Moving to Dallas From Los Angeles

Dallas is home. I’m licensed in Texas and in California, and I spend time in Los Angeles. This is my answer to the question of what actually changes when you buy here after LA.

Less than you’d expect in the house, and more than you’d expect around it. Here is the short version, with the numbers.

Why can’t I find what homes sold for in Dallas?

Because Texas is a non-disclosure state. Sale prices aren’t public record. Public listing sites here show a sold price range at best, not the price.

That changes how you judge a price. Comparable sales come through the MLS, and an asking price is a starting point you can’t check against a public number. For a buyer from out of state, it’s the first adjustment to make, because it shapes every offer after it.

What do I sign before I tour?

A written buyer agreement. Since January 1, 2026, Texas has required one before an agent shows residential property. If you’re flying in for a weekend of tours, we sign it before the first one, so the weekend is spent looking, not on paperwork.

If you’re buying in a new building, there’s one more document to know: the condominium information statement. If you didn’t receive the statement before signing, or the contract lacks a bold or underlined provision acknowledging receipt and recommending that you read the statement before signing, Texas lets you cancel before the sixth day after you receive it. To cancel, hand-deliver written notice to the declarant or selling unit owner, or mail notice by certified United States mail, return receipt requested, to the offeror or the offeror’s agent for service of process within the five-day cancellation period. Read it before you sign either way.

What does the Dallas market look like right now?

MetroTex’s August 2026 figures, from the area’s MLS:

• Dallas County, single-family homes: 1,413 sales, a median of $369,000 and 4.0 months of inventory.
• Collin County, to the north, single-family homes: a median of $470,000 and 4.4 months of inventory.
• The whole DFW area, single-family homes: 7,329 sales and a median of $390,000.
• Condos and townhouses across DFW: 8.7 and 5.9 months of supply, selling at 90.8 and 93.8 percent of list price.

At the top of the market, Highland Park’s closed-sale median was around $2.69 million in February 2026; Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s also reported University Park above $2.1 million.

Months of inventory is the number I’d watch. It’s how long the homes on the market would take to sell at the current pace, and it’s a rough read on how much room a buyer has. Across DFW, condos had more of it than townhouses, and sold further below their list prices.

Where do I start looking?

With what you want the place to do, not with a ZIP code. In Dallas the choice usually comes down to a few kinds of home:

• A tower. The two new branded towers Douglas Elliman sells in Dallas are in Turtle Creek and Uptown. Rosewood Residences Turtle Creek is in 75219, a ZIP that had 298 active listings in April 2026. The Residences at The Dallas EDITION is planned at 3031 N. Harwood Street, with direct access to the Katy Trail. Both have their own tracks in this issue.
• A house in an established neighborhood. The Park Cities numbers above are the high end. My own deals cluster elsewhere too: 75235 near Love Field (8 closed deals), 75206 in East Dallas (6), 75229 (6) and 75214 (4).
• New construction. From a townhome community to a tower, the process runs through a builder or developer’s documents. Track 5 is what selling it taught me.

The fastest way to narrow it down is a call before you book flights. I’d rather spend an hour on the phone than a weekend touring the wrong side of the city.

How do I run a search for someone who isn’t here yet?

The same way I’d want it run for me.

1. A first conversation. What you’re leaving, what you want, how you’ll use the home, and when you need to move.
2. The agreement. We sign the buyer agreement before any showing.
3. A short list. We narrow the search before you fly in, so the trip is for deciding, not browsing.
4. The trip. We tour the short list together, in person.
5. The offer. In a non-disclosure state, I build the case for the price from the MLS, so you know what you’re offering against.

I only cover a market where I can get on a plane, be there, and be your agent there. Dallas is the market I live in. Los Angeles is the one I fly to.

If you’re thinking about the move, start here: call or text me at 469-885-2575.