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This type of Dallas-Fort Worth real estate is being snapped up like crazy

Land sales in Northeast Texas are hot.

Photo courtesy of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty

Dallas-Fort Worth land is being snapped up like crazy, according to the most recent Texas Small Land Sales Report. The Texas Association of Realtors combed through 2016 data from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University to uncover where buyers are making their next big land purchase, and Northeast Texas leads the pack.

In 2016, the region had 2,230 small land purchases (200 acres or less) — a whopping 21 percent hike from 2015. In total, 42,138 acres were purchased in the area, representing almost 31.9 percent of all Texas small land sales. In Texas as a whole, there were 6,992 small land sales in 2016, a 4.2 percent increase from 2015.

"As our state's population continues to grow and the footprints of Texas cities expand, the demand for rural land will only increase," Vicki Fullerton, chairman of the Texas Association of Realtors, says in a release. "At the same time, after consecutive years of rapid growth in real estate land prices, prices in many regions have leveled off."

Unlike the regions where land costs decreased or plateaued, the Northeast area increased. The average price per acre in the region jumped 13.3 percent to $8,315 in 2016, much higher than the $5,647 Texas average. It's still less expensive than the $10,182 price per acre you'll find in the Gulf Coast-Bottom Brazos region, which encompasses Houston, in addition to miles of coastal property.

Northeast Texas has one of the most diverse ranges of land usage in the state. In addition to strong demand for pastureland as well as recreational properties, the region’s Piney Woods areas are also in high demand due to strong timber prices.

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Elite address

One Texas community makes list of the richest small towns in America

Photo courtesy of Compass

Bunker Hill Village is a coveted address in the Houston area.

An upscale community in Texas is among the top 10 richest towns in America, according to a new 2024 report. The community is Bunker Hill Village in Houston, and it's home to the richest residents in Texas. Sorry, Colonial Hills.

The analysis, by loan provider TitleMax, lists the 50 richest small towns — one from each state — using median household income data from the U.S. Census Bureau. In Bunker Hill Village, the median household income is about $250,000, the report says.

Of course, "small town" is a bit of a misnomer for Bunker Hill Village. Situated 13 miles west of downtown Houston, Bunker Hill joins five other communities – Hunters Creek, HiIlshire, Hedwig, Piney Point, and Spring Valley – to make up Houston's iconic Memorial Villages. In 2023, Bunker Hill was ranked the third-most expensive Houston neighborhood, with homes on the market for upwards of $2.7 million.

Notably, the area is home to Houston's only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house.

"We are very proud of our quiet, wooded environment, and as a community, we work hard to preserve it for future generations," the city's website says.

The study found that more than half (56.5 percent) of the 1,250-home community make over $200,000 a year, while the enclave's median household income amounts to $247,188.

To put that into perspective, TitleMax revealed that the national median household income is $67,521. The Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey estimates the median income of a household in Texas came out to $75,780 in 2023.

Bunker Hill joins the likes of Houston's Bellaire and West University Place as some of the most affluent suburbs in America. The North Texas suburb of Southlake also made it on that list.

The No. 1 slot went to Monte Sereno, a suburb of San Jose, California with a median household income of more than $250,000, according to the report.

"While many people consider cities to be the epicenters of the rich, many retreat to small towns that offer safety, beauty, and privacy," the report's author wrote.

These are the top 10 wealthiest small towns in America, with their median household incomes:

No. 1 – Monte Sereno, California ($250,000-plus)
No. 2 – Cherry Hills Village, Colorado ($250,000-plus)
No. 3 – Mission Hills, Kansas ($250,000-plus)
No. 4 – Short Hills, New Jersey ($250,000-plus)
No. 5 – Scarsdale, New York ($250,000-plus)
No. 6 – Belle Meade, Tennessee ($250,000-plus)
No. 7 – Glencoe, Illinois ($248,851)
No. 8 – Bunker Hill Village, Texas ($247,188)
No. 9 – Clyde Hill, Washington ($238,958)
No. 10 – Chevy Chase Village, Maryland ($238,333)

The full report can be found on titlemax.com.

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