Next Hot Neighborhoods

5 up-and-coming Dallas neighborhoods to buy a house right now

This Tudor at 1215 Brunner Ave. in Elmwood is listed for $299,000. 704 Glendale Street

Photo courtesy of Fain Properties

Lakewood Heights, Vickery Park, Midway Holllow. These Dallas neighborhoods are hotbeds for young professionals and families who want to live close to downtown. But with houses being sold every day way above $500,000, they've lost their transitional neighborhood status.

Not too long ago, buyers were taking a chance on these neighborhoods — buying a fixer upper, doing some minor repairs, or even getting a steal on a new construction — and now just think of the pay off.

Lair Properties agent Cerissa Lair says there are three major tips to keep in mind when plotting to score in the next hot neighborhood:

Don't be first: But it’s okay to be second or third. If a builder comes in and buys a house cheap enough to scrap and rebuild a gorgeous home or a professional flipper renovates and turns a couple of homes into beauties, that’s a good sign.
Look for high-end grocers: Follow the retail. Big-box retailers spend millions of dollars in market research to determine where to open their next location.
Proximity to expensive neighborhoods: As prices start to push people out of a market, they look to the next best (and closest) thing. Typically, nice neighborhoods also have less crime.

With that in mind, here are the five up-and-coming neighborhoods to buy in Dallas right now:

Downtown
Could we be the only big city in America where it is actually still affordable to live downtown? If you are determined to live the condo life, it may be a good time to give up the Uptown/Knox Henderson scene and embrace living among Dallas' famed skyline, because one of these days, downtown is going to be happening. Until then, hop on these high-rises and reap the benefits.

Elmwood
When people think South Dallas hot spots, they think Bishop Arts District, Winnetka Heights, and Oak Cliff. This slightly sleepier area is just up the road and is giving Dallasites the Tudor cottages, Craftsman bungalows, and ranch-style homes of their dreams for great prices. Basically, if Joanna and Chip Gaines came to Dallas to do renovations, they would be licking their chops. Elmwood Park runs along a picturesque creek and is a great getaway from the hustle and bustle of downtown life despite being less than 10 miles away.

Highland Meadows
Just before you hit I-635, you'll find this charming little neighborhood that is shelling out gorgeous, gutted homes for under $300,000. There's an elementary school in the neighborhood, which usually boosts both desirability and safety factors. Plus, if you happen to work in North Dallas or Plano, you don't have to sacrifice location for a whole lot of house.

Lochwood
Head northeast of White Rock Lake and south of Lake Highlands to find this neighborhood. It's populated with young families who love all the amenities of living near the lake but can't quite swing the pricier Lakewood and Lakewood Heights. And, as Lair said, its proximity to these desirable neighborhoods is key.

Munger Place/Junius Heights
We are seeing an influx of people rallying around this treasured East Dallas pocket to bring it back to its heyday once again. And best of all? This sweet spot checks off all the pointers on Lair's list. If you buy a teardown or a renovated piece of real estate, you definitely won't be the first or the last. Plus, it's just blocks from Whole Foods, Swiss Avenue, and Lakewood.

home-for-sale young-professionals trends

homebuying news

Texas ranks among the top 20 markets for homebuyers under 35

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

In 2025, Texas had more mortgage applicants under 35 years old than any other state in the country, the report found.

The Lone Star State is emerging as a top destination for young adult homebuyers, a new report has confirmed, with nearly 23 percent of all mortgage applications submitted by individuals under 35 years old.

Texas ranked No. 18 in SmartAsset's new study, "Where Young Adults are House Hunting," making it one of the most sought-after U.S. states "where the next generation of homeowners may be gaining the strongest foothold."

To determine where younger Americans are most actively pursuing homeownership, SmartAsset's analysts examined mortgage application data in all 50 states in 2025, and calculated the share of applications filed by buyers younger than 35 relative to all applicants.

A total 259,737 Texas homebuyers under 35 submitted mortgage applications in the last year alone — making Texas the state with the highest number of young adult applications in the country.

California and Florida, respectively, had the second- and third-highest numerical rate of young adult homebuyers with 170,434 and 159,429 applications in each state. But they still ranked at the bottom of the national list with the lowest percentage of young adult applications relative to all applicants in 2025 — at 14.7 and 14.8 percent.

North Dakota leads the nation as the top state for young homeowners with over 28 percent of all mortgage applications in 2025 submitted by homebuyers under 35, making up 6,551 applications.

SmartAsset also revealed something many homeowners might already know: younger Americans are more likely to pursue homeownership in states with lower housing costs.

"In each of the four states with the highest share of mortgage applications from adults younger than 35, the typical home value is less than $300,000: North Dakota (No. 1), West Virginia (No. 2), Nebraska (No. 3) and Iowa (No. 4)," the report's author wrote.

In Texas, the typical home is worth $302,187, which is the 18th highest in the U.S. Meanwhile, West Virginia and Mississippi are the only two states with home values under $200,000, the lowest nationwide.

Young potential homebuyers looking for a home in Dallas need to make about $83,000 to afford a starter home. Many surrounding suburbs also have high appeal for first-time homebuyers, such as McKinney and Plano, which offer a high quality of life for homeowners that want to start a family.

High home prices aren't the only challenges keeping young Americans from becoming homeowners, the report said. Other challenges like high interest rates and limited supply are also plaguing would-be homebuyers.

"According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, nearly 9 in 10 younger Americans say it is harder for them to buy a home than it was for their parents," the report said. "Nonetheless, younger buyers continue to aspire to homeownership, navigating an uneven landscape of affordability and opportunity."

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