Moved to Lakewood (C-Streets) last year, and really love the area. Lots of young professionals. Houses are generally smaller (2 or 3 BR) although some of the new builds (teardowns) are much bigger. Location is great. 10 minutes to get downtown. We are less than 1/2 mile from White Rock Lake, can easily walk to Lakewood Shopping Center, and are 2 blocks from a decent park (Lindsley Park). Good luck finding a place. Happy to answer any other questions.
Thanks to all for the great answers/suggestions!!! It is hard to really get a feel for the exact neighborhoods when, at this point, I only see the homes online at realtor.com or ebby... I do have a realtor in Dallas and plan to make a couple of trips soon. I have some friends/family in the area, and this is what I've gathered thus far: Lakewood/East Dallas is the place to be for the wife and I. Again, no kids and we're 29ish. Even though schools in Dallas are foreign to me, I have a sense that the Stonewall Jackson and Lakewood Elementary attendance zones will give us a better resale value/potential for appreciation. We plan on a couple of kids, so as this first Dallas house will likely be no larger than 1800sqft / 3 bdrooms, I assume we will be making a move in 5-8 years. Also, after that time, I assume we will know for sure that we will be staying in Dallas for good. But who knows, we could end up staying in the same home for 25 years... In regards to Lakewood, I think I want to stay west of White Rock Lake. Really like the lake area, as it seems like such a good community. Love the hilly areas, old trees, proximity to parks, etc. Would like a garage, hardwood floors and two bathrooms. Other than that, I'm easily pleased. 75214 is the area code I've been told for true Lakewood. Also, I like the MStreets look and feel of the homes... 75206 is the zip I've been told of.. Security is a concern here, as I travel on occasion with my job which would leave wife home alone. Other suggestions from hornfans and other research include: Munger Place, Hollywood Heights/Santa Monica, and CStreets. 260-280kish is our price range, and I am nervous that I won't be able to find anything good in that range. I am looking forward to looking in person, but I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas for me? Thoughts on specific neighborhoods/price ranges/etc??? Sorry about this rambling, unorganized post, but I kind of just threw everything out there that I'm thinking about.
Only thing I did not mention was a rub between the wife and I regarding the tradeoff of going with a nice, established home/ neighborhood versus appreciation potential in a property. Don't really know why I mention it, but I'm sure some of you can sympathize. But again, security/safety is obviously very important to us...
Good thread - as you can see, those who have lived in the area swear by it and I'm no exception. I'll cheerlead for my area, Hollywood / Santa Monica. Bought in 2003 for 200k-ish for a 3/2. This was a pretty big steal at the time and I really lucked into it. Lots of young families moving in and values are getting up there. A smaller 2/1 3 houses down from me sold for $270k recently and my house is nicer / in better shape. I'm pleased. For safety, I am a member of the (voluntary) HOA and I contribute to the ENP (expanded? neighborhood patrol) where basically an off-duty officer patrols the area just about 24/7. We have his direct pager number and I see them driving around all the time. I tend to not park my car on the street overnight, but some people do. Some BMV's have occurred, but I believe m-streets is worse when it comes to petty theft like this. HSM is in the Lakewood Elem. school area. There are several houses for sale around here : ebby.com Cordova, Clermont, Valencia, Vivian, Newell.. It's 75223 zip. 270-300k should get you started into a 2 bath.
Again, thank you to everyone for the info. My wife was able to check out the Hollywood Heights/Santa Monica neighborhood last weekend. She loved it and thought it would be a great neighborhood for us. She loved the fact that the entire neighborhood seemed to have a collective style/charm. Couple of specific questions: 1. From Google maps, it seems pretty close to Fair Park/S.Dallas... I think poster PatBatemanhould effectively answered this, but are other parts of Lakewood better--safety be a big concern? 2. How is the Dallas market looking right now? Am I getting in at the right time? I've read just about all the articles on the DMN and spoke to a realtor, but would love to get HF's take 3. Specifically, can I expect appreciation in HHSM or is the price already at the highest it will be in the forseable future? Any other advice right now is appreciated. $280k is really the top end of our price range...
Look atThe Link and if you find something that looks like your wants/needs have your realtor send you sold comps.
By way of comparison, I am in far-north Lakewood in the little triangle bordered by Mockingbird to the north, Williamson to the west, and the Lake to the east. So I am well north of Hollywood Heights. But I'll give you my take both on my neighborhood and Hollywood Heights.
You'll love H/SM. I work in uptown and it is a 15 minute drive for me with heavy traffic. Property crime isn't that big of a deal; (unless it happens to you, I suppose..) there are 5-10 BMV's, petty larceny etc reported each month to our crime watch. I have a neighbor that has parked a $40k car on the street every night for months and there have been no issues. I feel that m-streets are much more likely to be subject to petty crime than I am. One other plus for the long-term home investor is that H/SM is a conservation district - no mcmansions will ever pop up down the street. I feel that over the longer-term, this keeps property values stable. The trend upward will remain steady - the city is not going to let the 70's happen all over again. Like I said in a previous post however, I'm looking at appreciation nearing $75-85k over a 3.5 year period... so its not just barely crawling along either.
Thanks again for all of the advice. Hornfans once again comes through! We just sold our current home and now have a decent down payment, so our Dallas house hunting is just about to kick into high gear. Anyway, I think the wife and I are set on the Hollywood Heights/Santa Monica neighborhood, as it offers everything we are looking for--within our price range of course! Also, I just started another thread in the Horn Depot, asking for advice on the necessity of a buyer's agent. As we have narrowed our search down to just about 2 homes, I feel like I can handle the offer/negotiation/financing/total buying process. Again, thanks much!
Okay, more Lakewood questions guys! I will be moving to Dallas in August and will be working at Children's Medical Center. Thoughts on how long the commute might be from Lakewood? Do i have to drive through ghetto neighborhoods to get there? Do you think Lakewood would be safe for a late 20s single girl? I want to know that I can take the dog out at night without being super worried. And finally, how would one go about finding a duplex or something to rent in the good areas, espeically given that I am in Ohio for the next two months? I don't see much on craigslist. I will be in town in earkly August - should I just drive around and look for signs? I probably want to stay away from the apartment complexes, but am willing to look if it's something great (Power properties look cool in pics, but doesn't sound like the neighborhoods are good). Any and all help is appreciated!
for duplexes i'd check out lakewood heights & belmont addition neighborhoods, some of the streets JT just called out. and craigslist isn't that great in dallas imo, I never had a problem finding places by just driving around the neighborhood looking for "for lease" signs. Spent a couple of hours sat morning, had about 20-30 numbers, then spent the rest of the afternoon at the Gingerman
