Rent Report

Dallas rents are the highest in Texas — and that's saying something

If you're renting in Dallas, it'll cost you.

Photo courtesy of Amli Quadrangle

Rents in Dallas didn't increase during the month of April, but hold off on celebrating just yet. It still costs more to rent a one- or two-bedroom apartment in Dallas than any other city in Texas, and some of our suburbs are starting to climb as well.

In its May Rent Report, Apartment List finds that Dallas rents have grown 5.4 percent year-over-year, which is higher than both statewide and national averages. A two-bedroom in Big D typically costs $1,580, and a one-bedroom will set you back about $1,220 a month. The median price for all of Texas is $1,230 for a two-bedroom and $1,000 for a one-bedroom.

Growth is even higher up north, where popular suburb Plano is experiencing the state's highest year-over-year rent growth, with a 6.9 percent increase over April 2015. To rent a two-bedroom apartment here, expect to shell out around $1,480 a month.

Over in Fort Worth, the numbers are only slightly calmer. The median two-bedroom rent is $1,130, which is a 4.2 percent increase over this time last year and the fifth largest rent increase in the state. It joins Dallas as one of the seven Texas cities where rent growth exceeds statewide and national averages.

Elsewhere in the Lone Star State, Houston and Austin are neck and neck for second place, with two-bedrooms going for around $1,500 a month. San Antonio and Arlington, meanwhile, feel like bargains at only $1,000 and $940, respectively.

If you're looking for a real bargain, however, you might want to move to Canyon, near Amarillo, where a two-bedroom apartment only costs $540.

rent reports

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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