We Buy Houses in Dallas County

Mid-century housing and the foundation question

Most of Dallas County was built between 1945 and 1980. That means slab-on-grade and pier-and-beam houses now 50 to 80 years old, sitting on expansive clay that swells in wet weather and shrinks in drought. Foundation movement is not unusual here, it is expected, and an engineer's report showing movement or piers installed without documentation will routinely end a financed sale.

Alongside it come the era's other items: cast iron sewer lines that have deteriorated, galvanized supply lines, aluminum branch wiring in houses from the late 1960s and early 1970s, original panels, and HVAC systems that cannot hold up to a Dallas August.

Hail, storms, and roofs

North Texas is one of the most hail-exposed areas in the country, and Dallas County roofs often carry several claims. Insurers have responded with higher deductibles, roof-payment schedules that pay depreciated value on older roofs, and non-renewals. A house with unrepaired hail damage or an uninsurable roof cannot be financed, whatever the price.

The October 2019 tornado that crossed north Dallas, along with later storms, left additional damage in the housing stock. We buy houses with damaged roofs, denied claims, and repairs that were started and never finished.

A county of very different submarkets

North Dallas, Richardson, and Carrollton are one market. Oak Cliff, Pleasant Grove, and South Dallas are another, with older and smaller housing, more investor ownership, and more code activity. Garland, Mesquite, and Irving are suburban 1960s and 1970s stock. The southern cities — DeSoto, Duncanville, Lancaster, Cedar Hill — have their own mix of 1970s through 1990s subdivisions.

We buy in all of them, and we look at each property rather than a county average. Rental concentration, deferred maintenance, and code history differ sharply between these areas.

Dallas County property we buy

• 1950s and 1960s ranch houses with original systems throughout
• Bungalows in Oak Cliff, East Dallas, and Pleasant Grove
• Houses with documented foundation movement or undocumented pier work
• Roofs with hail damage, denied claims, or partial repairs
• Single-family rentals with tenants in place, paying or in arrears
• Homes with unpermitted additions or garage conversions
• Properties with open City of Dallas code compliance cases
• Inherited houses where the estate was never opened

Records, courts, and closing in Dallas County

Dallas is the county seat. The Dallas Central Appraisal District sets appraised values, the Dallas County Tax Office bills them, and deeds and liens are recorded with the Dallas County Clerk. Dallas County has dedicated probate courts, and if an estate is open, the cause number tells us most of what we need about timing.

Closing is through a title company. There is no transfer tax in Texas, so a Dallas County seller's costs come down to the owner's title policy, payoffs, prorated taxes, and any HOA charges.

Frequently asked questions