I remember it well.
My mother, who was also a Realtor, came flying in the house, after a full day of showings, wind-blown and ecstatic to share a new find, insisting we all pile into the car as quickly as possible before she forgot the route.
My sister and I huffed and puffed, it was dinnertime and we had little patience to temper our rumbling tummies. My dad … oh, my dad … he grabbed his set of keys without argument and full of awe for the woman he loved.
If you’ve ever driven with a Realtor, you know there are no street names, it’s turn at this gas station and drive past that grocery store along with slow down at the church and on and on from central Plano north on Hwy 289 (before it was commonly known as Preston Rd) for what seemed like forever … or at least assuredly until we were going to hit the Oklahoma state line.
“THERE!! There it is!” My mother exclaimed with the delight of a child finding her very own Easter Egg.
Surrounded by nothing but pastures and pretty horses arose our destination: La Hacienda.
To this day, that story makes me smile. Even now my mother remembers that day with melancholy and giddy joy.
When we moved to Plano in 1983, Spring Creek and Independence was nearly the end of civilization. The road turned to dirt and Ross Perot’s Legacy was still Old Carpenter Freeway.
It was a different time, a different place when Frisco was still a million miles away.
Now, to hop through four or five Collin County cities in a day is normal. Open acres replaced by valuable square footage. It’s a been a phenomenon to watch. And a history to share.
Having been a “local” for 40 years, I have the honor of insight. I remember when 121 expanded from a middle of nowhere 2 lane to a mass-transit toll road. I remember when Stonebriar Mall opened and when ground broke on The Star development. I remember the first model home in the Oak Hollow subdivision in Anna and the last time a client asked if driving up 75 past McKinney meant the end of their social life.
I lived a lot of Collin County life. It makes me particularly well equipped to help folks navigate their way through their consideration of properties from Plano to Celina or Allen to Wylie, knowing what was and what will be.
I few year ago, my husband and I decided it was time for a move. So now I hang my hat and lay my head on a Grayson County pillow. I find myself repeating the excitement of my mother whilst piling my family into the car, driving past open fields and grazing ponies, to check out eateries like JH Burnt or 1836 or the Garhole, all the while being well-prepared for the growth and development and changes that are on their way.
And that makes me well equipped to help folks through their consideration of properties from Van Alstyne to Denison, Gunter to Whitewright and more.