

There are also some nice complexes near Grapevine Mills Mall (where 2499 meets 121).

I think Addison is about 20 minutes from us. You might look in this area, and also look in the Frisco area...Frisco is a "hot" place to live right now.

PS...you might also want to consider Highland Village....we were just ranked the safest city in the state of Texas....and the homes in the hills out here are BEAUTIFUL!!!



Beca

 

[WatchinCaptKangaroo]

In an apartment I look for the following:

Type of cars parked (if the majority are really old and beat up then I'll look somewhere else)
Upkeep of grounds
Upkeep of buildings not near the models/front of grounds
Upkeep of any ammenities (laundry room, pool, club house etc...)
Guest parking that is close to my apartment

I try and talk to some people who live there and will visit on a weekend afternoon and again on a weekend evening if I can to see how loud the complex is (parties etc...).

 

[Planogirl]

Addison is real convenient to Plano, Lewisville/Flower Mound, Frisco (where I live ) and Carrolton. There are some VERY nice complexes in Plano. I would definitely stay on the west side of Plano if you decide to look there because this area will be real close to Addison plus the area is quite nice. You could also consider the Addison Town Square which is really neat. There you have the apartments and condos in buildings surrounding park areas with businesses in the bottom floors. I have no idea how pricey these are.

As for checking the complexes, I pretty much agree with the things WatchinCaptKangaroo listed. I would maybe add checking around the dumpsters if they have those. From my experience, a complex is only as clean as they keep their trash area and their laundry rooms. Security gates are also a nice feature.

 

[WatchinCaptKangaroo]

As for checking the complexes, I pretty much agree with the things WatchinCaptKangaroo listed. I would maybe add checking around the dumpsters if they have those. From my experience, a complex is only as clean as they keep their trash area and their laundry rooms. Security gates are also a nice feature.

Thanks!

I wanted to add that security gates often create a false sense of security. My last complex was gated and my vehicle was broken into, and several apartments were robbed (not on the same day, probably unrelated). Our "security gates" were often left open. While they are nice, don't count on them to provide any additional security.

 

[KathyTX]

How old are the kids? I'd also think about the schools that they'd be attending while living in the apartment... And I think you have a great read on the areas that you'd be happiest in.

The commute from Flower Mound to Addison isn't bad... Coppell, Valley Ranch, Flower Mound, Carrollton (be careful- there are some great areas in Carrollton, but also some run down areas), Frisco, parts of Plano would all be good choices. (I love Flower Mound, terrific schools and neighbors here! )

I agree that a good look at the cars in the parking lot give a pretty good indication of the type of residents there, and the general upkeep around the property will tell you a bit about management's attention to maintenance.

 

[janette]

Agree with what everyone has said, actually since your kids are little I'd probably stay closer to Addison at first. There are many apartments that would be about a 20min drive. I live in Carrollton and as Kathy said it has a variety of areas but it is really close to almost everything. PM me if you'd like some help with areas. You could also go north to Frisco / Plano which is on the North / South Tollway. There would be lots of apartments that direction and the drive wouldn't be too bad.

The towns that border Addison are Carrollton, Plano, and Dallas. Maybe Farmer's Branch and Richardson. It is really in the middle of most of the north suburbs. A nice area mostly business & shopping. One of the richest towns since the majority of the tax base is not residential.

I'm not sure what school district serves Addison, they don't have their own. I suspect they are a combination of Carrollton/Farmers Branch , Plano & Dallas. I know when we house hunted last I didn't look at houses within the Dallas district. Not a fan of Plano schools although they are rated pretty high. There are schools in Carrollton/Farmer's Branch I wouldn't want to be in but others that are really good schools. We are in Lewisville District now and I do like it, there are also some schools in this district that I wouldn't have wanted the kids to attend but those aren't in the Carrollton area.

 

[arminnie]

My Dallas relatives all moved to Flower Mound about 5 years ago. I love visiting there. Very nice community spirit too. It was very easy for them to make friends and get to know people. It's a diverse community (except maybe economically).

My aunt lives in a very nice apartment in Flower Mound. I was told that there are only two apartment complexes in Flower Mound and that they are both very nice. She is older, but there's a nice mix of ages.
My aunt's complex is at the corner of Lexington and Gerault in Flower Mound. It's gated. She has lived there for about 5 years and has been very happy in a 2 BR 2 BA. It's a pretty big complex and is very well maintained.

Beware of communities that do not put restrictions on how many can live in an apartment. Dallas passed an ordinance that prohibits a max occupancy per apartment. It doesn't take long for a complex to get run down when 20 people live in each unit.

I'm going to Flower Mound for Christmas with relatives. Actually we are staying at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, but it's very close. My brother is paying for the rooms for a Christmas present. I'm really excited about it.

 

[KathyTX]

The Flower Mound complex ARMinnie's talking about is "AMLI at Shadow Ridge". Here's their website:

http://www.amli.com/comm/apartments-dallas-shadowridge-am.htm

I've been in several units there (visiting, and when my mom was looking for an apartment). It's a nice place, and the staff was very pleasant and helpful. Some units have garages.

The website has floorplans and pricing, to give you an idea and get you started.

(Minnie- I'd love to stay at the Gaylord Texan! We sometimes have DIS meets there, and DH and I enjoy going there for dinner. )

One other option- you might look into leasing a house for 6 months or a year. I know that there have been a number of homes offered for lease in the area. Sometimes it's the result of a corporate relocation or a temporary reassignment where someone expects to come back to the area... but the cost of leasing a house may not be much higher than renting an apartment, and you'd have more room and privacy. Just a thought...

Here's one example of a local home available for rent: rental home in Flower Mound

$1,700/4 Bed, 2 Bath/2,335 Sq. Ft.

If you want to look at some of these, I'd go to www.realtor.com, click the RENTALS tab, and then put in the town or zip code you want to search.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

I hear Oak Cliff is lovely in the springtime.

 

[Kermit]

I hear Oak Cliff is lovely in the springtime.

LOL! I'll have to keep that in mind.

Thanks for all the information. I love this place. I did find out last night that the recruiter had the address wrong. The company is in Richardson, so we'll be looking a little bit further east. It's near the intersection of Campbell and Central.

I'm pretty sure we'll do an apartment rather than a house. We have a 60 pound indoor dog, and a lot of people don't allow dogs in their rental houses. Also, our house here may not sell right away, so we need to stay as cheap as we can without compromising our safety and comfort. Our kids are 1 and 2, so schools aren't important for right now. We plan to homeschool, so technically schools won't ever be that important, but we will, of course, buy somewhere with good schools for resale purposes.

 

[KristaTX]

DH and I lived at "Amli at Valley Ranch" apartments for a few years in the late '90s, and the Valley Ranch area is nice, fairly new, and well-kept. It is actually the farthest north part of the city of Irving, but the schools are either Coppell or Carrollton/Farmer's Branch depending on where exactly you live within Valley Ranch. I worked for the Coppell school district for a couple of years, and it is a great one.

There is tons of shopping and restaurants near, apartments and houses in, and easy DFW airport and highway access from Valley Ranch. It is also bordered on the north by Beltline Road, which provides an easy route straight east over to Addison.

I don't know if I'd want to buy a house in Valley Ranch since it is such a big rental area, but it is a nice, centrally located place to live while one takes time to investigate the metroplex for places to buy. Be warned, though, that rent is definitely not cheap in Valley Ranch.

Anyway - I hope that if you move to the area you'll make it to one of our DIS meets sometime. We have a great group of DISers here .

 

[KathyTX]

ROFL, Boston Tea Party. Actually, parts of Oak Cliff are gorgeous. The Kessler Park neighborhood, for instance, has beautiful homes and rolling hills. And you can find some great homes built in the 20s and 30s in several areas of North Oak Cliff if you want to tackle a remodeling project.

But I don't think I'd want my kids to go to school there these days.

(I know a lot about Oak Cliff... but don't get down there much anymore.)

 

[janette]

LOL! I'll have to keep that in mind.

Thanks for all the information. I love this place. I did find out last night that the recruiter had the address wrong. The company is in Richardson, so we'll be looking a little bit further east. It's near the intersection of Campbell and Central.

To be closer to that location I'd go north to the McKinney / Allen area or some of the places east. I think it's Murphy & Sachse that direction. The advantage to going east is that 190 (George Bush Turnpike) would be a better commute than going north on Central. They've also got lots of new developments north / east of 190. Not sure what town it's in and may even be Richardson but a family friend lives there and it seemed very nice when we visited. There is also a new mall along 190 almost to Rowlett. Haven't been there but will eventually check it out since I have a sister in Rowlett.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

My grandparents lived in McKinney WAY back in the 50's - 70's. Boy has it changed!

 

[m&m's mom]

Well I won't add anything as everyone has given great specific info but just wanted to say.. Welcome to DFW!!!!!!
Great place to live (and work) and you can join our fun DIS Meets!