Suburb news

Dallas neighbor beckons movers as top U.S. suburb with small-town feel

Wylie's downtown district comes to life during the annual Bluegrass on Ballard car show.

Discover Wylie/Facebook

An unexpected Dallas-Fort Worth neighbor has emerged as a top destination for Americans searching for a suburb with a "small-town feel."

Wylie, a city less than 30 miles from downtown Dallas, ranked as the No. 7 most highly sought-after U.S. suburb of 2025 in MoveBuddha's new national survey.

MoveBuddha's experts analyzed Zillow Home Value Index data and mover search data from August 1, 2024 to September 11, 2025 for 100 of the largest U.S. metro areas. The study then determined the most desirable suburb for each metro by analyzing which had the highest inbound-to-outbound move ratio. Cities that qualified as "suburbs" were those located about 31 miles from their main metros.

In addition to being recognized as the 7th most desirable American suburb, Wylie also ranked as the second-most desirable suburb to move to in Texas. Boerne, a city outside San Antonio, ranked as the No.1 most sought after Texas suburb and the 4th most desirable suburb in the nation.

Wylie specifically stood out among four U.S. suburbs that offer residents a "small-town feel" despite being on the far edge of the Dallas metro.

"While not every top suburb is quaint or historic, in general, the most desirable suburbs nationwide are those with their own unique personalities and strong lifestyle appeal, regardless of their commute times," the report said.

Wylie isn't just being sought out by suburbanites that want to live in a small city with more space; No Demo Reno stars Mike and Jenn Todryk opened a coffee shop in this buzzy suburb earlier in 2025. And there's plenty of other local businesses all adding to "Wide Awake Wylie's" charm.

"Ballard Avenue, Wylie’s 'Main Street,' is home to vibrant shops, such as Shoemaker & Hardt, with its wide array of coffees and unique gifts; Rick’s Home Store, where hand-crafted wood and leather merchandise can be found; and family-owned Wylie Flower & Gifts, the oldest retail business in town, where the staff can handle everything from a small get-well bouquet to a full-scale wedding," the city's website says.

The average home in Wylie is valued at $434,593, landing somewhere in the middle in the national comparison of the most desirable suburbs with the cheapest home values.

Elsewhere in Texas, Georgetown was deemed the most desirable Austin suburb and ranked 27th nationally, while Houston neighbor The Woodlands ranked as No. 48 nationwide. Edinburg, a South Texas city outside McAllen, ranked as the No. 42 most desirable suburb in America.

"In the end, America’s most popular suburbs are proving that big moves don’t always mean big cities," the report said. "Sometimes they mean big charm, with moderate prices, with some proximity to mid-sized metros. And if trends continue, the popularity of these spots — and their housing prices — will only continue to climb in 2026."

The top 10 most sought-after suburbs in America are:

No. 1 – Wake Forest, North Carolina
No. 2 – Eagle, Idaho
No. 3 – Maryvile, Tennessee
No. 4 – Boerne, Texas
No. 5 – Greer, South Carolina
No. 6 – Camas, Washington
No. 7 – Wylie, Texas
No. 8 – Summerville, South Carolina
No. 9 – Alex, North Carolina
No. 10 – Florence, Kentucky

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housing affordability news

Dallas named No. 2 Southern city where homes are becoming more affordable

TREC Dallas Facebook

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A new real estate analysis has revealed housing prices across the Southern United States have seen a major large-scale decline from 2024-2025, with North Texas homebuyers experiencing the second-steepest "price correction" in the region.

Dallas-Fort Worth buyers have a better chance of purchasing an affordable home this year after prices cooled 5.71 percent from 2024-2025, the study found.

Online real estate marketplace Zoocasa compared year-over-year median price changes for single-family homes across 20 cities in the South based on local real estate data. The study also looked at housing affordability in the American West, Midwest, and Northeast.

In Zoocasa's ranking of the Southern cities where affordability is improving the most, Dallas ranked No. 2.

In 2024, the median price for a single-family home in Dallas was nearly $398,000, which has since dropped to $375,000 in 2025. North Texas sellers may not be happy about cooling prices, but it does make housing more attainable for first-time homebuyers.

Better housing prices will surely attract even more new residents to the DFW area, especially when one considers Dallas was the No. 1 destination for movers in 2025, and its suburbs are still booming in popularity.

"Affordability is on the rise across Texas, with major cities seeing significant price corrections," the report said. "Most importantly for buyers, the median home price in each of these cities remains more affordable than the national median."

The national median price of a home in the third quarter of 2025 was $426,800, according to the latest information from the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

Housing affordability elsewhere in Texas
In Beaumont-Port Arthur (a metro area east of Houston), housing prices have fallen 4.62 percent year-over-year, making it the metro with the No. 5 steepest price correction in the South. Median home prices dropped to $217,000 in 2025, or $10,500 lower than the year before, the report found.

Austin's housing prices fell 2.04 percent during the same time span, landing the Capital City in the No. 9 spot. The median price of a single-family home in Austin fell from $437,925 in 2024 to $429,000 last year.

Houston appeared just outside the top 10, ranking 11th out of 20 Southern cities, with housing prices falling by 1.5 percent during the one-year period. Houston housing prices in 2025 fell to $335,000, or $5,000 lower than the year before.

Surprisingly, San Antonio ranked near the bottom of the list with housing prices increasing by five percent year-over-year. Single-family homes in the Alamo City had a median price just under $300,000 in 2024, which spiked to $315,000 in 2025.

Housing market predictions in 2026
Zoocasa predicts the 2026 U.S. housing market is "poised for a steady revival" since mortgage rates have dipped nearly a full percentage point since this time last year. Current interest rates for a a 30-year mortgage are sitting at 6.16 percent, the study said.

The NAR report additionally found that pending home sales have grown by 2.6 percent year-over-year from 2024.

"Homebuyer momentum is building," said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. "The data shows the strongest performance of the year after accounting for seasonal factors, and the best performance in nearly three years, dating back to February 2023."

The top 10 Southern cities where housing affordability is improving the most in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, Florida
No. 2 – Dallas, Texas
No. 3 – Durham, North Carolina
No. 4 – Ocala, Florida
No. 5 – Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas
No. 6 – Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida
No. 7 – Jacksonville, Florida
No. 8 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 9 – Austin, Texas
No. 10 – Raleigh, North Carolina

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