Fort Worth Question?

Mudwoman · Oct 16, 2006

Before you go to LPN school there, if I were you, I would research what it will take to transfer your license then to Texas.

The job market is good there. I went to school at John Peter Smith Hospital School of Nursing and worked there after graduation. Great Hospital to work for for the experience. You will see everything. It is a teaching hospital. I don't think they have a nursing school there anymore which is a shame.

I have been in Arkansas for the last 4 years now and I don't really know the $$$ range in Ft Worth anymore.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Oct 16, 2006

I moved to Fort Worth last year from California. The LVN jobs here are abundant. In addition, it was relatively easy to endorse my California nursing license into Texas.

Nursing homes pay new grads between $17 and $21 to start. Hospitals pay new grads $13 to $16. I currently earn $18.50 at a nursing home in Fort Worth. My friend, another LVN, earns $20 hourly at a Fort Worth nursing home. I shall mention that we both have less than one year of experience.

The houses here are very affordable, but beware of the property taxes. I just received my $2,900 property tax bill for my $105,000 house in suburban Southwest Fort Worth. I have a friend who lives in North Richland Hills, a suburb of Fort Worth, who recently received her $3,100 property tax bill for her $109,000 house. Some people pay $5,000 yearly in property taxes.

It's good that there's no state income taxes in Texas.

Coloradogrl · Oct 16, 2006

I moved to Fort Worth last year from California. The LVN jobs here are abundant. In addition, it was relatively easy to endorse my California nursing license into Texas.
Nursing homes pay new grads between $17 and $21 to start. Hospitals pay new grads $13 to $16. I currently earn $18.50 at a nursing home in Fort Worth. My friend, another LVN, earns $20 hourly at a Fort Worth nursing home. I shall mention that we both have less than one year of experience.
The houses here are very affordable, but beware of the property taxes. I just received my $2,900 property tax bill for my $105,000 house in suburban Southwest Fort Worth. I have a friend who lives in North Richland Hills, a suburb of Fort Worth, who recently received her $3,100 property tax bill for her $109,000 house. Some people pay $5,000 yearly in property taxes.
It's good that there's no state income taxes in Texas.

Oh Thank you for all the info:wink2: I know I have been calling Fort Worth places allllllllllllll day today!!! I know we are going to be taking a trip down there Jan/Feb to take a looksie around....it almost sounds to good to be true!

Cheap House & GOOD SALARY....well slap me silly!

What area do you think are good areas. I know I am in SHOCK you can get a house for 100-150k! In denver you really cant even touch somthing "liveable" for 275-350k.

Do you think it would be best just to get my license in Texas instead of Colorado?

Can I even start looking for jobs till I have my license?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Oct 16, 2006

Oh Thank you for all the info:wink2: I know I have been calling Fort Worth places allllllllllllll day today!!! I know we are going to be taking a trip down there Jan/Feb to take a looksie around....it almost sounds to good to be true!
Cheap House & GOOD SALARY....well slap me silly!
What area do you think are good areas. I know I am in SHOCK you can get a house for 100-150k! In denver you really cant even touch somthing "liveable" for 275-350k.
Do you think it would be best just to get my license in Texas instead of Colorado?
Can I even start looking for jobs till I have my license?

You can get hired in Texas as a 'graduate vocational nurse', meaning you completed an LVN program but haven't yet gotten licensure. January and February are bad months to take a trip to Fort Worth because all of the grasses are dead and yellow from winter. Right now the grasses are green and lush.

A good rule of thumb for living in Fort Worth is to live "outside the loop"; in other words, the safe and affordable areas are located outside loop 820. There are safe, beautiful neighborhoods inside the loop, but they tend to be vey expensive.

Some neighborhoods and/or towns in the Fort Worth area that are liveable are the North Crowley area (where I live), Benbrook, Saginaw, Fossil Creek, Keller, North Richland Hills, Crowley, Azle, and Southwest Fort Worth (near Bryant Irvin Road, Oakmont Trail, and Hulen Streets). The city of Arlington has about 320,000 people and is located in the middle of everything, right between Fort Worth and Dallas. The more upscale Fort Worth suburbs are Trophy Club, Southlake, and Colleyville.

Another good thing about Fort Worth is the sheer number of LVN-to-RN bridge programs in and around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

Coloradogrl · Oct 16, 2006

I can not thank you ENOUGH I know I talked to this one realtor that was telling me that even though I could get a home for 150-175k I would be better off spending 300-350k. If I am going to spend that much on a home we will just stay in Denver and save us the move!

I have been looking up stuff on Fort Worth and I am pretty excited=) It seems like a great place and even Chad is getting on board....I thought he would never want to move again!

What do you think is the best time to go to there?

Also that is a HUGE bonus about the bridge program because that is my goal and I have to be somewhere I can do it! This is going to be a GREAT motivation for me to get through Nursing school when times get tough=)

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Oct 17, 2006

I can not thank you ENOUGH I know I talked to this one realtor that was telling me that even though I could get a home for 150-175k I would be better off spending 300-350k. If I am going to spend that much on a home we will just stay in Denver and save us the move!

Even $150,000 is somewhat high-priced according to Texas standards, though it is much cheaper than the markets in California, Florida, New Jersey and other states.

I live in an 1,860 square foot house that's newer (built 2004), located in a safe part of town with good schools and paid $105,000 for it late last year. My friend originally was looking in the $150,000 to $200,000 price range, but ended up buying a beautiful dollhouse for $109,000 in North Richland Hills.

If you're going to pay $150,000 to $175,000 for a place, you might as well invest your money in an upscale suburb of Fort Worth with a booming real estate market such as Roanoke, Trophy Club, Grapevine, Colleyville, Keller, or Southlake. In my housing development, $150,000 will buy a 3,000 square foot two-story house with an oversized yard.

Coloradogrl · Oct 17, 2006

Even $150,000 is somewhat high-priced according to Texas standards, though it is much cheaper than the markets in California, Florida, New Jersey and other states.
I live in an 1,860 square foot house that's newer (built 2004), located in a safe part of town with good schools and paid $105,000 for it late last year. My friend originally was looking in the $150,000 to $200,000 price range, but ended up buying a beautiful dollhouse for $109,000 in North Richland Hills.
If you're going to pay $150,000 to $175,000 for a place, you might as well invest your money in an upscale suburb of Fort Worth with a booming real estate market such as Roanoke, Trophy Club, Grapevine, Colleyville, Keller, or Southlake. In my housing development, $150,000 will buy a 3,000 square foot two-story house with an oversized yard.

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG:monkeydance: :monkeydance: :monkeydance: :monkeydance:

Yhea I know it sounds like I am "a little" to excited but we had almost given up finding our dream home here in Denver because the market is sooo high(that is with Chad making very good money!)

I have heard of Keller....so its nice? I just dont want to over pay if I can get just as nice of a place 20 mintues next to there and 30k less!

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Oct 17, 2006

I have heard of Keller....so its nice? I just dont want to over pay if I can get just as nice of a place 20 mintues next to there and 30k less!

Keller is an upscale, booming suburb of Fort Worth with homes ranging from $150,000 to $500,000.

Watauga is a middle-income city located next to Keller with homes ranging from $80,000 to $200,000, many of them newer. North Richland Hills, a middle-class suburb, is also next to Keller with homes ranging from $90,000 to $300,000. Fossil Creek is a beautiful, booming neighborhood in Northeast Fort Worth with newer homes and golf courses, as well as plenty of good shopping. Fossil Creek is next to Keller and has homes ranging from $110,000 to $300,000.

Coloradogrl · Oct 17, 2006

WOW you know your stuff!!!

I know we were talking and we are DEFINTLY going to go to Fort Worth and take a look around.

I know I talked to a realtor today and I just dont want to be taken advantage of because we are from out of town and are use to paying more for housing.

Just out of curiousty...how much is a 2br apartment there(I dont really plan on renting because housing is sooo cheap but I am curious)

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Oct 17, 2006

Just out of curiousty...how much is a 2br apartment there(I dont really plan on renting because housing is sooo cheap but I am curious)

A 2 bedroom in a high-crime inner city neighborhood such as Polytechnic Heights, a.k.a. "Poly", will cost $450 to $500 monthly. A 2 bedroom in an upscale area such as Mira Vista (Southwest Fort Worth) will run about $800 monthly. 2 bedroom apartments in regular, middle-class neighborhoods cost $600 to $700 per month.

When you go house-hunting, simply give the real estate agent a very narrow price range to work with (example: $90,000 to $110,000) and ask that they only show you homes in this price range.

Coloradogrl · Oct 17, 2006

Do you mind me asking me what realty company you went with? It feels like we could really get some really nice houses for 130-145k. Chad gave the suggestion that we look at the "cheaper" houses first so it is a "let down".

We want a 3-4 bedroom atleast 2 bath. Maybe we will go tell a agent we only have 110k and then if we found something we love then we saved 20k!