Lively market

Dallas-Fort Worth home prices could climb this high in 2021, says new forecast

The Dallas-Fort Worth market continues to be hot.

Photo by Sean Pavone/iStock

If a new prediction is accurate, the median home price in Dallas-Fort Worth would reach at least $316,000 in 2021, and home sales growth would surpass that of Texas’ three other major metro areas.

Realtor.com predicts DFW will see combined sales and price growth of 15.7 percent next year in the housing market compared with 2020. That figure puts it at No. 22 in Realtor.com’s ranking of the top 100 major metro areas; it’s the highest ranking among the state’s four major metros. DFW’s 15.7 percent number breaks down to 11.3 percent for sales growth and 4.4 percent for price growth.

If Realtor.com is correct, the 4.4 percent growth rate for home prices could push the median home price in DFW to more than $316,800 in 2021 from $303,500 in October. That growth rate would be welcome news, though. From October 2019 to October 2020, the median price of a home in DFW jumped 12.4 percent, according to the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.

Meanwhile, projected sales growth of 11.3 percent would make for a busy 2021 for DFW homebuyers and home sellers. Spurred by historically low mortgage interest rates, a record-setting 12,829 homes were sold in DFW in July, the Texas A&M center says.

“We expect a healthy level of growth across Texas metros in 2021, with prices expected to rise 4 to 5 percent in each of the major metros and sales expected to grow between 5 and 11 percent over 2020,” says Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com. “An improving economy that drives strong job growth is a big contributing factor in these metros, in addition to above-average household growth.”

“Younger buyers are already doing well in most of these markets,” Hale adds, “and because they make up an above-average portion of the population in these metros, we expect them to contribute to healthy sales growth.”

Elsewhere in Texas:

Austin could be the state’s most challenging market in 2021 for younger homebuyers, Hale says. That’s because Austin is a competitive market where the median home price surged 19.7 percent from November 2019 to November 2020, she says, and because hefty down payments “are a big hurdle for first-time buyers.”

Among the state’s four major metros, Austin ranks second in the Realtor.com forecast. Its national ranking sits at No. 37, with year-over-year sales growth pegged at 8.6 percent and year-over-year price growth projected to be 4.6 percent for a combined total of 13 percent.

At No. 47 nationally is San Antonio. There, the sales growth rate in 2021 is expected to be 7.2 percent and the price growth rate is predicted to be 4.3 percent for a combined total of 11.5 percent.

Houston lands at No. 61 on the Realtor.com list. The website envisions 5.3 percent growth for sales and 4.6 percent growth for prices for a combined total of 9.9 percent.

At No. 16, El Paso is the top-ranked Texas market in the Realtor.com forecast. The combined 17 percent growth rate envisioned for 2021 comprises 10.6 percent growth in sales and 6.4 percent growth in prices.

Here are the top five metro markets in Realtor.com’s outlook:

Sacramento, California, 24.6 percent overall growth rate
San Jose, California, 21.6 percent overall growth rate
Charlotte, North Carolina, 19 percent overall growth rate
Boise, Idaho, 18.9 percent overall growth rate
Seattle, 18.4 percent overall growth rate

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hottest zips

Surprising Dallas neighbor ranks among hottest ZIP codes in U.S.

City of Lavon/Facebook

Movers are loving Lavon for its small-town feel and proximity to the big city.

A recent analysis of American relocation trends has revealed the small city of Lavon outside Dallas was one of the top five hottest ZIP code for movers nationwide in October 2025.

Lavon's 75166 ZIP code ranked No. 5 on MovingPlace's new list ranking the U.S. cities with the highest number of new movers per 1,000 current residents during the month of October.

According to the study's data, 961,650 moves took place across the nation last month. Lavon (population: 13,800) saw 10.8 moves per 1,000 residents in October, the fifth highest moving rate out of all U.S. cities.

Lavon is located 32 miles northeast of Dallas in Collin County. It was praised as a highly sought-after locale for movers who want to live somewhere affordable outside Dallas while still reaping the benefits from a community with a small-town feel.

The report also added that Lavon's 75166 ZIP was the No. 1 hottest ZIP code in September, but relocations dipped 7.7 percent from September to October.

"When looking at the top ZIP codes in each state, it’s clear that less populated ZIP codes often show dramatic month-over-month increases, sometimes exceeding 100 percent," the report said. "Larger cities, by contrast, maintain consistently high move volumes without extreme spikes, because their larger populations dampen the impact of individual moves."

These are the top 10 hottest U.S. ZIP codes based on moves per capita in October:

No. 1 – 78616 in Dale, Texas
No. 2 – 34987 in Port Saint Lucie, Florida
No. 3 – 37228 in Nashville, Tennessee
No. 4 – 80019 in Aurora, Colorado
No. 5 – 75166 in Lavon, Texas
No. 6 – 32461 in Inlet Beach, Florida
No. 7 – 10004 in New York, New York
No. 8 – 43137 in Lockbourne, Ohio
No. 9 – 30346 in Atlanta, Georgia
No. 10 – 78656 in Maxwell, Texas

The hottest U.S. ZIP codes by total move volume
Five Texas ZIPs ranked among MovingPlace's separate analysis of the top 10 hottest U.S. ZIP codes based on total move volume.

McKinney's ever-popular 75071 ZIP code ranked No. 5 on the list after gaining 298 new residents last month, only 72 residents shy from No. 1-ranking Washington, D.C.'s new resident count.

This North Dallas suburb also previously ranked as the No. 8 most popular ZIP for movers during the first five months of 2025.

The report said McKinney's most attractive qualities are its safety, its high-performing schools, and its proximity to outdoor recreational activities. it also helps that the suburb consistently ranks as the No. 1 hottest housing market in America, and it frequently tops lists comparing the best cities for renters or the most affordable cities in the U.S.

The top 10 hottest American ZIP codes in October based on total move volume were:

No. 1 – 20002 in Washington, D.C.
No. 2 – 78130 in New Braunfels, Texas
No. 3 – 78641 in Leander, Texas
No. 4 – 77433 in Cypress, Texas
No. 5 – 75071 in McKinney, Texas
No. 6 –32256 in Jacksonville, Florida
No. 7 –77493 in Katy, Texas
No. 8 – 85142 in Queen Creek, Arizona
No. 9 – 98052 in Redmond, Washington
No. 10 – 28269 in Charlotte, North Carolina

suburb real estate housing market moving mckinney dallas