Top 5 reasons Keller, Texas 76248 is #1

In 2009 CNN Money Magazine featured Keller as one of the best places to live as far as small towns go. Today I'm taking some time to revisit a bit of old news.

Keller is my home. It's my lifelong home. There is no where on earth to me like Keller. I spent two summers teaching camps traveling all across the country and I've crossed the equator and the international dateline, so I have a few places to compare. But when a national magazine recognizes your home in such a way, you suddenly know you live in a little bit o' heaven on earth. Here are 5 reasons why Keller is this bloggers choice for #1.

#5 Amenities

Keller has an awesome bragging right in the Keller Pointe. It's one of the biggest things I look at my taxes and think ah, ok. With an indoor and outdoor pool play area, fitness facility and massage center, it's a wonderful family friendly place to create some balance in your life as well as some good memories. The beautiful parks and contiguous trails are unbeatable. A new library opened in 2010 and that adds a nice little cherry on top of this perfect Keller combination.

#4 Crime Rates

Realtors are really supposed to stear clear of creating a sense of security for our clients, so I'll only briefly state that Keller is ranked among the lowest in the nation for crime. I'm very happy about that general fact.

#3 Schools

Keller is well known for a solid education system. Keller ISD strives to be intentionally exceptional. "As one of the fastest-growing school districts in Texas, Keller ISD is proud to boast two National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence, 32 TEA Exemplary and Recognized schools as well as the 2007 Texas State Secondary Teacher of the Year and the 2008 Texas State Elementary Teacher of the Year." The school district web site is rich with reasons why KISD is a great choice for any kiddo.

#2 Economy

Keller has two distinct economic areas. One is a quaint step back in time known as Old Town Keller and the other is the modern Keller Town Center. The town center is approximately 350 acres of mixed use development with municipal buildings, housing, retail, business and community space in a modern setting. Historic Old Town Keller preserves many of the old houses in much the same style as they originally were constructed. Both areas are booming. Keller is also surrounded by developing areas of I-35 and Hwy 114. It's located close to major cities like Fort Worth, Dallas, Arlington, as well as the DFW airport, just to name a few. We are fortunate to experience steady employment numbers while other areas decline.

#1 Bang for your housing buck

Of course I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't make housing the #1 reason Keller is my #1. Well, I am not the only one who ranked affordable and quality housing as a top reason for Keller's quality of life. I guess it's my blog and I can be biased if I want to, but the truth is when it comes to housing it's easy to calculate. At the time of the report, we'd seen 6% increases in value. Now that number is not so impressive in 2010, but it's all relative and relative to the rest of the area, Keller is lookin' pretty.

So what can you get for your money in Keller? This is a sliver of an idea of what your money will buy here.

For under $100,000, you can live in an area like Bursey Ranch where the primarily brick homes are about 1,000-1,400 feet, constructed in the 1980s-1990s, often have three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and two car garages on about 1/5 acre lots with trees and landscaping within walking distance to schools and shopping. Prices range from under $100,000 to about $150,000. There are other areas of Keller that are affordable near Bear Creek Park and areas near the Intermediate school and near the Middle school. Currently there are about 50 affordable homes on the market in Keller.

For $200,000s to $300,000s you can live in the heart of Keller in a neighborhood like Quail Valley and get a custom brick home built in the 1980s to 1990s with mature landscaping, trees, sometimes a pool and a former owner who has renovated. It's quite common in Quail Valley to have the 80s style with oak cabinets and paneling all in a medium oak stain and it's also common that someone took the time to French Country the cabinets and bring in the granite and wood floors. There are about 200 homes on the market in this pricepoint today.

For $400s to $500s there are a variety of options available. If you are a golfer, you may prefer Hidden Lakes. If you are not a golfer, but otherwise an outdoorsman, you might prefer the wooded areas in North Keller. If you are an executive retiree looking for low maintenance, we have luxury garden homes and townhomes. Most of the $400s and $500s in Keller will be fairly newer construction, will generally include a mix of exterior building materials like brick and stone, will generally include a larger estate lot about 1/2 acre or more, amenities like a study, gameroom and media room and will often include an outdoor kitchen and pool. There are currently about 100 homes on the market in this pricepoint.

The luxury homes in Keller ranging in price from $600,000 to $800,000 are generally going to include about 5,000 feet or more of custom living space with extensive architecture details and height of roof lines. The homes being built today are often either a European inspired style or Mediterranean or Tuscan style. Usually they are situated on a 1/2 acre or more lot and will come with an outdoor kitchen, pool, game room, media room, large island kitchen with granite and many builtins and commercial line appliances. There are currently approximately 50 homes on the market in this pricepoint in Keller.

Keller also has a growing number of million dollar and multi million dollar estates. Today there are 20 homes active in MLS priced from $900,000 to $2M plus in Keller.

Hopefully as you consider places to live this summer, Keller, Texas will be a consideration. And as you consider making Keller your home, think about how nice it would be to have a lifelong resident market your home to her lifelong contacts. Enjoy your summer and remember Ueckert Realty makes it real easy.