It seems Texas' lack of a real winter has a ripple effect that extends far beyond agriculture. Spring has been declared the ideal time to list your home in Dallas-Fort Worth, with homes hitting the market by the end of June fetching $2,000 more.
That's according to a recent study from Zillow, which analyzed the history and outcome of millions of home listings over the last several years.
Late May is profitable in DFW, but as soon as the calendar hits late June, the numbers start falling. Seems the extreme heat of Texas summers is nearly as bad as possible ice in the winter, with sellers taking a sizable cut from late November through January.
If you want to get the most eyeballs on your listing when it first debuts, make it live on a Sunday. Saturday and Friday are close behind, but posting on a Tuesday means a sharp downtick in views.
Buyer interest also fades quickly, Zillow confirms, with traffic for new listings dramatically falling after only seven days. In the first week, homes in DFW are 53 percent likely to sell at or above list price. By week 12, the number drops to only 11 percent.
The stats are slightly different elsewhere around Texas, with Austin seeing Saturdays in early May as the best time to list. Early birds get the worm in Houston and San Antonio, where early and late May are the key list times.
But the rest of the nation is even earlier, with homes listed for sale anytime in April selling one full week faster than average.
A European-inspired estate in Westlake just came on the market at a record-high asking price for a Tarrant County residence — $27.75 million.
To put that price tag in perspective, the median list price for a Tarrant County home stood at $340,000 in August, according to the Greater Fort Worth Association of Realtors. For $27.75 million, you could buy roughly 82 Tarrant County homes at August’s median price.
The 1.5-acre, 12,000-square-foot Philoxenia estate, located in Westlake’s exclusive 300-home Vaquero enclave, offers five bedrooms, five full bathrooms, and three half-bathrooms. The property delivers unobstructed views of the community’s private golf course and lake.
The name Philoxena refers to the ancient ideal of gracious hospitality.
A 14-foot textured black-granite waterfall complements the lake-face infinity pool. Photo courtesy of Ebby Halliday
Kelly Marcontell and Susan Gilchrest of Ebby Halliday’s Marcontell+Gilchrest Group have the listing for the estate, at 1112 Post Oak Pl.
Marcontell and Gilchrest say the property, built in 2009, was designed as a family’s “private luxury sanctuary.” A four-year renovation project was just completed in 2026.
“Philoxenia is a rare architectural statement for Dallas-Fort Worth that favors European clarity over conventional open-concept trends,” Marcontell says. “Unlike homes where custom detailing is reserved for just one or two primary rooms, every single inch of this residence was meticulously crafted.”
Specialized stone accents the foyer, kitchen, and primary suite, while hand-selected oak, poplar, and Italian marble finish nearly every surface.
Other luxury touches include white oak herringbone floors, custom doors with Joseph Giles London brass hardware, Phillip Jeffries textile wallcoverings, and more than 150 hand-selected slabs of Nero Marquina and Calacatta Monet marble throughout the estate.
An island made of Calacatta Monet marble sits in the grand kitchen. Photo courtesy of Ebby Halliday
“For today’s highest-level luxury buyers, time is the ultimate luxury. Attempting a transformation or build of this caliber on a lot this prominent would require three to four years of construction management and supply chain navigation,” says Gilchrest.
Marcontell, a Vaquero resident, points out that there are a handful of undeveloped lots in Vaquero, but none remain for purchase.
Features of the primary wing include a Nero Marquina marble shower, a Carrara block bathtub, heated floors, a custom Italian dressing room, a panic room, and a hidden speakeasy.
The chef-worthy kitchen also doesn’t disappoint. It offers:
A custom-built, professional-grade Anthracite Lacanche Sully range
A full suite Thermador appliances
Dual Miele dishwashers
Custom Italian Binova black oak cabinetry
An island made of Calacatta Monet marble
Of course, the grounds of the estate are just as steeped in luxury as the interior is. For instance, a 14-foot textured black-granite waterfall complements the lake-face infinity pool.
The property includes a golf simulator. Photo courtesy of Ebby Halliday
Other amenities are a full John Michael outdoor kitchen, pickleball and basketball court, sauna, steamroom, and indoor golf simulator.
As if the kitchen and grounds weren’t grand enough, other high-end aspects of the estate include:
A gated entry gated entry leading to a granite cobblestone drive
Eligibility for membership at Vaquero’s Tom Fazio-designed championship golf course
A more than 2,000-square-foot, five-car garage geared toward car collectors
A geothermal HVAC system
Rockwool acoustic insulation
Photo courtesy of Ebby Halliday
The Philoxenia estate is at 1112 Post Oak Pl., in the Vaquero enclave of Westlake.