How Gentrification is Affecting Housing Prices in Dallas
When a formerly depressed neighborhood suddenly becomes hot, the rapid growth can transform an area almost overnight. But it can also bring expensive growing pains. Is gentrification making Dallas unaffordable?
Gentrification can happen quickly. As higher-income buyers move into a growing neighborhood, the cost of living goes up. Rents typically escalate, forcing poor and working-class families to move elsewhere.
For many residents, the effects of gentrification can quickly become a politically-charged issue. The question is whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
How Gentrification Can Help Homeowners
As property values rise, homeowners often find themselves stuck paying ever-higher property taxes. Those who can’t afford the taxes must often sell their homes. But there is an upside: the opportunity to profit handsomely from a higher selling price.
Homeowners who stick around, meanwhile, can enjoy the economic benefits of gentrification, including new shopping, new restaurants, new job opportunities, better schools, and lower crime rates.
Top 10 Gentrifying Cities in the USA
Nationwide, only about five percent of urban tracts that could be gentrified are actually going that route, according to a 2016 study from the Denver Office of Economic Development. But in the top gentrifying cities, new higher-income residents are displacing the existing lower-income residents at a much more rapid pace.
The top 10 fastest-gentrifying cities are:
- Washington D.C.
- San Diego, CA
- NYC, NY
- Albuquerque, NM
- Atlanta, GA
- Baltimore, MD
- Portland, OR
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Seattle, WA
- Philadelphia, PA
Gentrification in Dallas
In March 2017, a Texas state representative introduced a bill to help protect West Dallas residents from gentrification. If passed, the bill would lower the property taxes for long-time homeowners in West Dallas. It would also allow local appraisal districts to exclude new developments when assessing the value of older properties.
How to Buy in a Gentrified Neighborhood of Dallas (Without Spending a Fortune)
Without a doubt, gentrification is raising home values across parts of Dallas, and finding a bargain isn’t easy. By the time a neighborhood starts heating up, real estate prices are already shooting skyward. But that doesn’t mean it’s too late to buy a home at an affordable price. Some areas we suggest include Casa Linda, Casa View, Trinity Groves, and Northwest Dallas near Marsh Lane.
We Buy Ugly Houses Dallas buys homes in all areas of the city, renovates them, and then sells them at the best possible prices. No matter which neighborhood is next in line for gentrification, you can still find a great home to buy.
*Updated June 2020.
