Searching for Unicorns: The Cheapest Habitable Homes in Dallas

We often show you some of the fanciest houses for sale in Dallas, but we got to thinking recently — have we ever shown our readers the cheapest habitable houses in Dallas?

Statewide, houses sell fastest in a particular sweet spot right now — homes between $200,000 and $300,000 sell in about 54 days on average, recent statistics show. Homes priced less than $200,000 sold in about two months.

When we began talking about looking for houses at the cheaper end of the spectrum, we decided to set up some ground rules. First, they had to be move-in ready. They might not have brand new finishes, but the home should be clean, functional, and have all its windows and doors. Secondly, it couldn’t already have a renter in it — the premise is that a family could buy this house and live in it. Third, it had to be a single-family home — no condos, townhomes, etc.

With those ground rules in place, we began our search and immediately found that there seems to be a definite line of demarcation when it comes to price, habitability, and availability. In short, it’s hard to find a home under our restrictions for less than $75,000, and homes in that price range are almost always already have offers that are pending or contingent.

Our first home is located in the Cedar Crest neighborhood, at 2709 Locust Ave. Priced at $79,900, it’s a cozy two-bedroom, one-bath home that would make a great starter home. It sits on a 7,449 square foot lot, which means you could potentially add on later, too.

It was built in 1951, and is listed by Pedro Rodriguez with Our Community Realty, who says the home is “great for first time home buyers, recently renovated and ready for a family to call it home.”

Check out that big backyard — and it’s already got a storage shed, too.

Inside, there is all new flooring, including new carpet in the bedrooms (and check out those built-ins).

The kitchen and living room aren’t huge, but that cute built-in provides some separation but also plenty of space for conversation pieces.

And the lone bathroom is clean, bright and updated.

Now, is this as fancy as some of the houses even in our Tuesday Two Hundred? No. But is it clean, updated and move-in ready? Yes, definitely. The home has been on the market for 77 days, meaning there’s probably a deal to be made, too.