Rents are on the rise in Fort Worth, making it one of the top 25 cities out of the 100 largest in the U.S. where one-bedroom rents are rapidly increasing. We look at that, as well as who made the cut as the richest person in Texas, and what company is making a foray into Texas real estate now, in this week’s roundup of real estate news.

Rents on the Rise in Fort Worth

The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Fort Worth has eclipsed the national average, a review of rent prices by Business Insider and Zillow revealed.

The two looked for the top 25 cities out of the 100 largest U.S. cities where one-bedroom rents are rising at a rapid clip. In Fort Worth, the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,344, up $124 from last year’s median, and a 10.2 percent increase.

The national median price was $1,220 in July, for a .8 percent increase year-to-date.

Austin (12.2 percent) and El Paso (15.8 percent).

Source: Business Insider

BlueMatch Announces Texas Expansion

Commission-free real estate company BlueMatch announced it has entered the Texas market as of June.

The company said that homeowners in Texas can use the BlueMatch platform to list and sell their home now that the company has launched services in the state, with strong focus on Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio.

BlueMatch says its software platform allows homeowners to list their homes without paying a commission, but with the support of a licensed real estate agent. They say their goal is to automate real estate transactions and to out-perform other flat-fee Realtors. The company was founded in 2016 in Denver, Colorado, and has expanded to Washington, Minnesota, Georgia, and Florida.

Company CEO, Jonathan Dobbertin, noted, “Texas has been on our road map since our inception,” said CEO Jonathan Dobbertin. “Our founding team is from Texas and we are excited to bring BlueMatch’s innovative approach to real estate back to our home state. Texas is an amazing place and we can’t wait to get rolling there.”

Source: BlueMatch

Wealthiest Person in Texas Lives in Fort Worth

There are plenty of wealthy Waltons to spread across the U.S. , but Texas’ Walton — Alice — is the wealthiest person in the state, period.

A Forbes look at the wealthiest people in each state found that Walton, of the Walmart family, made the list with a net worth of $50.1 billion.

The only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton has focused on curating art, opening the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, which features works from Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell, and Mark Rothko. Her personal art collection is valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Walton, 69, lives in Fort Worth.

Source: Forbes