Within West Plano, many neighborhoods are highly attractive to buyers, offering superior schools, proximity to many corporate headquarters, and beautiful houses. The Willow Bend area, which includes several adjacent neighborhoods, is a high-end part of West Plano where spacious, elegant houses with wonderful amenities are the rule, not the exception.
In today’ Splurge vs Steal, we’re looking at two houses in West Plano’s Willow Bend area. Both are in the attendance zone for Centennial Elementary School, which earns a 10 out of 10 from greatschools.org. Which one is your favorite?
SPLURGE: ELEGANT WILLOW BEND LAKES ESTATE ON OVER HALF AN ACRE 
The remarkable and striking house at 2809 Firethorn Cir. in Willow Bend Estates is nestled on a 0.53-acre cul-de-sac lot, exemplifying elegance and luxury in its 6,266 square feet on two stories. This house is our splurge today and has five bedrooms, six full bathrooms, three living areas, two dining areas, and an office on two stories, built in 1988 and totally remodeled in 2016.
Updates include three five-ton 16 SEER HVAC units, R38 blown-in insulation, Marvin windows, commercial tint on west-facing windows, electric blinds, Nest thermostats, and LED lighting. All this efficiency means the average electric bill for past 12 months has been only $342.23. Other features include new hardwood floors, honed white marble countertops, two fireplaces, a four-car garage, sweeping staircase in the double-height entryway, intricate dentil crown molding, and a gorgeous master with sitting area and ensuite with oversized frameless glass shower, contemporary soaker tub, dual sinks, tons of storage, and walk-in closets. The dreamy kitchen offers a butler’s pantry, commercial-grade stainless steel appliances, breakfast bar, white cabinets, dual dishwashers, and so much more. A private backyard oasis has a pool and separate grassy play area backing to a greenbelt within walking distance to the golf course.
This Willow Bend Lakes estate was listed June 7 by Laura Williams Baynham with Hunter Dehn Group for $1.595 million, reduced to $1.575 million.
STEAL: OPEN FLOORPLAN AND SLEEK, TRANSITIONAL LOOK IN WILLOW BEND WEST 
We love the clean lines and transitional aesthetic of the Willow Bend West house at 5956 Willowross Way in Plano, today’s steal. It has five bedrooms, four full bathrooms, one half bath, four living areas, two dining areas, an office, and 4,539 square feet on two stories, built in 1996 and recently renovated.
Clean lines, natural light, a sophisticated feel define the spaces, where you’ll find hardwood floors, double-height entryway and living room, two fireplaces, new carpeting, stylish chandeliers, recessed lights, and a three-car garage. In the kitchen, there are granite countertops, rich wood cabinets, an island, and professional grade Viking stainless steel appliances, including a gas range, wine chiller, double ovens, and built-in refrigerator-freezer. The master bedroom feels like a retreat with designer style choices and an ensuite bathroom with a frameless glass shower, freestanding soaking tub, dual sinks, lots of storage, and a walk-in closet. The pool-sized backyard has a covered patio and new synthetic grass for maintenance-free enjoyment.
This home was listed July 14 by Matthew F. Rice with The Trophy Group for $779,900.
