rent check

Dallas neighbor ranks as 2nd best U.S. city for renters, report says

Luxury apartments are on the rise in Plano.

Rendering courtesy of LVL 29

Plano continues to hit home runs for its highly sought-after livability. Now, it can add renting favorability to its growing list of achievements that outshine other Metroplex cities.

Plano was deemed the No. 2 best city for renters in a new report by online apartment rental marketplace RentCafe, out of a total 136 American cities. The suburb's total population is just over 282,000 people, with the average renter's income at $73,930 a year. Last year, Plano landed at No. 13 in the same survey.

A Plano renter's average apartment size is around 939 square feet, which is the biggest space out of all Texas cities, the report says. Luxury apartments make up a surprising 78 percent of all units in the suburb. By comparison, in Dallas, luxury units make up fewer than half of all apartments (49 percent).

"Having recently started to make a name for itself as the 'City of Excellence,' Plano lands second on our list," the report says. "Plano’s reputation for producing great academic achievers make it an ideal spot for families looking for a city with excellent public schools, in addition to its great air quality and significant share of high-end apartments."

Plano was also praised for its local economy, after jobs rose 6 percent year-over-year from 2022 and 58 percent of the city's population has at least one college degree.

"Because the city is also home to a variety of headquarters for large companies — such as Bank of America, Hewlett Packard, FedEX, JCPenney and Pepsi — it also has one of the highest job growth rates nationwide," the report says.

Denton (No. 19) was the only other Dallas-Fort Worth suburb to make it into the top 20 best cities for renters. The average renter's income in the college town is $39,690 a year, coinciding with an average apartment size of 882 square feet.

Dallas, on the other hand, fell short of the top 30 and landed in No. 32, whileFort Worth followed closely behind at No. 37. Both cities have similar average annual renter incomes ($47,349 in Dallas versus $45,824 in Fort Worth) and have similar average apartment sizes (849 square feet versus 874 square feet).

Here's how other Texas cities stacked up in RentCafe's report:

No. 41 – Odessa
No. 43 – Lubbock
No. 53 – Houston
No. 55 – San Antonio
No. 90 – Corpus Christi
No. 91 – Waco
No. 120 – El Paso

RentCafe used data from their sister site Yardi Matrix to determine each city's ranking among three major categories: cost of living and housing, the local economy, and quality of life. Cities were chosen if they had an "apartment stock" of a minimum of 10,000 units, and any cities with lower apartment stocks were excluded.

Overall, the top 10 was dominated by Texas cities. The North Austin suburb of Round Rock ranked No. 6, while Austin proper ranked No. 7, and Conroe earned No. 9.

Filling in the gaps in the top 10 are Charleston, South Carolina (No. 1); Scottsdale, Arizona (No. 3); Atlanta, Georgia (No. 4); Raleigh, North Carolina (No. 5); Charlotte, North Carolina (No. 8); and Arlington, Virginia (No. 10).

The full report and its methodology can be found on rentcafe.com.

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House For Sale

Dallas house for sale from the '50s is still in original condition

Courtesy

9203

There's a house for sale in East Dallas that's increasingly hard-to-find: a well-preserved home from the '50s for sale that's in nearly original condition.

The house is located at 9203 Lindaro Ln., just outside Loop 12 and walking distance to Bishop Lynch High School, in a stable neighborhood of homes build in the mid 1950s.

The listing by Bryant Nieves of Elite Real Estate Texas calls it a "beautifully preserved Mid-Century gem" with original hardwood floors in the downstairs bedrooms, a recently installed roof, a modern sprinkler system, and an upgraded AC unit.

There are multiple living spaces with a formal living & dining area, eat-in kitchen, and family room which includes an office nook with built-in desk. It has both a carport and attached 2-car garage, as well as a fully fenced yard.

Most of the homes in this neighborhood are 1,200 to 1,600 square feet, and priced from $250,000 to $350,000.

This house was built in 1957, but it differs in that it has a second-floor add-on over the garage — making it roomier at 2,202 square feet, with 5 bedrooms instead of the usual 3.

The two bathrooms are in original condition with '50s tile, both in good shape. The main bathroom has pale warm tan tile, almost flesh colored; the second bathroom, off one of the bedrooms, is a little prettier, with white tile and green-tile edging. Both are far superior to granite-look ceramic.

While both bathrooms merit admiration, this house is more about the wood. There are

original hardwood floors, all in great shape
wood doors including closet doors
wood paneling in the family room, with wood bookshelves and a build-in wood desk

There's also an odd wooden bookshelf that serves as a divider of sorts in the stacked formal living room.

The only room that looks unoriginal is the kitchen, which boasts white-washed '80s cabinets. It looks clean and functional, even if it does not match modern tastes.

Courtesy

Facade of 9203 Lindaro is pleasing, thanks to the unpainted brick.

It sits on a 7,535 sqft lot and the asking price is $395,000 — a bit optimistic, even if they find the rare buyer who sees value in an untouched '50s home.

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