Living in Parker
Parker is in the southern part of Collin County, about 26 miles northeast of downtown Dallas. It has Allen to the north, Plano to the west, Murphy to the south, Wylie to the southeast and Lucas to the northeast, and still it doesn't look like any of them.
The city incorporated on March 22, 1969 and covers about 8.5 square miles. It never filled up with subdivisions like the cities next door, and that decision explains how it looks today: wide lots, homes set apart from each other and open pasture in view.
This is where Southfork Ranch is, the ranch used as the setting for the TV series Dallas. It's still open and still draws visitors from all over the world, in a city that otherwise stays out of the spotlight.
How I work Parker
I'm Veronica Yeary, REALTOR® with All City Real Estate DFW. I've worked the whole Dallas-Fort Worth area since 2010, alongside more than 450 families.
I cover all of Parker and everything that sells here, from the home on a large lot to whatever comes up on the edges.
If you're buying in Parker, there are questions that don't come up in a typical subdivision and do here: where the water comes from, how the drainage works, exactly where your land ends, and what you can and can't build or keep on it. Those questions get asked before the offer, not after. The basics are on buying a home.
If you're selling in Parker, what you're selling isn't just the house: it's the land, the trees, the view and what you hear from the porch at seven in the evening. That gets shown with professional photography, and video or drone depending on the property, with its own website, paid ads on Facebook and Instagram, emails to my buyer list, postcards to the homes around it and an open house, with a weekly report.
I explain the process and the documents you're going to sign, clearly.
The parts of Parker
Parker isn't organized into large named subdivisions with their own entrances. What it has are streets and roads with homes on wide lots, which means each property is valued more on its own than on the name of the development.
Southfork Ranch is the landmark everyone knows, on Hogge Road, and it works as a way to get your bearings as much as a tourist stop.
The neighboring cities mark the edges: Allen above, Plano to the left, Murphy below, Wylie and Lucas on the other side. The neighboring cities are minutes away.
Depending on where you are: buying a home in Parker, luxury homes in Parker, selling your home in Parker, moving up in Parker, moving to Parker or what your Parker home is worth.
What kind of home you'll find
Homes on wide lots, many of them custom-built and from different eras, so no two are alike here. Some have a barn, a workshop or room for horses; others just have open, clear land.
Pricing a home in Parker is different from pricing one in a subdivision. When every home is different, the comparables have to be chosen with judgment instead of grabbing the three closest sales, and that work is the difference between a price that holds up and one that falls apart in the bank's appraisal. It's on what your home is worth.
If you're looking for something in this style, also see luxury homes, where I explain how I handle properties with land.
What's nearby
Everything for the day to day is in the neighboring cities, minutes away: shopping, restaurants and services in Allen, Plano, Murphy and Wylie. Parker chose to keep that out.
The President George Bush Turnpike runs to the southwest and US 75 to the west, the two highways people here use.
If you're comparing Parker with Allen or Plano, the conversation is about how much driving you're willing to do in exchange for how much land. Here are all the cities where I work. To talk about Parker, reach out: call or text 469-441-8890, or email veronica@veronicayeary.com.
Frequently asked questions
What does Parker have that Allen or Plano don't?
Land, and space between one home and the next. Parker didn't fill up with subdivisions like its neighbors, so what you find are spacious properties. The trade-off is that everything for the day to day is in the cities next door, and here you drive for anything.
What should I check before buying a property with land?
Where the water comes from, how the drainage works, where the property lines really are and what the city lets you do or keep on it. These are questions nobody asks in a typical subdivision, and here they get asked before the offer.
Is Southfork Ranch in Parker?
Yes, on Hogge Road. It's the ranch used as the setting for the series Dallas, it's still open to the public and it gets visitors from all over the world. For the people who live here, it mostly works as a landmark.
Will you walk me through the whole process in Parker?
The whole process if that's what you prefer, including the technical side of a property with land, which is exactly where it pays to understand every word before you sign.
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Ready to talk about your move?
Or email veronica@veronicayeary.com