Willow Bend is a nice area and is a great location with plenty of escape routes to get around the metroplex.

This time back, we are looking for a community and a neighborhood with great schools, lots of kids (ours are 6 and 9), great shopping nearby, lots of activities for the kids, etc.

In Plano, Willow Bend is going to be some of the newer builds in your price range with the Gleneagles extension of tennis courts and racquet ball courts being located in the neighborhood. Also the main club is just down the way. Plano West schools are as solid as they come no matter what study you read.

In Frisco, there is a nice area located pretty close to where Chapel Creek is located. If you head West on Lebanon and turn on Legacy, this area is a hub for younger families. The Starwood subdivision is right on this corner. I am a member of the Lakes Tennis Center located very close to here as well and it’s a fantastic refuge from Plano when I need it. I drive 20 minutes to get out there from where I live in Plano if that tells you anything about how fun the area is.

Our commute will be to the Galleria area. A commute up to 30 minutes is fine – and we leave early in the morning.

If you leave early enough, you can even beat traffic, but you’re main concern will be where it bottlenecks at George Bush. Either way, I think you’ll be just fine with traffic being so close to the main vain of the Dallas Tollroad if you lived in either of these cities.

We expect to spend around $900K-$1.1MM, and for that get 5 bedrooms, a great pool, and several living areas. We prefer newer or recently renovated. We understand that we could spend less for that size home, but appreciate the differences the extra $ provides. Lot size is not critical – as long as we can create some privacy in the backyard.

For your price range I would look at the neighborhoods in the Willowbend area, Lakeside, and King’s Ridge right off of Spring Creek. They have some nice construction going up that might be worth looking into. Also, though I haven’t previewed any of these particular homes, the Avignon Windhaven subdivision located off of Windhaven is a possibility as well.

For Frisco, I’ll suggest looking at the Starwood subdivision located on the NE Corner of Legacy and Lebanon. This is minutes from Stonebriar Country Club and the Lakes Tennis Center as well. I’ll add Shaddock Creek to that list as well, though it is a little farther North compared to Chapel Creek or Starwood.

We have lived in many cities, and at this stage of our family, we prefer the suburbs. We don’t feel the need to be in Park Cities – especially since our budget does not go far there.

That sounds like a good decision. I will probably won’t ever be living in the Park Cities though it is fun to visit from time to time. My wife works down there now, but we like what is here better.

All that said – we were looking at Southlake, but with the upcoming DFW Connector construction, I think the commute will be intolerable.

That brings us back to the West Plano, SW Frisco area. Homes in our price range in West Plano are looking a bit dated – but perhaps we just haven’t looked at the right neighborhoods.

You’re not going to find a lot of shiny new homes in Plano since it is just about land locked. This is why Frisco has exploded since you left and are now coming back. The positive to this though is that Plano’s land will appreciate faster than Frisco since we are more or less built out.

In Frisco, our online search keeps coming back to a neighborhood called Chapel Creek. There are homes that look attractive, the schools are very close, and newer, and the access to the Tollway looks good.

Frisco schools like Plano’s are excellent and you will not go wrong in the areas you have mentioned. These are the best in the metroplex.

So……a few questions:

I’ve read a few threads that steer folks towards Plano over Frisco. Can you elaborate as to why?

Well naturally, I’m from Plano and love my city so I will tend to brag on it more than some of it’s neighbors. With that out of the way, most will tell you it’s a win win here. Some can argue that Plano’s real estate will be more valuable in the long run given location, but then you can get more house for the money in the newer subdivisions of Frisco. Flipping a coin might be the appropriate method here. Just kidding.

By the way, the whole East vs. West rivalry in Plano which you probably remember while you lived here in the 90′s has spilled over into Frisco so they have it now too. Kind of funny.

Are you familiar with the Chapel Creek neighborhood? Opinions?

Darling is the builder on these homes. This is their high end luxury line and their finish out is very strong compared to comparable builders. Similar location to Starwood but a little closer to the Tollway. These areas are high growth areas. The landscape could be vastly different five years from now, but quite a bit of infrastructure is in place already which is a good thing.

Any other SW Frisco neighborhoods we should consider? West Plano neighborhoods?

I answered this above and assume some of the neighborhoods I’ve mentioned you have already come across.

Any other upscale areas within our commute tolerance that we should be considering?

For this area, there are more options for the type of home that you’re looking for in comparison to other geography relatively close by.