Celina?Prosper? Allen? McKinney?

We plan to move to N.Dallas next summer. We have been dealing with two buyers%26#39; agents. The one pushing Prosper or Celina. The other claims we would be happier in Allen or McKinney? We are your typical family :) I%26#39;m 61, husband is 55 and we have two daughters adopted from China who are 5 and 7. We need great schools. We have 2 large dogs and may get a third, so we%26#39;d like a piece of land big enough for the whole family to enjoy. We can%26#39;t go any highter than 400K.

Any experienced opinions?

Celina?Prosper? Allen? McKinney?

Are any of these towns close to where you are going to work?

Usually agents will specialize in a town or area. The neighborhood where I live, we have agents who specialize in the area - same for you having two agents (which really frustrates the heck out of them! My b-i-l is an agent) - of course one is going to push their territory over the other.

Southlake gets my vote on the best schools - if I had to choose a suburb.

Celina?Prosper? Allen? McKinney?

I am retired. My husband will be changing careers to his first year as a teacher. We%26#39;ve been told that with the growth, there should not be difficulty in getting a teaching position.

For $400K in the suburbs you should have an exceptionally nice home. That%26#39;s pretty nice in the city, actually. Pay less, still have a nice home, and no stressors of big mortgages.

If I were you I%26#39;d get the Texas almanac and do some research into those communities. My guess is that they%26#39;re all pretty similar in terms of what they offer, location, etc., and that what would be important is how your family is going to like them. Frankly, they all seem pretty alike to me, and what I%26#39;d be looking at is traffic access and routes to amenities such as theaters and restaurants.

You couldn%26#39;t pay me to drive the 35 corridor during rush hour. 75 is better, but still a bear. If you%26#39;re staying home with the kids, then your spouse%26#39;s employment may determine what the best location would be.

Teaching jobs seem to be plentiful throughout the metroplex, but teacher%26#39;s insurance is pathetic. You%26#39;ll pay about $500 a month for a family policy--my husband works for Mesquite and we pay $214 every two weeks for health, $38 for dental, and $10 for vision. This year they%26#39;re offering a ';gap'; plan for another $65 a month (this is for deductibles and the parts they don%26#39;t pay) to make the policy a bit more palatable to users. I don%26#39;t know this for a fact, but several teachers have told me that all districts offer the same insurance.

And my position on schools is any school can be great if the parents are involved with their child%26#39;s education. I think that%26#39;s the single most important factor.

I would move to the district your spouse will be working. I am a former teacher and taught in the Plano and Wylie School Districts, both good. I currently live in Murphy and my children will attend Plano schools. I also live on half an acre so I know that space can be pretty important. It%26#39;s all about preference and where you want to be. If you choose to live north like in Celina/Prosper it would be easier to teach in that area to avoid long commutes. There are so many nice areas. You should also check out Flower Mound. My friend lives and used to teach in Flower Mound and really enjoys it.

As for a home with land or a larger lot, you can check out Murphy, Pilot Point, Fairview, Lovejoy, Parker and Lucas. All very nice areas and with your price range can get you a really nice home.

Go to Frisco. It is near Allen, Prosper, and McKinney. It is prett much stated that it is the most desirable place to live in the Dallas suburb area. D magazine voted it the #1 place to live yet again.

You probably won%26#39;t have a large lot in Frisco. For land you will need to be in Prosper, Celina, or some parts of McKinney. Wylie might be a good option also.