Homebuying strategy

Now's the best time for Dallas homebuyers to score a deal, report says

Back-to-school season turns out to be prime homebuying season.

iStock

Back-to-school season turns out to be prime homebuying season in Dallas-Fort Worth and the state’s three other major metros.

A new report from real estate brokerage Redfin finds mid-September reigns as the best time for homebuyers to score a deal in Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio.

The report pegs late August as Austin’s best period for nailing down a home deal, while late September is Houston’s sweet spot.

“Each homebuyer has their own timeline based on personal circumstances. But seasonality trends suggest buyers in these places looking to score a bargain may want to hit the pavement as summer comes to a close and the leaves start falling,” Asad Khan, a senior economist at Redfin, says in a release.

“Sellers who put their home in the market in the spring or early summer and haven’t offloaded it yet may be open to dropping their price or offering concessions,” Khan adds.

Redfin cautions that the best time to buy is more complicated than when a homebuyer is most likely to land a deal. Redfin economists recommend balancing choice and competition when shopping for a home.

“More inventory to choose from improves the chance of finding the home that’s right for them, and more competition creates more urgency and requires stronger offers to win a home, decreasing the likelihood that buyers will get a deal,” says Redfin.

Redfin emphasizes that most places in Texas are now buyer’s markets, equipping buyers with negotiating power. In fact, the majority of Texas markets have roughly twice as many buyers as sellers, according to Redfin.

The Redfin analysis, based on data from Home Economics, looked at three metrics for determining the best times for homebuyers to make a deal:

The week when the number of new listings is the greatest compared with the annual average.
The week when the number of active listings on the market for 60 days or less is the greatest compared with the annual average.
The time when the average home price drops the most heading into late fall or winter.

A little Italy

2 new Prosper mega-developments will include Venetian village with canals

Rendering courtesy of BlackStone Communities

A canal-and-lagoon system will lend a Venetian feel to the $300 million Marco development in Prosper.

Fast-growing Prosper, an affluent town in Collin County north of Dallas, is poised to grow even more.

Two mixed-use projects — with a collective price tag exceeding $500 million — are bringing more than 4,400 homes along with stores, restaurants, and hotels to Prosper, whose population soared more than 50 percent from 2020 to 2025.

Bella Prosper, a $240 million development at First Street and Legacy Drive, will feature 83 townhomes, stores, restaurants, offices, a child care center, and a 139-room waterfront hotel. The Prosper Town Council endorsed the project in June.

The 63-acre Bella Prosper project will be developed in four stages set for completion from 2028 to 2035. Prosper Tollway Palazzos and PTP Retail Holdings, both based in Plano, are the developers.

Features of the $240 million Bella Prosper development include a 139-room hotel along the property’s waterfront.Rendering courtesy of Daake Law

Plans for another project, the 143-acre, Italian-inspired Marco development at the Dallas North Tollway and U.S. Highway 380, call for 4,400 homes — apartments, condos, villas, townhomes, bungalows, live-work spaces, and an age-restricted “enclave.” In addition, the project would include street-level stores, offices, a performing arts center, and a hotel.

In keeping with the Italian theme, Venetian-style canals large enough to accommodate boats would flow from a lagoon. The canal-and-lagoon system would cover more than 15 acres. Among other planned Italian touches are a traditional passeggiata walkway, a public square, and courtyards.

The $300 million Marco project, which has no completion date yet, awaits approval from the Prosper Town Council. Dallas-based BlackStone Communities is the developer.

From sleepy to sought-after
The Marco and Bella Prosper will add thousands more homes to a town already bursting with new neighborhoods. A ranking released in May by RentCafe put Prosper’s 75078 ZIP code at No. 9 among the 50 fastest-growing “new neighborhoods” in the U.S. “that barely existed a decade ago.”

Projects like The Marco and Bella Prosper continue the town’s evolution, as described by Dallas-based TBC Development, from “a quiet small-town suburb” to “a hub of economic activity.”

In January, Mayor David Bristol said development along the Dallas North Tollway represents the future “economic generator” for Prosper.

Prosper’s wealth continues to rise along with its growth prospects.

In 2025, personal finance website GOBankingRates ranked Prosper as the No. 3 fastest-growing wealthy suburb in the country, with median household income at $187,603 in 2023. A year later, the income figure climbed to $195,281, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

development prosper