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Dallas Alerts

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Dallas. Written by Michael Mooney and Tasha Tsiperas.

Axios Dallas Thought Bubble

Axios Dallas

Escape the summer heat by renting out a swimming spot through the pool-sharing site, Swimply.

How it works: The site is like Airbnb for pools. Swimming pool owners rent out their spaces for chunks of time.

Swimply had just gotten off the ground at the start of the pandemic. This summer, the company is making a big push in Texas.

Details: Swimply doesn't require hosts to provide bathrooms — but says most of them do.

The company offers liability and property damage protection, but recommends hosts "obtain appropriate insurance."

Here are three swimming spots for rent in Dallas:

Kick back at this luxe pool with plenty of shade and a wrap-around underwater bench.

Cost: $80-$100 per hour for up to eight guests ($10 per hour, per guest after eight guests).

backyard pool with blue umbrellas and slide

This backyard water park is great for kids. It features a slide, pingpong, pool net, trampoline and a shallow end with steps for younger swimmers.

Cost: $45 per hour for up to 10 guests ($5 per hour, per guest after 10 guests).

Number of guests: Up to 10, but you can book for more guests.

backyard pool enclosed in a fence with large water park slide

Plan a peaceful getaway or small event at this pool that can be heated upon request for an extra fee.

Cost: $59-$65 per hour for up to 10 guests ($10 per hour, per guest after 10 guests).

3 private pools to rent in Dallas starting at $45 an hour

Urban Oasis. Photo courtesy of Swimply.com

Escape the summer heat by renting out a swimming spot through the pool-sharing site, Swimply.How it works: The site is like <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Airbnb for pools" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2022/05/10/future-texas-pool-sharing" data-vars-content-id="0c5a3dbf-9d82-438c-9a55-d2351a808aca" data-vars-headline="3 private pools to rent in Dallas starting at $45 an hour" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2022/05/10/future-texas-pool-sharing" target="_self">Airbnb for pools</a>. Swimming pool owners rent out their spaces for chunks of time.

Things to Do

Corn dogs are very Dallas — processed meat dipped in fried batter, served on a stick, ending up somehow delicious. But which spots stand out above the rest? 

Here are four terrific places to get your deep-fried fix.

Why it stands out: The State Fair legend has been slinging corny dogs since 1942.

This year's fair runs from Sept. 30 through Oct. 23.

a person holds a corny dog in front of a state fair stall

Photo courtesy of Fletcher's Original Corny Dogs

Why it stands out: A Fletcher mother-daughter duo founded this concept eatery, which is a good option year-round.

Catch them at local festivals and events or from 11am to 6pm Friday and Saturday at 10220 Technology Boulevard E #102 in Northwest Dallas.

a stack of corn dogs with one cut open to see inside

Why it stands out: Take your pick of a jalapeño cheddar, pepper jack or Texas-style sausage. (Plus: Get a 44 Farms hot dog made with beer batter for just $2 on Tuesdays.)

Find all three locations in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Why it stands out: These decked-out Korean rice hot dogs are a popular street food, deep-fried and filled with mozzarella cheese, squid ink, potato and more.

💭 Our thought bubble: Corn dogs feel like a food that might have been made on accident, like a klutzy kitchen assistant carrying hot dogs passed a deep fryer and dropped some in, and they could only use sticks to get them out — then someone ate one on a dare.

4 great places to get corn dogs in Dallas

Corn dogs are very Dallas — processed meat dipped in fried batter, served on a stick, ending up somehow delicious. But which spots stand out above the rest? <ul><li>Also, is it corn dog or corny dog?</li></ul>Here are four terrific places to get your deep-fried fix.

Food and Drink

Dallas cracks the top 10 when it comes to building new homes, per the latest analysis by real estate company Redfin.

What they found: Dallas had 18.5 single-family building permits per 10,000 people in the first quarter of this year, the ninth-most per capita among major U.S. metros.

Why it matters: As the number of homes for sale remains near all-time lows and monthly mortgage payments are near their record high, building more homes is one way to ease the affordability crisis.

Zoom out: Single-family and multifamily building permits are up from pre-pandemic times in most U.S. metros, Redfin found.

Of note: Redfin defines “single-family” as buildings with one to four housing units and “multifamily” as buildings with five or more housing units.

Yes, but: "There still aren't enough homes to meet the pace of household creation, and we need to be more prepared when demand inevitably picks back up," said Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather.

The bottom line: Ramping up new home construction will help move the market toward balance, if only a little.

Dallas and other Sun Belt metros lead the nation in homebuilding

Building more homes is one way to ease the affordability crisis.

Illustration of a plywood house that is also an upward arrow. 

Dallas cracks the top 10 when it comes to building new homes, per the latest <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="analysis" data-vars-click-url="https://www.redfin.com/news/metros-building-new-construction-Q1-2022/" data-vars-content-id="40121452-ff90-4e3d-a63a-cdeb3c3e8461" data-vars-headline="Dallas and other Sun Belt metros lead the nation in homebuilding" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.redfin.com/news/metros-building-new-construction-Q1-2022/" target="_blank">analysis</a> by real estate company Redfin.What they found: Dallas had 18.5 single-family building permits per 10,000 people in the first quarter of this year, the ninth-most per capita among major U.S. metros.

News

Business

With pending home sales up 11.5% and median home sale prices up 24% from May 2021, Dallas' real estate market is holding steady for now. 

Why it matters: We keep hearing about a market crash, but so far, local data doesn't support that claim.

What's happening: From May 2021 to May 2022, new listings were up 14.3% and pending sales were up 11.5%.

More sellers are dropping their asking price. There was a 6.7 percentage point increase in the number of price reductions year over year in May, according to Redfin.

Zoom out: Nationally, mortgage applications were down 24%, and, on average, 6.5% of sellers dropped their asking price each week in June, per Redfin's latest market update.

In June, national pending home sales were down 13% from this time last year, the largest decline since May 2020, Redfin's report stated.

What we're watching: New listings and pending sales. If more listings flood the market this summer and buyers don't bite, that's when we would start to see more power shift into buyers' hands.

The bottom line: Major changes haven't hit Dallas yet.

Dallas' real estate market isn't cooling just yet

We keep hearing about a market crash, but so far, local data doesn't support that claim.

Illustration of a white picket fence shaped like arrows trending upwards

With pending home sales up 11.5% and median home sale prices <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="up 24%" data-vars-click-url="https://www.redfin.com/news/data-center/" data-vars-content-id="b8a0b933-d403-4bc4-912f-f311039e9bad" data-vars-headline="Dallas&#x27; real estate market isn&#x27;t cooling just yet" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.redfin.com/news/data-center/" target="_blank">up 24%</a> from May 2021, Dallas&#x27; real estate market is holding steady for now. Why it matters: We keep hearing about a market crash, but so far, local data doesn&#x27;t support that claim.

Real Estate

A total of 8,800 mixed-use apartments have been completed in Dallas since 2012, per a report from RentCafe, a nationwide apartment-search website.

Why it matters: Rental communities that include residential, office and retail space have gained a foothold in the last decade, especially as the pandemic heightened renters' preference for having amenities close at hand, the report found.

What they found: 18% of the units built in Dallas from 2012 to 2021 were mixed-use, per RentCafe.

Zoom out: The number of apartments in "live-work-play" buildings nationwide has quadrupled since 10 years ago, from 10,000 completed in 2012 to 43,700 in 2021, according to Yardi Matrix data.

The bottom line: Blending different types of real estate is one way cities are adapting in the era of remote and hybrid work.

Dallas a top city for live-work-play apartments

A total of 8,800 mixed-use apartments have been completed in Dallas since 2012.

Illustration of an office cubicle with a roof like a house.

A total of 8,800 mixed-use apartments have been completed in Dallas since 2012, per a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="report from RentCafe" data-vars-click-url="https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/rental-market/market-snapshots/live-work-play-developments/" data-vars-content-id="d6d2565d-62b7-41c4-aed6-245369abcfdc" data-vars-headline="Dallas a top city for live-work-play apartments" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/rental-market/market-snapshots/live-work-play-developments/" target="_blank">report from RentCafe</a>, a nationwide apartment-search website.Why it matters: Rental communities that include residential, office and retail space have gained a foothold in the last decade, especially as the pandemic heightened renters&#x27; preference for having amenities close at hand, the report found.

Sami Sparber

Featured stories

Dallas a top city for live-work-play apartments

Dallas' real estate market isn't cooling just yet

4 great places to get corn dogs in Dallas

Dallas and other Sun Belt metros lead the nation in homebuilding

3 private pools to rent in Dallas starting at $45 an hour