Parkdale questions

[ericthegardener]

I've been lurking on the boards for a couple months now and I hope you all don't mind a long winded first time post.

I've rented all my adult life but now I'm looking to buy a house for the first time. One of the main reasons I'm looking to buy is because I want to become more actively involved in my community and city.

For the style of house that I'd like to own Parkdale looks like it might be one of the only neighborhoods I could afford.

I've been doing a lot of research on the net (as well as driving around the neighborhood the last few days) but I'm hoping that some of you guys with more knowledge than me might be some help with some of my questions.

1) How will the DART station under construction likely effect the neighborhood? Property values, crime, development (more stores/restaurants)?

2) I was looking at www.parkdaledallas.org and it looks like they had a very active neighborhood association but it may have fizzled a bit lately. There were a healthy number of newsletters from the president of the association from 2002 to early 2006 but there's been nothing new for the past year and a half. Has the association become less active or has the website just not been updated lately?

3) Along the same lines, one of the newsletters mentioned developing a WIFI network for the neighborhood. Did anything become of that? I can understand that it may not have been feasible.

4) I am friends with a couple that lived in Parkdale from 96 to 03 and they loved it (since moved out of state though) but they did say that the neighborhood never really developed like they hoped it would. I have always lived in neighborhoods that are culturally mixed and that's the way I want it, but now that I'm ready to own I want to live in a neighborhood where most residents can afford to keep their property looking nice.

I remember my friends telling me that Parkdale was on it's way up back in 96, but driving around the neighborhood it seemed that the properties that are kept up are outnumbered by properties that look like they could use extensive work. So, is it too late for Parkdale? I'm not expecting or wanting it to turn into Lakewood or Hollywood Heights but will it move even just a little more in that direction?

Thanks and I look forward to contributing more to the forum.

[Spjz]

I used to drive through Parkdale alot while on the job and it always seemed like a nice hood to me. The Dart station should bring nothing but gravy. Unfortunately Dart seems to be clearing out some of the forest around the new station for parking but since the surrounding community is mostly single family homes it will probably be a popular park and ride station into downtown.

Not to give Parkdale some competition, but you should also look at Beckley Club Estates in the OC. It is around the same age and closer to DT than Parkdale. Nearby South Beckley can get a little scary at night but I am sure any new resident will adjust. BCE is also close to a few dart stations, Illinois, Morrell and Dallas Zoo.

I'm sure Trolleygirl will chime in with lots of useful Parkdale info.

[RayM]

I, too, have been scouting out Parkdale as a place to buy a house.

What I hope for with the Lawnview DART station is something like the Hampton station. It didn't bring retail / restaurants, but a short while after the station opened real estate prices in Hampton Hills and Elmwood increased quite a bit. I'm not sure if it was the effect of DART, or just the general home price increase across the board, though. As a whole, Hampton Hills and Elmwood homes are in better condition than the homes in Parkdale, too. The future of an investment in Parkdale is uncertain, but it certainly has a lot of potential.

It might be victim to tear-downs soon. It really is in a convenient location, but its adjacent neighborhoods will probably keep demand down for a little while longer.

[ericthegardener]

Thanks for the responses guys!


Not to give Parkdale some competition, but you should also look at Beckley Club Estates in the OC. It is around the same age and closer to DT than Parkdale.
Yeah, I'm considering Oak Cliff too but I'd rather stay nearer Old East Dallas if I can. Even though I had a couple of friends that lived there Parkdale is a neighborhood that I've never known much about.

Another neighborhood I've driven around is the one bordered by Northwest Hwy, Marsh, Walnut Hill and Midway in NW Dallas. Totally different part of town but closer to my girlfriend. I kinda like the homes in the NW section of that area. Not sure what that neighborhood is called though.


I'm sure Trolleygirl will chime in with lots of useful Parkdale info.
Great, I'd love to hear from actual Parkdale residents!

[vman]

When I first moved to Dallas, I lived in a friend's home for about two months near Parkdale in the neighborhood right behind the old Tri-State Hospital (anything going on with that place?) on Scyene. This area deserves a look too. I don't know the name of the neighborhood, but it is hilly and wooded with well maintained 50's, 60's era and up homes. A creek runs through the neighborhood as well. It is truly an unexpected find in that area and deserves a look.

I will say the area is very underserved in retail and dining options as I'm sure you already know. And while I was living in the area my car was broken into twice when I was too lazy to put it in the garage. But all in all, the area wasn't nearly as bad as people made it out to be. However, I do have a friend that's a cop, and he says the retail areas around Buckner have seen a huge spike in crime within the last few years.

I hope the rail will add value and interest to some of the neighborhoods in that part of town. There are some really decent areas around there that have tons of potential like Parkdale, Piedmont, and of course the area behind the old hospital.

[ericthegardener]

I don't know the name of the neighborhood, but it is hilly and wooded with well maintained 50's, 60's era and up homes. A creek runs through the neighborhood as well. It is truly an unexpected find in that area and deserves a look.


I think that's Urbandale and I definitely saw some cool places over there. Particulary when I was driving on Urban Avenue I felt like I was in another city. I loved the curvy roads and huge trees. If I could find a nice small house there I'd consider it.


I hope the rail will add value and interest to some of the neighborhoods in that part of town. There are some really decent areas around there that have tons of potential like Parkdale, Piedmont, and of course the area behind the old hospital.

I haven't checked out Piedmont yet. Maybe this weekend.

One of the things I liked about Parkdale was that it appeared to have a very active neighborhood association. I'm not sure if that's still the case but I'm not sure that a neighborhood like Parkdale could continue in the right direction without a lot of residents that really cared about the area.

Does anyone no if there are many artists in the area or if there has been any effort to attract artists? It seems like it could be ideal. Maybe as they are being priced out of other areas Parkdale could be the next spot.

[trolleygirl]

The neighborhood is very active and involved- if it seems like it "fizzled" a bit it's because I just resigned as President for the last five years and the new board is getting settled in.

One thing that the neighborhood does need is new, young energy. A lot of people have been/are investing there because it's a great neighborhood. It's a stable neighborhood.

Some of the original homeowners are still there- I am the second owner of my homs, as are most young people there.

If you want some advice on buying, let me know- we have a realtor in the neighborhood and the current President owns several homes that he does rent-t-own deals with.

[ericthegardener]

If you want some advice on buying, let me know- we have a realtor in the neighborhood and the current President owns several homes that he does rent-t-own deals with.

Thanks for the response!

I've got this weekend set aside to check out some places in Oak Cliff but sometime after that I will PM you for advice.

Any other Parkdale residents post on this board?

[BC_Club]

I would recommend Beckley Club Estates as well. I have lived there for 16 years and love the area. 1 mile off 35 and 1 mile from the Dallas Zoo Station with bus service. It is like living outside the city with all the trees and winding roads, although the city is right over the hill. Very diverse neighborhood with great houses and some good pricing. Check out the website for BCE. www.beckleyclub.com

[ericthegardener]

I would recommend Beckley Club Estates as well. I have lived there for 16 years and love the area. 1 mile off 35 and 1 mile from the Dallas Zoo Station with bus service. It is like living outside the city with all the trees and winding roads, although the city is right over the hill. Very diverse neighborhood with great houses and some good pricing. Check out the website for BCE. www.beckleyclub.com

I'm visiting a friend tomorrow in Beckley Estates who will be showing me around the neighborhood. I'll let you know my thoughts tomorrow evening.

[ericthegardener]

I would recommend Beckley Club Estates as well.

This is probably no longer the appropriate thread to discuss this but I did end up checking out Beckley Club this past weekend, along with a number of other OC neighborhoods.

I gotta say that Beckley Club pleasantly surprised me. There were more houses there that I liked than I expected and I loved the woodsy feel. I'm not entirely convinced yet but I have told my friends there to keeps their eyes open for me.

I also liked parts of Elmwood, The Dells and a couple of other neighborhoods. I plan on doing lots more exploring on the upcoming weekends.

Unfortunately I am probably leaning away from Parkdale now. In Parkdale I would be closer to my East Dallas friends but I don't know anyone who currently resides there. In north Oak Cliff I know people in practically every area.

At any rate I'll be taking my time to make a decision and I plan on sticking around this forum to learn all I can.

[trolleygirl]

Ahm you don't know anyone in Parkdale now, but if you moved there, you would have a whole slew of new friends. Did you see thepics on the website? Lots of fun people.

[ericthegardener]

Ahm you don't know anyone in Parkdale now, but if you moved there, you would have a whole slew of new friends. Did you see thepics on the website? Lots of fun people.

True, Parkdale does look like a great group of folks! And I'm definitely not ruling it out. I'm in a situation where I can take my time looking for a house.

The thing is, I had a sentimental attachment to East Dallas and Parkdale would keep me closer to that area, but realizing that a lot of the things I like about East Dallas exist in Oak Cliff along with some of my friends opened the playing field considerably. In my price range anyways.