Where to Start Your Home Search

So your new job is in The Big D, and you need to relocate and buy a home quickly, what are your options and what will “I get for the money?”

A good place to start your house hunt are zip codes.

Don’t know what they are?

Here is a quick run down of some Dallas zip codes to explore:

If you have been to Dallas or have family or friends that live here then you might have an idea on where you want to live. If you don’t have a clue this info could help.

I don’t know what you want to spend so here is an overview of what your get for your hard earned money.

Dallas has a wide range of price points and neighborhoods. Just like almost every urban area in the country, a re-birth is occurring and those areas close to town have seen greater appreciation than the rest of the metroplex.

The area inside the loop, south of LBJ, have seen the greatest growth, here is what your money will buy you:

If you are looking for a brand new, state of the art home 3000-4500+ sq ft. in North Dallas or Preston Hollow you will need to spend 700K to 1M plus, more in Preston Hollow because it is closer in. You will get a larger lot and matured live Oak Trees. Neighborhoods are from the 1950’s-1970’s.

There are still plenty of one story ranch homes some have been updated, some not, expect to pay 350K-600K+ for these depending on location.  You are about 5-10 minutes from town in these neighborhoods. Some good public schools, but near all private schools.

Dallas Zip codes to look at : 75229, 75230, 75220.

Directly north of downtown is uptown, this is where all the high rise condos projects are taking place, you will pay dearly to live here, 500K and up for around 2000 ft, give or take a few hundred sq ft.  Downtown proper you will find the same thing with lower price points like 200K and up, but location is questionable, meaning not too safe and areas are still trying decide what they are going to be.

Dallas Uptown Zip codes are: 75201, 75204.

Directly north of uptown is the coveted Park Cities they are actually their own townships, Highland Park and University Park, it is called “The Bubble.” (I will write another post on that one). It is actually the heart of Dallas and one of prettiest and most prestigious areas in Dallas.

You are 5 minutes from town and always exemplary schools, population is around 31,000. You will not get a large yard here and it is the most expensive address. Homes were built 1920’s,30’s, 40’s, and the new homes that are replacing these start at 1.3M and much much more. Here you will also find a excellent police dept. Just lot values are 500k and up.

Park Cities Zip codes: 75205, 75225.

Of course, there are more neighborhoods, but these communities are located in the platinum corridor with convenience to town and a commute that is easy.

You will find much better values north of LBJ with your work commute not more than 20-40 minutes and newer homes in Far North Dallas & Plano, built 1980’s and 1990’s and some new development. Prices 250K and up, excellent schools in Plano, (some of North Dallas neighborhoods go to Plano schools).

Zip codes to look at in North Dallas: 75240, 75254.

West Plano Zips: 75093,  75024 & 75025.

If you are looking for a great place to live and some real estate appreciation that still has quite a bit of room to go, Far North Dallas and Plano are it and the next ones to profit from. Here, You will find drill down searches of all these areas to review, if you want a look-see.

If you are relocating from the east or west coasts you will be pleasantly surprised of the value here, but don’t forget about property taxes, they are a big nut here and need to be considered.

This certainly is not everything but a good place to begin your Dallas home search.