We're Moving down from Illinois, and I Have Some Questions.

Call Amy Ensminger at ###-###-#### She is very good at helping you find the house for you.
We are very happy with Grapevine-Colleyville ISD and it would be about 30 minutes to Farmers Branch from Grapevine. We have 2 in elementary school and are much happier with the teachers and administrators here than we were in Lewisville ISD

I have a good friend who is a real estate agent. He lives in Frisco and is familiar with the area you're looking at. His name is Ali Saatsaz. I know he'll take very good care of you - he is very honest and caring. His number is ###-###-####.

M.

A., we live in las Colinas in irving and it is a great area, but we rent an apartment, 2 bedroom for 1250/month. It's pretty expensive. It is in the La Villita area that I saw someone else mention. It should be a great school, but to rent a house in this area costs about $1800-$3000. I would reccomend Coppell, they are suppsed to have some of the best school districts in the country and much more afordable rent. It's pretty close to Farmers Branch. Good Luck!

Hey there! Congrats, I know you'll love it here. I am a former teacher turned Realtor and would love to chat with you and help you find the best house in the best school district.

I KNOW how important schools are to any mom so I've personally checked out many area schools.

Feel free to give me a call or email me and we can talk about schools, Carrollton/FB and maybe others areas as well.

I can also recommend moving companies! :-)

M.
RE/MAX DFW Associates
###-###-####

I agree with far north Carrolton... LISD is better.

Depending on where he works in Farmer's Branch you could do Irving off the 635 too... If he has flexible start hours you can look even farther out... like Flower Mound. But if he hits traffic from here to there, it could be an hour or more.

Property taxes are much more here than anywhere else. We have a rental in Flower Mound that cost us $110k. The monthly payment, insurance and taxes add up to $1150 a month.

The house we live in is valued at $225k (I think) and we pay around $4400 in property taxes. So though houses are much cheaper here than many other places, you have to factor the property tax into the cost. And save for air-conditioning!

I grew up in the Carrollton/Farmers Branch area. Do not chose Farmers Branch because the city is being sued for many reasons. The neighborhoods in that area have really gone down. Also, an entire block has been shut down, including 3 or 4 apartment communities. (vacate)

My favorite place to go to school was in Carrollton. Great school. Country Place Elementary School. Its within walking distance to many nice homes and townhomes. Great store, post office and parks near by. I lived in the townhomes across the street, walking distance even when I was 9. In the last year, I have checked into the 3 bedroom townhouses that are for rent and I didn't find any over $1100.00 per month. Good Luck and Welcome to Texas.

Hi there - I live in Richardson, which is too far for you, but I really like my realtor - Helen Karuba at Keller Williams - ____@____.com. I'll forward your info if you like. We've moved a LOT, and I actually like Door 2 Door moving & Storage, or PODS - I used Door 2 Door (www.doortodoor.com) - it's the "pack your own container" type, and we used local movers to load & unload. It works out well, cause you can have up to 5 days to pack them, and again to unpack them at the destination. You also get some storage time free, and if you want to keep stuff in storage while you're here, they can do that at a VERY reasonable rate. Good luck and I hope this was helpful.

Hello fellow Illini!
We moved from Crystal Lake to this area about three years ago-I used an Allied office in Lake in the Hills to move and was very pleased.
TLC Realty in Grapevine (0817 ###-###-#### has many large duplexes in the area that they own and manage. We rented a good sized three bedroom with a little yard (Master down with a good sized living/dining/kitchen area and two bedrooms up with a loft are for playroom) from them for $1200 a month-they are easy to work with and can tell you realtors who will show rentals for a finders fee. Also we rented while looking for a place to buy and they were very good about letting us out of our lease when we found a home.
The realtors in this area generally don't show rentals because there is so little money in it (the market is actually quite good for them right now), but there are several online real estate companies that the agents will show rentals.
My kids are grown, but I know that Grapevine schools are well rated. This is a middle class area with a decent mix of all sorts, but the parents seem very involved in the schools.
My husband works in Farmers Branch also so I know that it is not a bad drive.
Grapevine is VERY family oriented, so it might be a good place to look.
If you are finding low prices in Irving, it is probably not a nice area-there are many great areas in Irving, but they are much higher priced in an area called Las Colinas. The town has a lot of lower income people and I have not heard anything good about the schools. I have a few friends who live in the nicer areas but they don't send their kids to the public schools.
Best of luck with your move-you can email me directly at ____@____.com if you have any more questions about Grapevine.

Hey, I just happen to work in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD. If it were me, I would try to buy/rent in Carrollton, just because it seems a little nicer. As for schools, this is a great district. In the north end, Kent and Rainwater elementaries have received the top rating of Exemplary schools, and the other schools have improved their ratings from Acceptable to Recognized over the last 2-3 years. It's going up. The teachers really care about the kids, and the neighborhoods are mostly well-established ones with friendly neighbors. Farmers Branch has some nice pockets, but if you're going for a newer home, Carrollton is your best bet. Personally, I wouldn't choose to live in some parts of Irving, although the Las Colinas/Valley Ranch area is quite nice (and pricey). Also, there is a new housing development called La Villita going up just south of 635, and there is a new elementary school (in CFBISD...La Villita Elementary) that will be opening this fall. It currently has low enrollment expectations, so if you like small class sizes, there's a good chance for that. If you're interested, there are 3 elementary schools that do a dual-language program...Janie Stark is one of them, I can't think what the other 2 are...students who are Spanish-speakers and students who are English-speakers spend time in bilingual education. Students must pass a language test to qualify, but the idea is that not only do the Spanish speakers learn English, but the English-speaking kids also have the opportunity to become bilingual. It is a 3-year program, so if enrolled your child would be with the same group of kids for kindergarten through 2nd grade. Finally, I am a music teacher, and I can attest that the fine arts/P.E. programs in this district are great. We are on a 3-day rotation, which is common in this district. They go to music, then P.E., then art, then start over. It's a great place for kids, parents, and teachers. I read one response that recommended Southlake...I live in Southlake and work in Farmers Branch...I don't enjoy the commute, and the prices are very high in Southlake. When I lived in Coppell, the commute was much, much better (10-15 minutes, depending) and the neighborhoods are so nice and peaceful that that might be a good option for you.

Hi, A.. I live in the heart of the city and can't give suggestions on school districts in the areas where you will move, but I have heard many people say that Irving schools should be avoided unless you live in the Valley Ranch area.

Moving to Valley Ranch would probably put you out of the rent bracket that you'd like to stay within, but I've also heard very good comments about the Coppell school district. Best wishes to you and your family...

Hello A.! So glad to hear that you are moving to Texas. I'm originally from the Midwest and have lived in Dallas and Plano now for quite some time. I'm a realtor with Keller Williams and can help you locate a rental, if you wish. I am very familiar with Farmers Branch and Carrollton and I know we can find you a nice home under $1400. If you want to check school ratings, feel free to go to my website: www.lyndakfisher.com and click on "About the Area" in the left margin and then click on "School Ratings". It's all the school ratings for Texas so you'll need to review individual cities surrounding Farmers Branch such as Carrollton, Richardson, Coppell and Plano. For convenience sake, North Carrollton may be your best bet and there are nice rentals. There's lots of park areas too and with your son being in kindergarten and our Texas weather -- you're going to really enjoy that!

I can set you up on a search for current rentals in these areas if you wish. Just give me a quick email outlining what you are seeking in a home and the system will automatically notify you of homes currently available and email you when new ones come on the market. The landlord pays my fee so my service is free to you. I'd love to help you!

L.

you could look in far north dallas, plano and coppell also. they are all an easy commute to farmers branch!

A.,

One area to look in is just the other side of 635 between Webb Chapple and Marsh, South of Forest. We are moving next week (to Farmers Branch) but were renting for 1100 a month. (3bed,2bath) Also, the elementary school, DeGoyer, which is walking distance is very good.

For a realestate agent I can recommend James "Mac" Leftwich. (tel) ###-###-####
(cel) ###-###-####
____@____.com

I used to live in Irving and moved when having children. North Irving is better than South Irving. I have family that went to school in Irving and was not the best; however problems started in middle school and up. Grapevine/Colleyville ISD has excellent schools as well as Flower Mound. I commend all teachers as I feel they have one of the toughest jobs and get little recognition. You can have great teachers, but it's the surroundings that are brought into the school that cause the problems and teachers spend more time with discipline than teaching.

From the Grapevine area, the drive would be about 30 minutes.

My neighbor is a realtor and can help in the Grapevine/Colleyville/Southlake area, not sure about Flower Mound: Bruce Ogletree, ###-###-####, www.bohomes.com

Best of luck.

A.,
Irving would be a commute in traffic for your husband. Carollton has great schools. You need to look around the area that is Hebron and Josey. Farmers Branch has older houses and most of it is in Dallas Schools. Your husband will avoid major freeways if you live in that area. You will be close to grocery stores and shopping. Part of that area is in Lewisville schools which also has excellent schools. I have lived in the metro-plex for 40 years and am a mother of 7 and grandmother of 10. I don't know of a realtor that does rentals. I would check on Dallas Morning News classifieds online and see what is available. Feel free to email me ____@____.com
Thanks
N. Cox

I would stay away from Irving. There are some decent areas, but Carrollton/FB is better and your hubby will appreciate not having to deal with that traffic! I live in north Carrollton now, but attend church in the area in which you mentioned so I am pretty familiar with it. Farmer's Branch also has good and not so great areas. I would recommend you look in far north Carrollton as we are technically in the Lewisville school district which is gernerally better than the Carrollton/Farmer's Branch school district. We're about 10-15 minutes from your husband's office. We also have a great moms group around here. We'd love to have you join us. Let me know if you have any other questions or want any more details on anything I mentioned.

You're getting a lot of responses...here's my 2 cents. I grew up in the HEB area, Hurst specifically. HEB school district has 2 of the few International Baccalaureate high schools in the world (LD Bell, Trinity) and the cost to rent is a little less than in Dallas County. However, HEB covers quite a bit of territory, and some parts are worse than others. To be safe, stay on the north side of S.H. 183 (Airport Freeway) I would avoid Irving. I work in Irving and have had friends who taught school in Irving...not so much. My daughter attends private school at Metroplex Chapel Academy in Euless and it has been fantastic. And very affordable for a private school.
Finally, I've heard good things about Lewisville, Grapevine-Colleyville, and Flower Mound. Flower Mound may be out of your price range, and Colleyville definitely is, but parts of Grapevine would be OK.
Welcome to Texas! You'll get here just in time to enjoy the summer--have your swim suits ready!

I grew up in Irving. Yes, it is by the airport, but Irving and Euless, Grapevine are the surrounding cities - unlike every other International Airport, these are very safe cities. Irving is less expensive in some areas - however, the areas such as Las Colinas and Valley Ranch - are not and they are IRVING. I currently live in Bedford and love it. It is the best for community. It would be a small jaunt for your husband to travel, but worth it for the family. Look into H-E-B (Hurst, Euless, Bedford)

The best school district is Kent, in north Carrollton, 190 and I 35 area Mapsco 10A I think. If you have a genius then he can be in Leap at McCoy a neighborhood very close by. No do not pick Irving the demographics have all changed. They have been having alot of politics about immigration in Farmers Branch. There are 25 different nations represented in the student population at Kent though. It has Exemplary ratings and so does the middle school. Tonya Harp works for Ebby Halliday and knows the area well. Her office is located on Old Denton and Hebron. Good Luck. PS there is a great cloth diaper service and store in the Farmer's Branch area www.babiesbottomsandmore.com

you might want to look at Coppell for schools and houses. Irving typically does not have the best reputation in terms of schools. Richardson also has great housing prices and great schools. West or Southwest Richardson would be the closest areas in terms of Richardson to look in.

Speak to susan Parker at Texas Moving Company - they are AWESOME! Tell her E. with Cornerstone Chem-Dry gave you her info -- she will totally take care of you!
____@____.com
Phone
###-###-#### (Office)
###-###-#### (Fax)

I also have 2 great realtors:
Marsha Finney with Ebby Halliday is AWESOME
____@____.com
Phone
###-###-#### (Office)
###-###-#### (mobile)

and Sissy pardue with Ellen Terry Realtors
###-###-####
____@____.com

good luck - if you have any other questions, please feel free to email me at ____@____.com

Welcome to Texas!

I hope your move goes smoothly. I've heard nothing but good things about the schools in Carrollton and Farmers Branch, so I doubt you'll have issues with that.

Because this is just a temporary situation, unless your husband Loves traffic....I would strongly suggest that you stick with your first idea of living in the same area of your husband's employment. Your budget seems in-line
with the current rental market.

No comments on moving companies. Hope you and your family enjoy the summer heat!

An added note: I've read some of the opinions of those that posted a response to your inquiry. Texas, like Illinois can be very culturally diverse in the city and can be very culturally segragated in the suburbs and, what some folks think is horrible others happen to love.

I realize you have several children to care for and therefore it may be a bit impractical to come and stay a couple of days and look around, but if at all possible do it.

Also, if you happen to move into a school district and find that you do not like the school, get a special transfer for your child.

I live in Irving and I love it...the schools are fine. But, my children happen to be exceptional students...but I demand to live in a culturally diverse environment, middle to upper middle class income areas, good parks and recreation for children, close to grocery stores and shopping outlets...that's what I like.

Make sure when you meet with your real-estate person that you let them know what's really important.

OK! There are several towns surrounding DFW Airport that are not "poor towns" including Irving. In fact Irving crime rate has dropped. Typically, there aren't thugs in kindergarten that are going to beat up your son and rob him. I live in Irving so I am a little offended.

Coppell is a nice area. It's north of Irving. It a smaller than both Carrollton and Irving. There's alot of political issues going on in both Farmers Branch and Irving because of Illegal Immigration. Something tells me that will be an issue for you. Coppell is still a one high school town.

I think you might even like Southlake which is west of Irving.

Daryl Flood is an excellent moving company. They just switched from Allied to Mayflower. They are located in Coppell... www.darylflood.com

Different schools have different rankings in each school district. It is really up to how your attitude is whether he will succeed or not. You are not going to like the same teacher in the same school. You are not going to like all of your children's teachers. But you will have to learn to respect them and teach your kids to respect them in order for your kids to learn.

I hope you enjoy Texas. There's no place else like it.

Kimberly G.

You've gotten an awful lot of comments that run the spectrum here.

Many of the comments talk about traffic issues. Living in a huge metropolitan area, change happens. That includes improved traffic.

The George Bush Turnpike segment between Irving and FB/Carrollton has been open for about two years now. You can get from 161 to 35W and Sandy Lake or Beltline in about 7 minutes. The LBJ west of 35E does not have the traffic issues that you have east of 35E.

As far as schools go, it's hard to screw up kindergarten (or pre-K). If schools have issues, it usually starts late in middle school or in high school. That gives you lots of years to get settled permanently in a community of your choice.

The metroplex is a hugely culturally diverse area. One of the adjustments for me moving here after living my entire life in the northern states was just how much of a Latin heritage and culture there is here. I also thought it was fascinating to go to Walmart and see women walking around in their saris. You name a nationality or a foreign tongue or a religion and you will find it here! I LOVE THAT!

In Irving, we have every variety of protestant church, four Catholic churches, a Bysantine Catholic church, several Buddhist temples, an mosque which I'm told holds services in Arabic, and a Hindu temple. In neighboring communities, you'll find a Romanian Orthodox church, a Greek Orthodox church ... The one faith that is not so well represented is Judaism although there are several temples and synagogues in the area. Mostly they are concentrated in North Dallas.

As for sites comparing schools, one is schooldigger.com. You can also go to the source and check out http://www.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/ which is the Texas Education Agency's accountability reporting page for all Texas schools.

I actually live in Carrollton, and it is a great area to live and there are houses for rent/sale in our neighborhood. The school here are great. I am VERY involved in the elementary school that my daughter attends,(she is getting ready to go into 1st next year)Furneaux elementary in the name of her school, and they have great teachers. As with any city that you choose, there are always schools better then others. As the suggestion for Irving, I think that your husband would DREAD the drive to Farmers Branch, as traffic on 635 is HORRIBLE! As for living here in Carrollton, we have never had any problems (we have been in our house for 6 years) and your are a hop skip and a jump to the other cities, and we have EVERYTHING that you need here. I love it. Good luck! Also, to check out schools in our area go to www.greatschool.net and you can search by zip codes as well. put in 75007/75006..it shows all the schools in our area and breaks down how they do..it is awesome!

Good Luck on your move A.. My husband is a Realtor and specializes in distress sales and helping those clients find rental property to move to when he's sold their house to avoid foreclosure. Needless to say, we're pretty up to date on the area schools and rental houses. Let me know if you are interested in some feedback - ____@____.com

My husband is David McElroy ____@____.com
www.collateralcapital.com or ###-###-####

C.

Hi A. - welcome to Texas! I am a mortgage loan officer and I'd like to refer you to a dear friend who is a realtor. Please call me and let's talk. I can definitely be of assistance to you and your family. I can be reached at ###-###-####.

N. Creuzot
Sr.Loan Officer
WR Starkey Mortgage Co.
www.nancyhomeloans.com

I do know some real estate agents as work as a secretary in one. I would be happy to forward you some lease listings just so you can see what is available in the different areas or refer you to our Relocation Department. There are good schools and bad schools in every district. Carrollton-Farmers Branch does have a good reputation. Richardson ISD, has a lot of exemplary Elementary Schools and Plano also has a good reputation. Mine are in Dallas ISD, and that is hit or miss depending on the area. The school system's website should be able to list the awards and special programs off all their schools.

We live in Bedford. My husband work at 114 and 161, which I think is close to where your husband will be working. My husband's drive is about 30 minutes. I do not know much about Carrollton or Farmers Branch, but wanted to offer some information about Bedford, as we love it here!
Bedford is divided into 2 zipcodes 76021 and 76022. Pretty much anyplace you would find in 76022 is nice. I have seen some homes for lease close by recently...probably in the price range you are looking for. North Euless is also nice, some of South Euless is fine, but older.
Although we have my 6 yr old at a Christian private school, the public schools in Bedford are ALL great. I have never heard a negative thing about one of them, and my 14 yr old cousin has always gone to Bedford public schools with success.
If you want more info. about Bedford, you can email me...
Irving definitely has some nice areas, but it is a large city...so of course it has some not so good areas as well. My brother and his wife like living there, but they do not have children of school age. They live near 635 and McArthur...I think those are the 2 main intersecting roads they live by...they live N. and W. of that location.
Anyway, if you want more info. about that area, I can find out.
I imagine you will get alot of mamasource replies, but if for some reason you do not, feel free to contact me.
~K.

I would discourage Irving, it's not a great place for a family. We live in the Bedford area, and I worked in Farmers Branch... it took about 20-30 min to commute. Schools are fantastic and is very family friendly. School district is HEB, I would reccomend Bedford, or Hurst Grapevine is also a good choice. It just depends on what you want to spend. Farmers Branch and Carrolton is going to be more expensive and frankly, i like it less than Northeast Tarrant County for kids activities. Good Luck

I do not have the name of any moving companies, but I would say if you are going to live in Carrollton look in either north carrollton or far west carrollton- those areas have the better schools. We actually live in Carrollton but go to Lewisville schools, which is even better. If you find a place in Carrollton ISD I would avaoid the areas that feed into Newman Smith and RL Turner High school. I am not sure about the younger grades but I know the both of those high schools are pretty rough. Just my opinion- someone else may thing something completely different. Hope this helps.

I'd recommend Coppell. The schools are excellent and it is a short commute to Farmers Branch. I am sure there are some good elementary schools in Carrollton and Farmer's Branch on an individual basis. However, the school district is not known for its quality overall. Safety will not be a concern in Coppell. Safety will be an issue in parts of Carrollton, FB or Irving. I'll say that Irving has some very expensive and nice areas (Las Colinas), but there are some low income areas, as well. You cannot make a judgment about it as a whole. You should find a rent house in your price range in any of these cities. Try looking on Craigs List to avoid an agent's fee.

As for schools...I'd look into the Kent, Rainwater, or Rosemeade schools. Rosemeade and Rainwater are more likely to have houses in their attendance zone that are rental. All of the above mentioned schools are located in Carrollton (CFBISD)and are high performing schools.

Other high performing schools are Freeman and Las Colinas...however they are in a higher rent area price wise when you are looking at homes. Both of these are Irving (CFBISD schools).

Farmers Branch would have some homes but honestly the schools (CFBISD) are not as strong when you look at the whole picture.

Riverchase Elem. in Coppell (CFBISD) has some rental townhomes near them that look fairly nice but the price range may be a bit steep for what you get.

You could also look into the Lewisville schools located in North Carrollton. Rentals are more prominant in the Indian Creek school zone and Homestead school zone.

I work for Carrollton and can honestly say the district is great. We offer lots of programs. My son attends Lewisville schools and we are pleased with his school. North Carrollton area is a great place to start looking.

I'd definately look into getting a realator. It just would make your life easier. Move.com also is pretty good to use as a reference.

zips to consider 75006, 75007, 75010 (Carrollton and Lewisville schools)

75234 ???? Carrollton schools but Farmers Branch

75063 Carrollton schools but Irving

Not sure of Coppell's zip but Riverchase is in Coppell area yet CFBISD school

Hope this helps! :-)

I have an answer to one question: please avoid all charter schools in the area. I worked for one, so I know! There are at least 2 in Irving/Coppell... one is decent and the other is TERRIBLE (the one I worked for is terrible)- not academically, but the way they treat the students, etc. I recommend the public schools over charter schools any day. Just my own personal opinion!

Good luck!

I strongly suggest Mike Tobin (Keller Williams) ###-###-####. He has four kids (so he knows the value of good schools) and lots of experience in the areas you mentioned (he lived in Irving for a while). He is also an appraiser so he knows REAL value :)
I would suggest looking into lewisville (close to Carrollton)--LISD is a great school system.
Good luck and welcome to the Lone Star state.

Personally, I would not move to Irving. My family and I live in Plano; Farmers Branch has some questionnable areas; Carrollton has some nicer areas than Farmers Branch.

I live in Farmers Branch and worked for the Carrollton/Farmers Branch School district. I can answer questions about that if you like.
There is a very good Montessori School in our area.
I love living in FB. All the cities you are looking at living in are culturally diverse. So it all depends on the neighborhood you choose. Our neighborhood is awesome. I can send you a picture of a house for sale on my street if you like. I would choose not to live in Irving.
Personal message me if I can help you in any way.

L.

Hi A. -- The area in Carrollton that April M. mentioned is great. Also, Jade F. mentioned an area that feeds into DeGolyer Elementary which is a wonderful school in DISD that has a lot of parental involvement. If you're interested in that school, I would recommend looking at a neighborhood called "Sparkman" that is south of Royal Ln., north of Walnut Hill Ln. and bordered on the west by Webb Chapel Rd., on the east by Marsh Ln. This is not a gated community, but there is a great neighborhood clubhouse, swimming pool, playground & I believe tennis courts ("Sparkman Club"), most of which has been recently updated. There are many wonderful families & activities in this neighborhood. Good luck!

I live and teach in Carrollton. It is a great district but definately stay more north and probably out of Farmer's Branch. I think Irving is ok but also parts to stay away from. Sorry, I don't know for sure which ones.

Hi A.. I live in Lewisville which is just north of Carrollton. In my opinion, I would NOT live in Irving. As with any city, there are parts that are not as nice as others. I don't care for FB honestly and only for parts of Carrollton. Be careful when you are looking for a place to live. Drive through the area and look at your surroundings and that will speak volumes. I love Lewisville and the schools are awesome. Good luck in your search and be prepared for your first Texas summer! It gets HOT here! :)
M.

Good luck with your move. Irving is not so great--but parts are fine. There is a charter school in that area that is really good. I go to church in Carrollton and have friends with kids in that school district that have been happy. My realtor is Lori LaParche with Remax. You can google her to find out more. I'd say to call and interview her on the phone --or anyone you work with. I'd also look at the school resources and find an exemplary elementary school and find a house that works in that area.

Good luck.

I live in Irving and love it. My husband grew up here (went through the public school system). Honestly, Irving ISD schools could be better, but there are some in the district that are just great - it all depends on the demographics of the area and the parental involvement. Some of the elementary schools have very good reputations, despite the rest of the district. You could also look into North Hills School - it's a charter school and admission is by a lottery system. There's no tuition and it was recently rated among the best high schools in the nation (but I think it starts with Kindergarten)

If you move into northern Irving (pretty much anything north of hwy 114), technically your children would attend Carrollton/Farmers Branch ISD or Coppell ISD (back in the day, Irving elected to let CFBISD handle the north of the city. I'm not sure why and I'm sure they're regretting that choice). I don't know what's available as far as rental homes in North Irving, but there are lots of new home developments. My boss's daughter is at Valley Ranch Elementary and they love that school (They live in the Hackberry Creek Subdivision).

If you have any other questions about Irving, send me a message and I can give you lots more information.

PS - Coppell will probably be more expensive than most other areas. They have some of the highest property taxes in the area and there are rumors that they are about to go up again. We have friends who live in Coppell (and have lived there since 1998) and are looking at moving to somewhere cheaper.