What Should You Know About Buying in Lone Star Ranch in Frisco, Texas?

Lone Star Ranch is in the western part of Frisco, Texas. The City of Frisco's HOA directory lists the community, spelled "Lonestar Ranch," in its Southwest region. According to the City of Frisco, the Lone Star Ranch Trail runs through the development from Timber Ridge Drive south to Lebanon Road. Community Impact, a local newspaper, described the neighborhood in 2017 as stretching mainly between Stonebrook Parkway and Lebanon Road on either side of Teel Parkway, with build-out finishing in 2016.

Hi, I'm Omega Mejia, a real estate agent with Simply Great Real Estate Group at OnDemand Realty in Frisco. I put this guide together from city, school district and county sources so you can see the place before you tour a house. For the wider market, visit my Frisco page.

City permit records mention named sections of the development, including Lakeside at Lone Star Ranch and The Preserve at Lone Star Ranch. The 2016 build-out year tells you most homes here were built within the last decade or so, which means roofs, air conditioners and flooring are often in their middle years rather than their first.

Builder, lot size and square footage differ from home to home. The county appraisal record for any address gives the exact year built and living area, and I pull it for every home we discuss. Two homes a few streets apart can differ in size, section and finish level, so I compare the exact address, not the neighborhood name.

Lone Star Ranch appears in the City of Frisco's HOA directory. Community Impact's 2017 profile listed a clubhouse, pools, parks, a greenbelt and a pond among the neighborhood's amenities. That report is nine years old, so confirm the current list, hours and any access rules with the association before you count on a particular amenity.

Ask for the HOA documents early. If you are selling, gather them before you list, because buyers ask for them right away. You can also look up an association's management certificate on the State of Texas HOA site.

A municipal utility district (MUD) or public improvement district (PID) can add a charge to a tax bill. The City of Frisco's PID page names only two districts, PID 1 and PID 2, both in the Panther Creek area, and says the city is closing them. The Texas Comptroller's Collin County directory and the Collin Central Appraisal District tax-rate pages do not name Lone Star Ranch. The one check that settles it for a specific home is the taxing-unit list on that address's county appraisal record, and I look at it before you write an offer.

HOA dues vary and change over time, and I have not found a current amount from the association or the county. Confirm the amount, what it covers and how it is billed with the association or its management company.

The City of Frisco lists the Lone Star Ranch Trail with its trailhead at 5109 Hunters Creek Trail and describes it as a series of trails in the development. The city gives its length as 1.2 miles. Visit Frisco says it links the development to 4th Army Memorial Drive, where it joins the Beavers Bend Trail. The city describes Beavers Bend Trail as 1.2 miles long and planned to link with B.F. Phillips Community Park and the Iron Horse Trail.

Two other city trails sit nearby. The Iron Horse Trail starts at the south end of Teel Parkway, has a decomposed granite surface and is being expanded toward Stonebrook Parkway and Grand Park. The Starwood Trail is a paved route of about 1.3 miles from Lebanon Road north to Stonebrook Parkway, in an easement on private property.

B.F. Phillips Community Park, at 3335 Timber Ridge, covers 107 acres. The city lists baseball, softball, soccer and football fields, bike and walking trails, a disc golf course, a dog park, a playground, picnic tables, a pavilion and restrooms. Visit Frisco names the 18-hole course Dash's Track and the dog area Ruff Range. The city says parks and trails open 30 minutes before sunrise and close 30 minutes after sunset, and park hours differ, so check the city's page before you go.

Tom Thumb at 5550 FM 423, near the corner of FM 423 and Stonebrook Parkway, lists grocery pickup, delivery and a pharmacy on its own site. Measured in a straight line from Bledsoe Elementary (1900 Timber Ridge Drive, on the road the city names as the trail's northern end) to that address, it is about 1.0 mile. Your own distance depends on the street you live on, so measure from the address you are considering.

H-E-B lists a Frisco store at 899 University Drive. Tell me what you want nearby, and I will map the real addresses for you.

Lone Star Ranch is in Frisco ISD. Assigned campuses have included Bledsoe Elementary at 1900 Timber Ridge Drive, Pearson Middle School at 2323 Stonebrook Parkway and Reedy High School at 3003 Stonebrook Parkway, according to the district's campus pages and Community Impact's 2017 profile. Straight-line distances measured from Bledsoe Elementary are about 0.3 miles to Pearson and about 0.7 miles to Reedy. Zoning follows the address and the district can change it, so confirm the assignment for your exact home with Frisco ISD. My page on Collin County school districts covers the wider picture.

Here is one way to spend a day using the real places above:

• Morning. Start at the Lone Star Ranch Trailhead on Hunters Creek Trail and walk the path toward Timber Ridge Drive.
• Midday. Pick up groceries at Tom Thumb on FM 423, then order a pharmacy refill in the same stop.
• Afternoon. Spend time at B.F. Phillips Community Park, with a round at Dash's Track or a visit to Ruff Range.
• Evening. Walk the Starwood Trail or the Iron Horse Trail near Teel Parkway before sunset, since the city closes trails 30 minutes after.

If you like the lake side of Frisco too, browse Frisco lake neighborhoods.

Some details change from address to address: builder, square footage, current HOA dues and nearby restaurants. Those are the first things to confirm for a specific address.

For buyers, compare the roof age, air conditioner age and kitchen finishes, then look at recent sales on the same street. Confirm the school assignment and the HOA documents. Read how I work on my buying a home page and my buying process. Moving from out of town? See relocating to the Frisco area. Comparing with newer builds? See new construction in Frisco.

For sellers, buyers will compare your home with others in the neighborhood and with newer communities across Frisco. Before we list, I show you a Plan A, B and C for pricing. Each listing gets professional photography, a walkthrough video, its own website and a pre-listing inspection report that I share with buyer agents. Read the details on my selling your home page, then request a free home value. I base it on recent sales near your home, not a citywide average.

Want a neighborhood market update for Lone Star Ranch? Tell me what you are looking for, and we will talk it through.

This article describes my general approach and is not legal, tax or lending advice. Details about the HOA, schools and city amenities can change, so confirm them with the source before you rely on them.