Hi everyone!

Me and my sister are moving to the DFW / Dallas area soon and would really appreciate some advice about where best to find 2 bedroom apartments/ housing that fits our requirements. I work remotely so open to literally any location haha.

Specifics in order of priority :

1) safety / low crime and friendly neighborhood is the biggest consideration for us

2) 2 bedrooms under 1600 if possible? I understand that we wouldn’t be able to find it in any of the ‘main’ areas but we’re fine with that (we heard good things about some parts of Grapevine, Little Elm etc which might fit our budget but wanted to check with actual residents). Willing to go up slightly/ rely on specials but would prefer to stay in budget at the moment

3) obviously like anyone else we would appreciate warnings about apartments to avoid with pest issues, mold etc. we have trauma from living in a roach infested apartment ha. Would assume pest issues might be more common in housing right next to water bodies etc?

4) not super concerned about vicinity to pubs or restaurants as long as there’s grocery stores/ chains (Costco, Walmart, Aldi, Target, Trader Joe’s any of those) within about 20 min or so of driving

4) we do like nature/ walking and swimming so being within reasonable (under 20 min driving time) of parks, trails or good recreation centers would be preferred or the housing itself being in a walkable area or big gated community

5) in unit washer dryer would be fantastic but again can adjust

Other considerations but not a very big deal :

5) prefer no carpet

6) no massive unreasonable move out charges

7) kitchen not too cramped

8) gated/ fob access apartments or community

Open to apartments or individual homes if anyone has any recommendations. Or would generally just appreciate advice on general areas to look into which might match our requirements.

Thanks so much!