Hottest 'hoods

North Texas town boasts 5th hottest ZIP code in U.S. for buyers, report says

This adorable home in Forney is on the market for $399,990.

Photo courtesy of Estately.com

A small town east of Dallas is a big magnet for homebuyers. Forney, in fact, boasts one of the hottest ZIP codes in the country.

According to OpenDoor’s 2022 Hottest ZIP Codes in America report, Forney's 75126 was the fifth most popular ZIP code for buyers around the U.S. last year. It moved up from No. 8 in the 2021 report.

OpenDoor analyzed data from the local Multiple Listing Services (MLS) where Opendoor Brokerage operates, they say. The neighborhoods were ranked by total homes that went into contract within 90 days of listing in 2022.

Forney - a town of 27,000 about a half-hour east of Dallas - tracks with a post-pandemic trend that OpenDoor identified when compiling its 2022 list: that buyers were gravitating toward “a small-town feel while close to a bustling downtown for entertainment, dining, and shopping,” they say.

“Whether to be closer to outdoor and recreational activities or to join a close-knit community, the desire to belong remained strong in 2022 as the recalibration of work and personal priorities encouraged people to move away from city centers,” the report’s author says.

For the same reasons, another North Texas town - Aubrey - was deemed a top “emerging” ZIP for 2022. Its 76227 lands at No. 13 on the list. It had been No. 15 in the 2021 report.

Aubrey, population 6,500, is about an hour north of Dallas, in northeast Denton County. It is home to sprawling ranches and considered the “horse capital of Texas.”

“We are seeing homeowners vie for that sense of belonging in cities and towns accessible to major metros via short commutes – like Aubrey,” OpenDoor says.

Elsewhere in Texas
Aubrey and Forney are the only Dallas-area ZIPs to make it into the top 20, but they are in good company with several others around Texas.

Katy’s 77494, in the Houston area, is the highest-scoring ZIP in the state, landing at No. 3.

“Half of first-time home buyers say ‘family’ is the top reason they decided to purchase a home in 2022. Katy, TX and Yukon, OK continued their reign on our hottest ZIPs list,” OpenDoor says. “They draw homeowners for their proximity to major employers while still being a good fit for families.”

Another Houston suburb, Cypress’ 77433, comes in at No. 7.

Also in the mix are a few ZIPs in the Austin-San Antonio area: No. 4 is 78130 in New Braunfels, and No. 9 is 78641 in Leander. The San Antonio ZIP of 78253 is No. 11.

The hottest ZIP code in the country is 37042 in Clarksville, Tennessee, which has “a thriving, close-knit local community while still being close to the action in Nashville,” OpenDoor says.

The top 20 ZIP codes in the U.S. for 2022 are:

Clarksville, Tennessee (37042)
Yukon, Oklahoma (73099)
Katy, Texas (77494)
New Braunfels, Texas (78130)
Forney, Texas (75126)
Summerville, South Carolina (29486)
Cypress, Texas (77433)
Kissimmee, Florida (34747)
Leander, Texas (78641)
Murfreesboro, Tennessee (37128)
San Antonio, Texas (78253)
Loganville, Georgia (30052)
Aubrey, Texas (76227)
Winter Garden, Florida (34787)
Cumming, Georgia (30040)
Suwanee, Georgia (30024)
Gallatin, Tennessee (37066)
San Diego, California (92101)
Port Saint Lucie, Florida (34953)
Parker, Colorado (80134)

Rent report

Texas opens the door to more renters than any other state, report says

Renters, renting, rent, buying a house, homeowners

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Texas remains attractive to renters thanks to factors such as affordability, job growth, and apartment availability.

Texas reigns as the country’s No. 1 magnet for renters. According to an Apartments.com analysis, Texas gained nearly 73,000 net new renters from 2023 to 2024.

That figure, pulled from U.S. Census Bureau data, takes into account people who moved to and away from Texas.

Apartments.com says Texas remains attractive to renters thanks to factors such as affordability, job growth, and apartment availability. Many of these renters arrive from high-cost states like California and New York.

Among the state’s four major metro areas:

Dallas-Fort Worth rent growth recently slipped into negative territory as a wave of new apartments hit the market. “With modern housing choices backed by a strong job market that supports income growth, it’s easy to see why renters are flocking to Dallas,” says Apartments.com.
Houston continues to stand out nationally for relative affordability and high apartment availability. “Though the city has seen growth in recent years, a steady supply of apartment communities has kept rents low,” according to Apartments.com.
San Antonio now has the highest vacancy rate among major U.S. apartment markets (15.7 percent).
Austin continues to see widespread financial incentives for new renters, with more than 60 percent of properties offering one to two months’ free rent.

“Taken together, the data suggests Texas is entering a new housing phase: Demand remains strong, but the state’s massive apartment buildout is beginning to give renters more leverage than they’ve had in years,” Apartments.com says.

According to Apartment List, these are the top sources, in descending order, of new renters for each of Texas’ four major metros:

Dallas — Houston, Austin, New York City.
Austin — Dallas, Houston, San Antonio.
Houston — Dallas, Austin, New York City.
San Antonio — Austin, Houston, Dallas.

“For renters looking to move out of California, Texas was the most popular destination, edging out neighboring Nevada and Arizona,” Apartment List says.