Your Expert Guide

Idlewild: A charming, walkable gem in University Park

Realtors Sylvia Scott and Lezley Nugent.

Agents Sylvia Scott and Lezley Nugent.

Photo courtesy of Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty

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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No matter where you turn in University Park, you’re met with a lovely neighborhood. But for Nugent + Scott Group members Lezley Nugent and Sylvia Scott, Idlewild holds an extra-special dose of charm with its mix of architectural styles, tree-lined streets, and door-to-door sidewalks.

Both Nugent and Scott have raised their families in University Park and have loved nothing more than raising their children in the tight-knit, walkable community that is also part of the exemplary Highland Park ISD.

Located north of Lovers Lane, on the west side of University Park, Idlewild is within walking distance to all the unique shops and restaurants on Lovers. Love Field Airport is also only a short drive away.

“We are also near Highland Park High School, and many residents love that their kids can walk to school for early morning practices and more,” adds Scott.

Having worked in this area for many years, both Nugent and Scott have their fingers on the pulse of what has sold and what’s coming on the market, and frequently source off-market opportunities.

When they are not finding dream homes for their clients, you might find them entertaining friends, staying on top of Dallas' new restaurant scene, or out and about with their families, enjoying the delightful neighborhoods they call home.

The team offered up some of their personal favorites about life in University Park's Idlewild. Here's their guide to the area:

Where to eat & drink
While they frequent many of the restaurants on Lovers Lane, Hudson House is always at the top of their list for a great lunch or dinner — or just drinks. “You'll always see someone you know — and they have the cutest holiday decorations, too,” they say.

Where to play
Being close to Highland Park High School means you have your own version of Friday Night Lights in the neighborhood.

Beyond football, they indulge their love of pickleball and tennis at several of the University Park courts surrounding this neighborhood.

The team also suggests taking a stroll around Lakeside Park or along Armstrong Avenue. And for a dose of retail therapy, there’s nothing better than Highland Park Village’s designer boutiques and gift shops.

Where to live
“With a mix of smaller cottages and new construction homes, there is something for everyone in Idlewild,” says Nugent. “Most of the original cottages that are still standing were built in the late 1930s and ’40s and many have been updated and expanded over time. They are charming and at a more approachable price point for the Park Cities.”

For those interested in more space and today's contemporary building styles, new construction homes are available and come from builders who have been working in the Park Cities for years.

“While this area does not have some of the larger estate lots found in Highland Park, there is still plenty of space to add a pool or just enjoy an open backyard,” they add.

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Sylvia Scott and Lezley Nugent live, work, and play in University Park's Idlewild and nearby. For more information on buying and selling a home in the area, click here , contact Sylvia Scott at sscott@briggsfreeman.com or by calling 214-536-4414, and contact Lezley Nugent at lnugent@briggsfreeman.com or by calling 214-533-6332.

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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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