West Dallas Development

[Daniel Root]

Hi all,

Was curious what the community (especially the DFW community) thinks about the area just west of downtown Dallas which is across the newish Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. There seems to be quite a bit of commercial development there with a handful of new restaurants opening as well as a new brewery. To me it seems like an area that is primed for resurgence. There property in the area directly surrounding is quite cheap (50-80k range) so I was curious about what people about buying and holding SF or small MF properties to rent in that area for the next 5, 10, 15 years. Also the nice area of Stephens and Kessler Park is just south of this part of west Dallas which means people are willing to live in the area if the neighborhood makes a come back. Any thoughts or advice are greatly appreciated!

[Jon Klaus]

I'd go to the city planning and zoning department and ask questions about what is planned and what is already approved. I'd research all I could about what the developers are doing and going to do. I'd spend time on the streets over there and stop in on construction projects and ask questions.

Historically, that's been a tough area, If I was convinced gentrification had taken hold and redevelopment was truly underway, rather than being talked about, I'd start shopping for property. I'd then start buying rentals, with the plan to scrape and rebuild when the numbers make sense. I'd want them to cash flow in the mean time.

I see a 5000SF lot on MLS for $5000 at 811 Bayonne. What's the deal with that? All is not as it seems over there, so you need to really understand before you dive in.

The Bishop Arts district is close by. Gentrification is for real there. You might check that area out, too.