Four North Texas Schools Nominated for Blue Ribbon Status

Realtors, take note — there are four schools, in particular, you should know about as you go out today to sell homes in Dallas or Grand Prairie today.

We have the details, plus market reports, in this week’s roundup of real estate news.

Four Local Schools Nominated for Top National Honors

Three Dallas ISD schools and one Grand Prairie ISD school have been nominated for the 2019 National Blue Ribbon School award, Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath announced.

Only 26 schools were nominated this year, and among them were Dallas ISD schools Walnut Hill Elementary, Jack Lowe Sr. Elementary, and Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet. The Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy in Grand Prairie ISD was also nominated.

Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy, Sanders, and Walnut Hill were nominated as exemplary high performing schools, while Lowe was nominated for its exemplary achievement in closing achievement gaps.

Lowe and Walnut Hill are neighborhood schools. Sanders and the Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy are magnet schools.

The Blue Ribbon distinction is awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to recognize schools where students are performing at very high levels, or where they are making great strides in closing achievement gaps.

All three schools will now begin a rigorous application process through the Department of Education. Results will be announced in September 2019, and winning schools will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Is It a Cool-Down? New Data May Say Yes for DFW

Dallas-Fort Worth’s robust new home sales market may be cooling, HomesUSA.com said in its December report.

The HomeUSA.com New Home Sales Index, which measures the Days on Market (DOM) for new homes before they are sold, showed an improved sales pace with the Days on Market, dropping from 115.54 days in November to 115.42 in December. New home sales also declined, however, from 1,336 to 1,312.

Pending sales in North Texas showed a 12-month rolling average of 1,224 in December, 54 fewer than November. The average price of a new home fell to $375,960 from $376,458 in November.

“Do these numbers reflect cooling in Dallas-Ft. Worth? Or is a large part of this simply seasonal impact? Time will tell,” said Ben Caballero, owner of HomesUSA.com.

It was still a record year for new home sales in 2018, though, and not all the news is bad — statewide, the New Home Sales Index dropped from 112.67 days in November to 112.23 days in December.

Months of Inventory Up Across North Texas

(For more reports, check out MetroTex Association of Realtors)