Report ranks Dallas-Fort Worth as top market for real estate investment in 2025

Dallas last had the top ranking in 2019 and has stayed in the top 5 since.

A new report points to Dallas-Fort Worth as the top market in the country for real estate investment and development.

It’s a ranking experts say matters whether you’re looking to buy a home or even invest in real estate.

The “Emerging Trends in Real Estate” report from Price Waterhouse Coopers and the Urban Land Institute identified Dallas as the top market for real estate investment in 2025.

Dallas last had the top ranking in 2019 and has stayed in the top 5 since.

Tamela Thornton heads up the Dallas-Fort Worth Council for the Urban Land Institute.

“You know, I think what it says is that you’re in a marketplace where opportunities exist,” Thornton told NBC-5.  “I think it actually relates to everyone across the spectrum, whether you’re a resident of Dallas or if you’re in business.”

North Texas continues to be lifted by the fourth fastest employment growth in the country, combined with the fourth largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies, the report finds.

Thornton adds the region’s real estate success extends across Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Denton counties.

“I think what you're seeing is in the Denton, Collin, and more of the suburban areas, you're seeing the activity from more of your larger developers or institutional developers who are looking at very large-scale projects,” Thornton said.

“And then you look at our suburban areas, both to the north and to the south that are seeing increased investment and investment by newer players in the marketplace.”

Challenges exist too.

Dallas median home prices have jumped by more than one-third coming out of the pandemic – something many observers say needs to level off to keep growth strong.

Still, the Dallas region placed ahead of other fast growing Sunbelt cities like Nashville, Houston and Miami as a place of opportunity for homebuyers, builders and investors.

“A number one ranking says that this is a market that's attractive to new thinking, to innovation, and to new opportunities. And that should be attractive to anyone across the economic spectrum,” Thornton said.