Editor's note: As the year comes to a close, we look back at the 10 biggest real estate stories in Dallas for 2019 — including top neighborhoods; luxury listings; and homes with ties to celebrities, mobsters, and royalty.
1. This Dallas neighborhood declared one of the most expensive in Texas. In May, a study identifying the most expensive neighborhoods across the country put one Dallas neighborhood close to the top of the list for all of Texas. North Dallas was named the seventh most expensive neighborhood in the state — and the most expensive in the city — by ConstructionCoverage.com. The affluent Dallas area boasted a median home value of $685,200. Home values in the neighborhood jumped 10.61 percent in just one year, the study said.
2. Old Highland Park home lauded by royalty seeks to rein in $5 million. An Old Highland Park home praised by none other than Britain’s Prince Charles hit the market in May for nearly $5 million. The half-acre property at 3509 Crescent Ave., built by Dallas contractor Steve McCombs and designed by Florida architect Scott Merrill, features landscaping by Warren H. Johnson, architect of the Dallas Arboretum. Prince Charles once penned a letter to the architect lauding the home.
3. Most famous estate in North Texas expands as wedding and event venue. The largest, and — some might say — most famous estate in North Texas once known as Champ d’Or is officially now a wedding and events venue called Olana. Yes, brides are now getting dressed in a master closet fashioned after the Chanel boutique in Paris. And after a town hall meeting on June 18 in Hickory Creek, that wedding venue would be expanding.
4. This Dallas suburb's housing market is 'turning ugly,' says new report. By one measure, the housing market in McKinney is not sitting pretty. McKinney ranked 33rd on a list of the 50 U.S. housing markets that are “turning ugly.” It’s the only Texas city on the list, which was released in September by personal finance website GoBankingRates.com.
5. Lakefront estate with ties to infamous Dallas mobster hits market for $3.7 million. In July, an ornate lakefront estate on property once owned by infamous Dallas mobster Herbert “The Cat” Noble went on the market for the first time. The two-story mansion at 1213 Noble Way — yes, same Noble — overlooking Lake Grapevine was listed for $3.7 million with Jim Striegel with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.
6. 5 Dallas neighborhoods are some of the best places to live in Texas. Spring had sprung in April, which meant it was home shopping season, and this might have helped narrow down searches. Real estate review site Niche compiled information from its users and data from the U.S. Census Bureau to grade neighborhoods and suburbs. After all the calculating, five Dallas-area neighborhoods were named among the 10 best places in all of Texas to live for 2019.
7. Ex-Cowboy fields offers for his Oak Lawn home listed at $2.25 million. Former Dallas Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman hoped to pass along his Oak Lawn home to a new owner for $2.25 million in August. The 3,633-square-foot contemporary house, situated on a corner lot at 2817 Park Bridge Ct., is one of just 14 homes in a gated community surrounded by Turtle Creek and the Katy Trail.
8. Dallas-Fort Worth housing market set to sizzle in 2019, Zillow says. Dallas-Fort Worth’s housing market was on fire at the beginning of 2019, earning the Metroplex a spot on Zillow’s ranking of the country’s 10 hottest real estate markets for the year. At No. 7, DFW was the only major Texas metro area to show up on Zillow’s list.
9. Will someone who likes the '50s please buy this Dallas house for sale? There was a '50s Dallas home for sale near Ferguson Road in August that was being described as a "fantastic opportunity to update a home on a creek in East Dallas." Here was an idea: How about buying this house and leaving it just as it is? Located in the Casa View area, the house was built in 1957 and had authentic '50s charm.
10. New tiny-home village opens big doors to small living north of Dallas. The first residents of a tiny-home development in Lake Dallas had moved in by October, and more tiny-house projects could be on the horizon across Dallas-Fort Worth. Residents initially occupied five homes at the 13-lot Lake Dallas Tiny Home Village, developer Terry Lantrip says. More move-ins were on tap, but a couple of lots remained available.
Britain's Prince Charles told architect Scott Merrill that the Highland Park home, at 3509 Crescent Ave., had an "incredibly ‘appetizing’ Arts and Crafts feel."
