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Where to Buy

Dallas ranks among 10 best markets for first-time homebuyers

Arden Ward
May 15, 2018 | 9:21 am
Dallas home, 8335 Banquo Dr., home for sale
This is the time to buy in Dallas.
Photo courtesy of Ebby Halliday Realtors

Looks like Dallasites in the market for their first home have chosen the right time to buy. Not only are home values rising (while list prices remain relatively flat), but the city has again been named one of the best for first-timers.

A new report from SmartAsset ranks Dallas 10th among the 10 best cities for first-time homebuyers in 2018. The finance company looked at seven factors to determine where first-time homebuyers should put down roots: number of HUD-approved lenders, loan funding ratio, average price per square foot, affordability ratio, stability score, price variance, and number of negative quarters from 2012-2017.

With 187 HUD-approved mortgage lenders — the third highest on the list — Dallas buyers "should have no trouble shopping for a mortgage," says SmartAsset. And, Dallas is touted as a safe housing market in which to invest, as it has seen zero negative year-over-year quarters in the time period studied.

Dallas also boasts a price per square foot of only $90.58 and a loan approval rate of 67 percent. (Earlier this year, Zillow also named Dallas the No. 10 market for first-timers using a different set of metrics, including price cuts and inventory.)

Texas is home to three of SmartAsset's 10 best markets for first-time buyers, with Houston at No. 4 and San Antonio at No. 7. H-Town boasts the highest number of HUD-approved lenders, while the Alamo City is celebrated for its affordability.

Five other Texas cities appear on the finance site's full list of 25: Fort Worth (11), Arlington (14), Corpus Christi (16), El Paso (20), and Austin (24).

bests reports
news/real-estate

living single

Dallas lands among 10 most affordable U.S. metros for living alone

Amber Heckler
Oct 21, 2026 | 9:10 am
Dallas skyline
Getty Images
In DFW, renters can afford to live solo.

Not everyone is cut out for living with roommates, but finding an affordable place to live alone can be tricky. Luckily, Dallas-Fort Worth sits among the top 10 most affordable U.S. metros for living by yourself, according to a new report.

Analysts at Apartments.com discovered North Texas renters spend the seventh lowest share of their monthly income on single-bedroom rent out of the 50 biggest metros in the U.S.

The study used a 30 percent "common budgeting guideline" to calculate the share of median renter household income spent on one-bedroom asking rents across the 50 largest U.S. metros, and determined renters can only afford to live alone in 24 of the 50 metros without crossing the 30 percent threshold.

The median annual income of a DFW renter household is $63,172, and the findings show the typical asking rent for a one-bedroom apartment comes out to $1,348 per month. The study determined single renters spend 25.6 percent of their monthly income on rent based on the budgeting suggestion.

Texas' favorable rental market also extends outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex: Austin surprised as the No. 1 most affordable metro for living alone, and San Antonio appeared among the top 10.

Austin renters spend the smallest share of their income on single-bedroom apartment rent, at 23.1 percent. That's based on a median renter household income of $70,008 and a $1,348 monthly one-bedroom asking rent price.

Dwindling rent prices and the prevalence of major tech employers are also attracting new renters, and the city has an 11.6 percent apartment vacancy rate.

"The average rent in Austin has decreased year over year, and construction of new housing increased by 30 percent over the past decade," the report's author wrote. "Tax incentives in Texas draw large tech corporations, like Google and Apple, to the Austin area, which has increased average wages, added more jobs to the local economy, and attracted renters in the process."

San Antonio ranked right above DFW in sixth place nationwide with solo renters spending 25.4 percent of their monthly income on single-bedroom rent, coincidentally the same share as single renters living in Raleigh, North Carolina and Salt Lake City, Utah.

This is the income and one-bedroom rent data in San Antonio:

  • $51,029 – median renter household income
  • $1,082 – one-bedroom monthly asking rent

A separate Apartments.com survey found 39 percent of U.S. adults would never feel comfortable living with a roommate, and 16 percent of renters would rather pay more in rent to live alone than consider living with a roommate.

"Factors contributing to lower rents may include recent high levels of construction, rising vacancy rates as renter demand catches up to supply, and fewer regulations, such as flexible zoning and lower development costs compared to other parts of the country," the report said. "Living alone has become a non-negotiable for many renters, and some renters are willing to make tradeoffs to afford this lifestyle."

The top 10 most affordable U.S. metros for living alone are:

  • No. 1 – Austin
  • No. 2 – Oklahoma City
  • No. 3 – Phoenix
  • No. 4 – Raleigh, North Carolina
  • No. 5 – Salt Lake City, Utah
  • No. 6 – San Antonio
  • No. 7 – Dallas-Fort Worth
  • No. 8 – Denver
  • No. 9 – Portland, Oregon
  • No. 10 – Columbus, Ohio
real estate rent rent prices apartments affordability reports
news/real-estate
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