Your Expert Guide

Preston Hollow: Where to find some of Dallas' best architectural gems

There are so many great places to live in Dallas that it helps to have an expert on your side. The Neighborhood Guide presented by Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty gives you insider access from the agents who live and work there, providing in-the-know info about your possible new community.

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Drive around Preston Hollow and you’ll see homes by renowned architects like Edward Durell Stone and Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as two of the most architecturally significant homes in Dallas: the Richard Meier-designed Rachofsky House on Preston Road and the Philip Johnson estate on Strait Lane.

"I've been working in Preston Hollow for my entire career," says real estate agent Faisal Halum. "I love representing the diverse architecture styles of homes in the Preston Hollow area. I'm drawn to modern architecture, but I love that every architecture style is found in this neighborhood — there is something for everyone."

Halum, who leads the No. 1 small team in Texas as ranked by RealTrends, can easily put together a dream outing in Preston Hollow.

"NorthPark Center has a world-class art collection that always changes — and surprises!" he says. "Combine this with Eataly and a movie, and you have the perfect date night. Plus, the convenience of having an Equinox gym at Hillcrest Road and Northwest Highway is the ultimate neighborhood perk."

Halum offered up a few more of his personal favorites about life in Preston Hollow. Here's his guide to the area:

Where to eat & drink
"I love Il Bracco in Preston Center," he says. "You can grab a seat at the bar and enjoy a fresh pasta dish and a cocktail. I also love R&D Kitchen for a casual spot to pop in and meet a friend for a drink."

Where to play
"Families love Preston Hollow Park," Halum says. "It's a beautiful spot in the middle of the neighborhood that's perfect for enjoying some fresh air and relaxing with your kids or pets."

Where to live
"Preston Hollow offers architecture styles and estate sizes for everyone, which means I can help families find the perfect home to suit their needs," says Halum. "That may be a French-inspired estate that sits on acreage or a midcentury modern ranch-style home with an expansive backyard. Or there may be a modern lover who is looking for the perfect backdrop for their art collection. The beauty is that all of these homes coexist together on tree-lined streets in the middle of the bustling city, just minutes from major shopping and dining destinations."

10210 Strait Ln., a former listing of Halum's, is the rarest of them all. This Philip Johnson masterpiece has seen galas and gowns, a president and first lady, a rock concert, fashion shows down the double staircase, and a ballet performance on the lawn — and has been celebrated in books, Vogue, and The New York Times.

Built in 1964 and exquisitely updated in 2008, the light-filled house boasts elegant living spaces, a unique dining room with an arched canopy, six bedrooms, seven full baths, and four half baths. The property’s nearly seven acres comprise a media house, modernist cabana, pool, and tennis court.

Halum's other significant sales include 5243 Park Ln., 10240 Gaywood Rd., 4686 Meadowood Rd., 6315 Northwood Rd., and 4307 Beechwood Ln.

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Faisal Halum works and plays in Preston Hollow. For more information on buying and selling a home in the area, click here, email fhalum@briggsfreeman.com, or call 214-240-2575.

Agent Faisal Halum

Photo courtesy of Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty

Agent Faisal Halum.

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This is the income you need to buy a starter home in Dallas right now

Photo by Zac Gudakov on Unsplash

Dallas and Austin lead the nation for improving starter-home affordability.

A new housing affordability report shows Dallas is among the nation's top metros for improving starter-home affordability. First-time buyers are finally catching a small break, with the income needed to purchase a median-priced starter home falling in 2026.

Dallas residents need to earn $83,096 to afford a median-priced home in the metro area, or 5.1 percent less than they did last year, the Redfin report found.

Dallas had the third-biggest decline in the income needed to afford a starter home out of the 50 U.S. metros analyzed in the report. Redfin also determined that all starter home listings in Dallas are "affordable" based on the city's median household income — which the report estimates at $103,144.

Dallas still has a far higher income required to afford a starter home compared to the national average, but affordability is improving slightly across the board. Americans need to make $70,693 to afford the typical starter home, according to the report's findings.

"The income needed to buy a starter home is declining while earnings are rising," the report said. "The typical American household earns an estimated $87,599, about $17,000 more than what’s needed to buy the median-priced U.S. starter home. That gap is widening: A year ago, the typical American earned roughly $12,500 more than they needed to buy a starter home."

Still, starter home affordability is "still often out of reach" for first-time homebuyers in expensive real estate markets due to "near high record" sale prices and soaring mortgage rates, the study said.

In neighboring Fort Worth, residents only need to make $77,886 to afford a starter home — an attainable milestone based on the city's estimated median household income of $93,102. Fort Worth ranks fourth nationwide for its year-over-year improvement in starter home affordability.

For additional comparison, this is the income needed to afford a starter home in other major Texas metros:

Austin – $92,607 (down 6.1 percent)
Houston – $70,384 (down 4 percent)
San Antonio – $62,859 (down 3.7 percent)

Unfortunately, affording a home in the overall housing market is further straining Americans' wallets. American households need to make just under $110,000 afford the typical U.S. home, but Redfin's evaluation found the typical household makes about $22,000 less than that.

"The discrepancy is partly because the overall market is driven by outsized price increases in the luxury segment, and outsized price increases in places like San Francisco and West Palm Beach, where affluent buyers are active," the report said. "At the same time, some would-be buyers of starter homes are pulling back because they typically earn less money and are more sensitive to affordability pressures."

The top 10 U.S. metros with the biggest declines in the income required to afford the typical starter home are:

No. 1 – Austin, Texas
No. 2 – Oakland, California
No. 3 – Dallas, Texas
No. 4 – Fort Worth, Texas
No. 5 – Denver, Colorado
No. 6 – San Francisco, California
No. 7 – Phoenix, Arizona
No. 8 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 9 – Houston, Texas
No. 10 – Los Angeles, California

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