Those are up in Denton County right? What kind of vehicle inspection/registration rigors are in place?
JKTex, commute will be a big factor (located in Irving IIRC). Since '03 DH has only had a 10min drive to work.
If you want more rurlal, up towards Denton on the west side close to Argyle (land can be pricy) or Lantanta too.
Good info guys.
JKTex, that sound about par for vehicles here in Nueces Co. I use to pay $12 or $15 for inspection and then about $75 for my '94 Chevy K1500. This time I have an '06 Ram diesel so I was curious about the emissions and such ("...no sir, its all stock..." ) I remembered Collin Co did emissions on my husband's car and the cost of that sorta chapped me.
Ya, the emmision test is the costly part. Another good reason for the black smoke. They check the headlights and horn and give you a sticker. I don't even have to remove the tune and put it back to stock.
BTW what are diesel prices up around DFW now? Around here they're sitting at $1.95-$1.99
Offhand, I found some very neat places up by Lewisville Lake. They'll be too far out for what DH wants to drive. But its nice to know they're there!
I have to agree with the Lewisville/Coppell area. I believe you're better off in Denton County than the other 2. I live in Lewisville just north of 3040 on the Flower Mound border, and work in Coppell, right on the Irving border. Depending on where you live and when you will commute there are some terrific options and 121 will be fully operational in the relatively near future.
There is no place you can live that won't be affected by traffic, be it construction related or just inadequate roads, so I wouldn't let that get in the way. Look around the Frisco area. That's booming. Also if you want to go a little west of there Little Elm is real "country" but nice houses in all price ranges.
We live in Keller (Just NE of Fort Worth) and love it. But that might not fit with the commute to work in Dallas.
Best of luck. You are shopping at the right time as long as you can qualify for a mortgage you'll get a good deal.