Which North Texas cities made the cut for Niche’s best places to live list? How did Texas fare in a ranking of best (and worst) states to retire in? How is Texas trending in foreclosure starts? We have all this and more in this week’s roundup of real estate news.
Several North Texas Cities Make Niche’s Best Places List
Four North Texas cities made the top 50 in Niche’s list of the 185 best places to live, and two more cracked the top 100.
Plano, Richardson, Irving, and Denton were awarded the number 5, 12, 37, and 48 spots, respectively. Dallas came in at number 77, and Arlington was number 81. Fort Worth was also on the list at number 114.
“Living in Plano offers residents a suburban feel and most residents own their homes. In Plano there are a lot of restaurants, coffee shops, and parks,” Niche said. “Many families and young professionals live in Plano and residents tend to have moderate political views. The public schools in Plano are highly rated.”
“In Richardson, there are a lot of restaurants, coffee shops, and parks,” the city’s entry said. “Many families and young professionals live in Richardson and residents tend to have moderate political views. The public schools in Richardson are highly rated.”
“Living in Irving offers residents a suburban feel and most residents rent their homes. In Irving there are a lot of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and parks,” Niche said. “Many families and young professionals live in Irving and residents tend to lean liberal. The public schools in Irving are above average.”
“Living in Denton offers residents a suburban feel and most residents rent their homes. In Denton there are a lot of bars and parks,” Niche said. “Many young professionals live in Denton and residents tend to lean conservative. The public schools in Denton are highly rated.”
Other Texas cities on the list include: Round Rock (19), Austin (20), College Station (29), Houston (51), Lubbock (63), San Antonio (74), Corpus Christi (91), Tyler (106), Wichita Falls (107), Amarillo (108), Abilene (110), McAllen (126), El Paso (127), Midland (132), Waco (136), Odessa (173), Killeen (176), and Beaumont (177).
Source: Niche
Texas Hovers Around the Middle of List of Retirement-Friendly States
Texas came in firmly at 20 in a list of states ranked best to worst states to retire in, WalletHub said last week.
Texas had an overall score of 56.85, and ranked fifth for affordability, and 38th for both quality of life and health care. The state also had one of the lowest population of people 65 years of age and older.
Source: WalletHub
Foreclosures Up in Texas, ATTOM Data Says
Foreclosures in Texas were up 9 percent over February 2018, with Houston leading the way in the state with foreclosure starts there growing by 73 percent last year, ATTOM Data Solutions said.
Houston was also one of the large metros in the U.S. to experience growth in pre-foreclosures. Last month, there were 54,783 properties with foreclosure filings nationwide, down 3 percent month over month and 11 percent year over year, meaning Texas’ upward trend is the opposite trajectory of the national trend.
Florida, Oregon, Louisiana, and Illinois also experienced foreclosure start increases. Banks repossessed 11,392 properties last month, down 7 percent from January and 12 percent from last year.
Source: ATTOM Data Solutions
