renting in the big city

DFW nearly tops list of cities building most new homes for rent

Dallas is building more single-family rental homes than nearly every other U.S. city.

A new rental report has revealed Texas is leading the nation with the highest single-family home rental construction growth, and Dallas-Fort Worth nearly topped the list of metros building the most new homes for rent.

The analysis from rental listings website Point2Homes examined construction rates and building permit data for single-family homes that are "located in build-to-rent, professionally managed communities" across America. For the purpose of the study, build-to-rent homes are defined as units that don't share any walls with other homes, and includes those that have shared walls but do not have neighbors above or below or have a direct-access garage.

According to the report's findings, Dallas' rental home construction rate is the 5th highest in the nation, and the metro area is expected to build 8,470 new single-family homes for rent in 2025.

The greatest share of rental homes – 1,816 units – are being built in neighboring Fort Worth, while Dallas proper is only expecting to build 64 new rental homes.

This is how many build-to-rent homes are being built across other DFW-area cities:

1,293 units – McKinney
876 units – Denton
696 units – Melissa
635 units – Anna
543 units – Garland
537 units – Celina
408 units – Princeton
251 units – Lavon
204 units – Ferris
200 units – Weatherford
176 units – Crandall
168 units – Crowley
166 units – Saginaw
134 units – Aubrey
96 units – Forney
85 units – Addison
65 units – Arlington
57 units – Red Oak

The report says Fort Worth will become the new hometown for one of the largest single-family rental communities, Living Fully Orchard Farms, which will develop 643 new construction homes. But Dallas-area rental communities aren't far behind.

"The second and third largest communities currently under construction in the Dallas metro are in Princeton and Melissa: Oxenfree at Princeton and Wolf Creek Farms will add 408 and 343 units, respectively," the report said.

Build-to-rent growth rates in Texas
Dallas' rental home construction helps make up the total 21,812 units that are planned or currently being built in Texas this year.

The report claims Texas' healthy job market, remote work flexibility, and its business-friendliness are the top reasons why the build-to-rent growth has soared so high.

Doug Ressler, senior analyst and manager of business intelligence at Yardi Matrix (Point2Homes' sister company), says affordability is another major factor.

"The biggest hurdle to buying a home for [build-to-rent] BTR residents is high mortgage rates, so BTR homes provide an affordability solution in today’s increasingly expensive housing market," Ressler says. "On average, renting a BTR unit is cheaper than buying a starter home. Recent reports indicate that renting can save one around $1,000 per month compared to buying. This is largely due to high mortgage rates and elevated home prices."

Ressler adds that the target markets – Millennials and Gen Z – are increasingly interested in new single-family home rentals to avoid the hurdle of paying high property taxes while still managing other debts like student loans. This also allows them to remain close to the city in a nearby suburb, rather than in rural areas.

"As urban areas become more congested and expensive, there’s a growing trend towards suburban living," Ressler said. "BTR properties in suburban areas offer more space and affordability while maintaining connectivity to urban centers."

Other Texas metros
Texas cities dominated the top 10 U.S. metros with the greatest build-to-rent growth rates. Houston ranked No. 5 nationally with 4,613 new homes being built for rent in the metro.

Meanwhile, Austin and San Antonio ranked No. 6 and No. 8 respectively. Austin currently has 4,313 new single-family rental homes in the pipeline in 2025, while San Antonio is expected to build 2,994 units.

Phoenix, Arizona topped the nation with the No. 1 highest new rental home construction rate. The Valley of the Sun is expected to complete 13,113 build-to-rent homes in 2025.

The top 10 U.S. metros building the most new rental homes in 2025 are:

No. 1 – Phoenix, Arizona
No. 2 – Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
No. 3 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 4 – Charlotte, North Carolina
No. 5 – Houston, Texas
No. 6 – Austin, Texas
No. 7 – Orlando, Florida
No. 8 – San Antonio, Texas
No. 9 – Raleigh, North Carolina
No. 10 – Huntsville, Alabama

rentals construction real estate houston

Dallas Got Robbed

The richest small town in Texas is surprisingly not in Dallas

Facebook / City of Bellaire, Texas

Houston neighbor Bellaire is the richest town in Texas.

A survey of affluent small towns has found one town in Texas to be at the top of the list, but shockingly, it is not in Dallas. The town of Bellaire, a small enclave within the Houston metro area, has earned the top spot as the richest small town in Texas for 2025. Boo.

The report, "The Richest Small Town in Every State," from GoBankingRates, selected one city from each state, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey to determine the 50 richest small towns based on their median household income.

Describing Bellaire as a "small town" might be a misnomer. It's located less than 10 miles from downtown Houston and is fully surrounded by the City of Houston. It's really more of a wealthy enclave within Houston, with a population of just over 17,000 residents.

Those affluent citizens earn a median $236,311 in income every year, which GoBankingRates says is the 11th highest household median income out of all 50 cities included in the report.

The average home in this city is worth over $1.12 million, but Bellaire's lavish residential reputation often attracts properties with multi-million-dollar price tags.

Bellaire also earned a shining 81 livability score for its top quality schools, health and safety, commute times, with an abundance of exceptional local amenities.

Those include conveniently located grocery stores, coffee shops, diverse dining options, and spacious parks.

It's not the first time that Bellaire has caught the eye of GoBankingRates, which previously ranked it as the No. 23 wealthiest suburb in America, and it's been named on similar lists comparing the richest American cities.

Dallas can take comfort in the fact that a different survey found Lewisville to be of the cities attracting the most high-income households, meaning those that make more than $200,000. However, census data places the most recent median income in Lewisville at $85,002 — so it's nowhere close to catching up to Bellaire.

suburbs houston bellaire affluent households