Auction News

Anonymous buyer scores infamous Dallas sailboat at a bargain price

The anonymous buyer scored the boat for a song.

Courtesy photo

An infamous Dallas sailboat that was put on auction due to bankruptcy has sold at what is surely a bargain price.

The going price for one 42-foot sailboat with a 4-cylinder Westerbeke marine engine, V-Drive transmission, two masts, galley, bathroom, and two bedrooms (drumroll, please):

$28,500, plus a 10 percent fee for the auction house.

Named the Whitmar, this is the sailboat that belonged to and was built by Dallas contractor James Allen "Jim" Benge, and it was auctioned off in a bankruptcy settlement. Bidding ended on August 4 at 10 am.

Benge is a contractor who has been sued by at least two dozen subcontractors whom he hired, but then did not pay after they completed the work.

Most of the lawsuits brought against him were from small operators — electricians, flooring companies, drywall installers, steel fabricators, cement pourers, HVAC firms — without the means to pursue to a legal end.

But one lawsuit by Hertz Electric and its lawyer Nathanial Martinez, of Palter Sims Martinez PLLC, won a judgment against Benge. That case went through endless rounds of appeals and delaying tactics, but Hertz Electric and Martinez finally prevailed.

Benge filed for bankruptcy and a trustee was appointed to oversee the auction of the boat, one of Benge's only assets.

Bidding for the auction, listed on Rosen Systems, Inc. began on July 28 (despite incorrect reports otherwise) and ended August 4. It drew seven bidders, with the final bid being placed at 9:56 am by a bidder identified as 3****5.

Rosen Systems is not allowed to identify the buyer. "We don't share customer information," says company president Michael Rosen.

The only requirement for bidding is a valid credit card number.

"The credit card is only for security in case the bidder balks," Rosen says. "Our requirement is certified funds. Typically our buyer will wire the funds."

Bidder 3****5 did have competition in the home stretch, with a competing bidder, m****y, placing bids in the final minutes before 10 am.

city-news-roundup

high income households

Surprising Dallas suburb emerges as a new magnet for the wealthy

Photo courtesy of Visit Mesquite

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A new income study has revealed Dallas' wealthiest aren't settling down in Lewisville anymore — they've set their sights on Mesquite, instead.

Mesquite had one of the highest growth rates of new wealthy residents nationwide in SmartAsset's new analysis, "Cities Adding the Most High-Income Households – 2026 Study."

Based on U.S. Census income data, SmartAsset's experts ranked 357 U.S. cities with at least 100,000 residents based on the growth in high-income households as a percentage of total households between 2023 and 2024. The report defines high-income households as those earning an income of at least $200,000.

Mesquite had the seventh-highest growth in wealthy households in Texas from 2023-2024, and it ranked No. 31 nationwide.

The report's findings show Mesquite had 2,186 high-income households in 2023. By the following year, the suburb had a 52.3 percent growth rate in wealthy earners, bringing the total number of high-income households to 3,717.

A total 6.7 percent of all Mesquite households made at least $200,000 in income in 2024. For added context, the median income for a Mesquite household during that same year was $66,083.

The rise in wealthy newcomers might not be as much of a surprise to locals: There's currently a 1,400-acre master-planned community being developed to accommodate the city's growth, and discount chain BJ's Wholesale Club is expected to debut a Mesquite warehouse in early 2026.

According to the report, an influx of affluent households can have a significant impact on a city's local economy, most commonly through contributing "more dollars to the local and state tax bases, and to surrounding businesses."

"At the same time, this relative economic strength may sway entities to cater more to the preferences of these households to earn their patronage," the report said. "Quick growth in high income households may accelerate tax collection and business prosperity, just as their departure may cause some concern for local politicians, business owners, and neighbors."

In SmartAsset's 2025 report, Lewisville was the top Dallas-Fort Worth city that added the most wealthy new residents, but that figure has since plummeted. Lewisville ranked No. 312 in this year's rankings with a surprising 7.5 percent decline in high-income households from 2023-2024.

Texas cities with the biggest growth in high-income households
The East Texas city of Beaumont, located about 90 miles from Houston, had the biggest growth rate of high-earners in Texas from 2023-2024, and it ranked No. 6 nationally.

Three more Dallas-Fort Worth cities ranked in the top 100: Arlington (No. 56), McKinney (No. 69), and Irving (No. 90). Arlington had a 33.3 percent growth rate in high earners from 2023-2024, and now boasts 13,444 wealthy households. McKinney had 23,740 high-income households in 2024, an increase of 29.8 percent from the year before. Irving's wealthy population grew 24.1 percent, and claims 11,404 high income households.

Other Texas cities that ranked among the national top 100 include:

No. 8 – Odessa
No. 14 – Laredo
No. 18 – College Station
No. 20 – Conroe
No. 28 – Waco
No. 59 – Amarillo
No. 66 – Atascocita
No. 72 – McAllen
No. 77 – League City
No. 94 – Brownsville

houston suburbs conroe smartasset wealthy suburbs affluent households