renter news

Dallas sees dramatic surge in number of senior renters in last decade

A senior couple inspecting a potential house rental

Rising property taxes and home prices may be prompting older homeowners to consider renting.

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New U.S. Census data has revealed a startling trend regarding Dallas' renter population: The number of renters aged 65 and older has surged 66.5 percent over the last decade. There are more than 78,000 seniors currently renting their homes across Dallas-Fort Worth.

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington saw the fifth-highest growth rate in senior renters nationwide from 2013 to 2023, according to a new renter population study by Point2Homes.

The report analyzed the latest Census data for renters across every age demographic in the 75 biggest U.S. metros. Nationally, the number of senior renters has increased by 2.4 million people over the last decade.

DFW also ranked as the metro with the second-highest growth rate in senior renters statewide, and it experienced the No. 1 highest numerical change in renters aged 65-plus in Texas.

Austin-Round Rock claimed the No. 1 spot with an 81.1 percent increase in senior renters statewide from 2013-2023, though the Texas Capital added only 23,446 senior renters (far fewer than DFW) during that time.

Furthermore, the number of seniors renting single-family homes in Dallas-Fort Worth has more than doubled in the last 10 years, representing a 100.8 percent increase since 2013. DFW's growth fell second only to Omaha-Council Bluffs, Nebraska-Iowa, whose growth rate for senior single-family home renters increased by 103.5 percent.

"Omaha’s affordability and senior-friendly rental options are attractive to retirees, while rising property taxes and home prices in Dallas and Austin may be prompting older homeowners to consider renting," the report's author wrote.

The report adds that these seniors are shifting their priorities and "stepping away from the burdens of homeownership" in order to live closer to family, downsize, or cut costs to simplify their standard of living.

"A Harris Poll survey showed that the older crowd now has a lower threshold for interest rates when buying, meaning they’re more sensitive to the financial burden of a mortgage," the report's author wrote. "Downsizing from larger family homes, avoiding costs and upkeep tied to ownership, and prioritizing proximity to family or medical services are also among potential motivators for renting."

Point2Homes also points out that this "senior renter boom" can be linked to the (oddly named) trend of elderly "baby chasers," meaning grandparents who choose to relocate to be closer to their grandchildren.

Senior renter demographics in Dallas-Fort Worth
The report also analyzed Dallas-Fort Worth's share of renters based on age group. Predictably, the highest share (30.6 percent) of DFW's renter population is between the ages of 25-34, with the second highest share (20.7 percent) falling to residents aged between 35-44.

Only 9.4 percent of Dallas' entire renter population is between the ages of 55-64, while 9.6 percent are seniors aged 65 and up. The metro's youngest demographic of renters, aged 18-24, only make up 16.4 percent of all DFW renters. That leaves the remaining 13.4 percent of Dallas renters falling into the 45-54 age bracket.

Senior renters in other Texas metros
Austin-Round Rock had the third-highest growth rate in senior renters from 2013-2023 in the U.S., while Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land ranked 8th nationally with a 60.3 percent increase in senior renters.

The Houston metro gained 63,749 senior renters during that time period, which was the fourth highest numerical increase nationwide.

San Antonio-New Braunfels ranked No. 62 out of all 75 U.S. metros with only a 24 percent increase in senior renters from 2013-2023, and the metro gained 11,257 senior renters.

The top 10 U.S. metros that had the highest increases in senior renters over the last decade are:

No. 1 – Baton Rouge, Louisiana (88.7 percent)
No. 2 – Jacksonville, Florida (83.7 percent)
No. 3 – Austin-Round Rock, Texas (81.1 percent)
No. 4 – New Orleans-Metairie, Louisiana (69.7 percent)
No. 5 – Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (66.5 percent)
No. 6 – Raleigh, North Carolina (63.5 percent)
No. 7 – Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut (60.4 percent)
No. 8 – Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas (60.3 percent)
No. 9 – Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida (54.1 percent)
No. 10 – Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, North Carolina-South Carolina (53.5 percent)

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Downtown News

Historic West End Dallas mixed-use complex gets familiar new owner

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Market Ross Place

A historic building in Dallas' historic West End has a familiar new owner: Five Smooth Stones, a real estate company that specializes in renovation, just acquired Market Ross Place, a mixed-used combination of three buildings located at 1701 N. Market St.

Five Smooth Stones is led by Owen Hannay, Dallas native and West End enthusiast who first began investing in the neighborhood in 2000, and is now making a return to the historic area to breathe in new life.

“We have had a lot of success in the West End over the past 25 years but, like many other districts, it tends to be cyclical, so we find ourselves with a lot of opportunity to improve the West End — again," Hannay says in a statement.

Market Ross Place consists of three buildings connected by a five-story atrium, comprising four restaurants and office space totaling approximately 142,000 square feet. It was built in 1905 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Hannay also bought three retail buildings across from Market Ross, a parcel that includes the Museum of Illusions; the former Gators restaurant; and a building containing Mas Tacos and Cannon Bakery. He also bought the West End Parking Garage, which includes 35,000 square feet of retail and more than 650 parking spaces on six levels.

These acquisitions closed in March 2026.

Hannay, who also owns Dallas ad agency Slingshot LLC, first began investing in the West End when he acquired the Awalt Building at 208 N. Market St. in 2000. He went on to buy other West End properties such as a three-building portfolio at Elm and North Record streets, giving him one of the largest stakes in the neighborhood, with ownership of nearly one quarter of the 1 million square feet of office space in the area.

Over the years, Five Smooth Stones has purchased and renovated almost 1,000,000 square feet of historic office and retail space in The West End.

One of their most high-profile purchases was the Landmark Center, the six-story building at 1801 N. Lamar St. that was formerly a regional center for the FBI and also served as the first office HQ for CultureMap Dallas when the site launched in 2012. Five Smooth Stones bought it in 2004, renovated it, sold to Argus Realty Investors LP in 2006 — then bought it back again in 2023.

The Landmark Center is one of many properties in the West End that has undergone multiple ownership changes, bouncing from local companies like Five Smooth Stones to institutional companies — often with less than ideal results.

“When we sold our holdings in the West End in 2015, office occupancy in the district was probably over 90 percent," Hannay says. "We intend to get there again by proving that businesses want high-quality, well priced, centrally located historic space that exists in a genuine neighborhood that provides a human scale to live in, work in, and play in."

To that end, Five Smooth Stones has signed several new lease agreements in the Landmark Center, as well as facilitating the comeback of Ellen's Restaurant into its old space at Market Ross.

The new office tenants at Landmark include:

The Law Offices of Dean Omar Branham Shirley, LLP, a leading law firm, leasing almost 16,000 sq ft
HighLevel Inc., a marketing technology company with 15,700 sq ft on the fifth and sixth floors
Benchmark Group Architects, with 7,500 sq ft on the first floor
The Houston Room, an event venue occupying 6,000 sq ft on the fourth floor

… along with several smaller tenants including Corgan Architects Model Studio, Wildcat Investments, Cravens Brothers, JF Depetris, Jr., CPA and Collabridge Solutions, Inc.

The new leases bring The Landmark Center to more than 50 percent occupancy, with additional build- to-suit leasing opportunities available ranging from 2,000 to 30,000 sq ft.

"I believe that the leases we have already signed are indicative of demand,” Hannay says.

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Historic West End Dallas mixed-use complex gets familiar new owner