Sticker shock

This Dallas-Fort Worth city sees biggest spike in apartment rents, says new report

Roosevelt at Arlington Commons apartments

The Roosevelt at Arlington Commons offers one- and two-bedroom apartments near all the action in Arlington.

Renters, take note: While apartment rents in Dallas proper are falling, they're rising in some suburbs — especially Arlington.

A report released December 28 by Apartment List shows rents in 2020 skyrocketed 5.1 percent in Arlington, representing the biggest one-year spike in DFW. Apartment List says median rent in Arlington was $1,010 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,230 for a two-bedroom apartment.

In other words, if you want to live between all the action in Dallas and Fort Worth, keep an eye on that upward trend.

Contrast that with Richardson, which saw a year-over-year decrease in median rents (4.8 percent). That was the biggest drop among the Dallas-Fort Worth cities tracked by Apartment List. Median rents in Richardson were $1,230 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,440 for a two-bedroom apartment.

Dallas proper — where rent fell 2.6 percent last year — remains more affordable than most other large cities across the country, the report notes. Nationwide, rents have fallen by 1.5 percent over the past year. A one-bedroom apartment in Dallas runs $980, and two-bedroom, $1,170. By comparison, San Francisco has a median two-bedroom rent of $2,305, which is nearly twice the amount in Dallas.

Still, you have to look at the suburbs to get the complete picture. Rents have risen in six of the largest 10 cities the DFW area for which Apartment List had data. Plano has the most expensive rents in DFW, with a two-bedroom median of $1,528. Fort Worth has the least expensive rents in the area, with a two-bedroom median of $1,116.

In Texas overall, rent declined 2.1 percent last year. A snapshot throughout the state shows:

Houston posted a decrease of 3.5 percent last year. The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Houston stood at $900 a month; for a two-bedroom apartment, it was $1,070. However, rents have gone up in five of the 11 largest cities in the Houston metro area.
Rents in in the popular beach destination Galveston dropped 3.5 percent over a year’s time. Median rent there is $890 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,130 for a two-bedroom apartment, according to Apartment List.
In Austin, median rents took a year-over-year slide of 5.4 percent, accounting for the biggest fall-off among major Texas cities tracked by Apartment List. Rent was $1,090 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,440 for a two-bedroom apartment.
In San Antonio, median rents slipped 1 percent year over year, with a one-bedroom apartment going for $893 and a two-bedroom apartment for $1,083.

rent

Home For Sale

50s Dallas home for sale on swanky Strait Lane still has pink bathroom

Divine Premier Properties

Sweeping driveway at 11211 Strait Ln.

A house on Dallas' Strait Lane that is possibly home to the last '50s-era pink bathroom on the tony thoroughfare is up for sale. The bathroom's days are probably numbered — but maybe in this one case, it's not a bad thing.

It's a single-family home located at 11211 Strait Ln., built in 1953, with 3,425 square feet, 4 bedrooms, and 3 bathrooms.

The property first went on sale on October 18, listed at $1,999,900. Two days later, they increased the price to $2,350,000 — maybe spurred on by the fact that the listing has been viewed 812 times, as of October 25.

The Strait Lane area is one of the richest streets in Dallas, home to the likes of the Perot family and ex-president George Bush. The area is not known for pink bathrooms. The current owners bought the house in 2021 after it sat on the market for a year, and they've tried to sell it four times since. (They also own the empty lot next door.)

It's at the corner of Northaven Road, above Royal Lane and not as ritzy as below Royal Lane where Perot et al lives. But it's still Strait Lane and it sits on 1.02 acres. According to the listing from Divine Premier Properties:

Divine Premier Properties

Sweeping driveway at 11211 Strait Ln.

"Eleven Two Eleven Strait Lane is unique. In 70+ years, it looks like there have only been two owners. The value is in the land. The original house could be renovated but will likely be torn down - time will tell, but it is not really about the house. It is about the swanky address and the location. It is about the potential and the future. And, it is about the endless possibilities. Seize this opportunity - lots on Strait Lane do not come on the market often!!"

The listing doesn't even bother describing the ranch layout, retro shiny brick floor entry, hardwood floors, stacked formal dining room, or enclosed porch with nice stone floor.

No mention either of the awkward updates that seem like they were made a decade ago: the strange gray stucco facade on the fireplace, the kitchen do-over with dark granite countertops. They should've just kept the original '50s stuff.

Two of the three bathrooms have been updated with colored granite: one dark green, the other a salmon brown.

But they did keep one bathroom original and it's pink. However, of all the pink bathrooms in the world, this is not the best. It's a salmon pink, not a bubblegum pink, and it's a mottled tile, the kind with the white swirls, popular in the early '50s in less swanky neighborhoods

It's true to its period, and it's still in perfectly good condition. Even in its mottled state, it's more timeless than whatever else will end up being built in its place. But it's not a pink bathroom that is easy to champion.

So here lies a pink bathroom, less pretty than others, likely to be razed, RIP.

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