Let's get you started...

I know many of you are starting your journey towards Texas. As you may know, we're from Orange County (although we spent our last 3 years in El Segundo) before moving to Texas almost 5 years ago. We started this group to help others in their own journey since we found that there were few resources to help along the way.

Many of you are wondering where to start. While there are many paths, I'll offer some guidance for you to get started.

First, you'll want to research which metro area of Texas you'd like to move to - or in some cases you might be open to multiple areas. If you're looking for the more conservative areas, you'll generally want to look towards the suburbs or of course rural areas as, in most of the country, the urban downtown areas tend to be pretty blue. You might want to take a few scouting trips.

Next, you'll need to be able to fund your Texas lifestyle. Some of you may have cash in the bank, are retired, or have the ability to buy a second home while living in CA - but for most this will mean finding jobs. Whether you are renting or buying a home, they will want to see that you have income that will continue in Texas.

While you're looking for jobs, I would encourage you to connect to a lender if you would like to buy to help establish your budget as qualification guidelines will be a little bit different in Texas vs. California due to differences in property and income taxes.

Next, if you're planning to buy, connect with a Realtor - hopefully that's me! - and in one phone call we can usually help guide you towards specific areas that meet your priorities (location, community amenities, commute time, tax rate, HOA or not, schools, lot/land size, house size/quality, age of house, etc.). Do this before your scouting trip so that you're not missing your perfect neighborhood while wandering around sometimes 13 counties. I also set people up with email auto searches so that they can start becoming familiar with different areas and what they offer - even if you're not ready to buy. I'll also send you some videos and other resources to help research your areas. My services are always paid for by the Seller or Builder, and in most cases I will save you money via a rebate towards closing costs over and above all builder and lender incentives.

New builds can take as long as a year and as short as a month (if it's an 'inventory' home) so don't feel like it's too early to look if you plan on moving a year out.

We have a team all over Texas - so reach out to me regardless of which part of Texas you're interested in and we'll make the right connections!

If you are renting, you'll need a little bit less assistance, but do understand that the rental market in Texas is even more competitive than the resale market - particularly short-term rentals of single family homes can be hard to come by.

If you are considering the DFW area, here are a list of some areas to consider. Which specific city depends on what your priorities are (location, community amenities, commute time, tax rate, HOA or not, schools, lot/land size, house size/quality, age of house, etc.) and price range - I'm a Realtor and would be happy to have a short call with you where I can suggest some specific areas that will best meet your specific priorities that you won't really get here with simple questions and calling out a few city names

That being said, the top areas in the DFW area people in this group like that are looking for suburban living are Frisco, McKinney, Prosper, Keller, Melissa, Wylie, and Rockwall, to name a few.

Those with higher budgets also look at Southlake, Flower Mound, and Colleyville, as well as higher end developments in the first list of cities.

Those with slightly lower budgets often like Aubrey, Little Elm, some of the areas surrounding Ft Worth, or might go further out.

Those that want to be a little bit further out, but still have close access to shopping will like Celina, Melissa, Anna, Waxahachie, Midlothian, Wylie, Parker, Forney, and Princeton, to name a few.

Want to be a little more rural than suburban? Check out Decatur and Waxahachie. Look east of 75, especially east of the lakes, starting about 5-10 miles north of 380, in-between DFW and Waco.

Those that want new builds on 1-3 acres, with good schools, and especially with low tax rates but without an unlimited budget need to talk to their Realtor as these are difficult to find and not talked about too much publicly.

Those that binge watch home improvement shows like Waco - but they're the only ones.

Those looking for proximity to a lake should look at Rockwall, Little Elm, a very small part of Frisco and The Colony, Granbury, the Eagle Mountain area of Fort Worth, and the Gun Barrel City area (Cedar Creek Lake). Those that want to spend $1M+ should look at Highland Village, Grapevine Lake, or you can find an estate worthy of Presidential visits in some of the first areas mentioned.

Some of the popular master planned communities with lots of awesome amenities to check out if you like this are Windsong Ranch in Prosper, Light Farms in Celina, Inspiration in Wylie, The Tribute in The Colony, Trinity Falls in McKinney, Harvest in Argyle, and Savannah in Aubrey. There are more, but these will be plenty to take in for now.

Hope this helps! We moved to Windsong Ranch in Prosper and LOVE it.