‘Townhouse Thursday’ Debuts With a $489K Pagewood Find

Townhomes are totally having a moment, and we’re all for it. In fact, we love it so much, we have decided to make “Townhouse Thursday” a regular weekly feature here on CandysDirt.com.

Bigger is not always better, as we seasoned real estate consumers know. Less land generally means less maintenance and lower taxes, and who doesn’t want that? Especially as detached single-family homes climb further out of reach for buyers, townhomes are picking up the slack — offering ownership, yard-adjacent living, and a sense of community without the price tag or the maintenance of a sprawling single-family lot.

Townhomes may represent a relatively small share of the nation’s existing housing — of the nation’s 131 million occupied housing units, only 4% were townhomes. In Texas, townhomes and duplexes account for about 3% of the housing stock. It’s a small slice of the pie, but a growing one.

Despite our region’s reputation for having vast, Ewing-style detached homes on spread-out ranch properties, townhome consumption is growing in urban areas like Austin, San Antonio and Dallas.

Attached single-family housing starts rose more than 3% year-over-year even as detached home construction pulled back, according to a Zillow analysis. Townhomes accounted for 17% of all single-family housing starts in the second quarter, according to the National Association of Home Builders. It appears some developers are pivoting toward denser, more cost-conscious townhome designs to meet demand and hold down costs.

It’s a segment that’s expanding in urban cores where land costs and walkability are reshaping what buyers want. That shift is playing out across North Texas, where townhomes are giving buyers another way into close-in neighborhoods — and giving downsizers a way to stay there without maintaining a large house and yard. Of course, that gives us plenty to explore. Welcome to Townhouse Thursday

Why the Townhome Appeal?

Lower cost of entry. Townhomes typically price below detached single-family homes in the same neighborhood, giving buyers a foothold in desirable, closer-in areas that might otherwise be out of reach. With the median Texas detached home price hovering around $345,000, a townhome can be the difference between renting year after year and owning a slightly smaller piece of the rock.

Less maintenance. That’s especially appealing to busy dual-career households. With less yard and exterior maintenance to handle, homeowners have more time to enjoy where they live.

Community. Shared amenities — pools, courtyards, and walking trails — tend to foster the kind of neighborly familiarity that’s harder to come by on a quarter-acre lot with a privacy fence.

A smart move for both first-time buyers and downsizers. Younger buyers priced out of detached homes are increasingly drawn to townhomes in walkable, amenity-rich neighborhoods; downsizing empty nesters are choosing them for the lock-and-leave or second home lifestyle.

TownHouse Thursday: Send Us Your Townhomes!

Because we like to be ahead in everything real estate, we’re making this a weekly feature. Like all of our stories on CandysDirt.com, some will be editorial selections that fit into our proprietary weekly lineup. Others will be sponsored features whereby a CandysDirt.com editor will create custom content for your listing and make it sound fabulous, darling. Either way, contact us at [email protected] with your townhome’s address, link to the listing, and all the fun details.

This Week’s Selection: Take a Stroll Through Pagewood

If you have ever driven east of Hillcrest, north of Royal Lane, you’re in what I like to call the foothills of JanMar. But really, you are in Pagewood, a cluster of charming attached townhomes dating primarily from the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The neighborhood is nestled between the pretty apartments lining the west side of Central and the sprawling single-family homes that form the foyer for Preston Hollow. You’ve got more homes, many over a million, to the north, and growth to the south thanks to the success of Preston Hollow Village. Of note: the new zero lot line homes going up at Preston Hollow Village are stunning, built by Rosewood Custom Builders, and fetching upwards of $2 million.

7608 Riverbrook, Dallas

But for $489,000, you can live amid the same towering oaks you find in the honeypot of Preston Hollow — lush lawns, live oaks, red oaks AND someone else to take care of them!

This charming townhome, like many in the area, has been beautifully maintained and thoroughly updated in a sleek, contemporary style and is fully Alexa-enabled.

It’s a tidy 1,380 square feet with two bedrooms, two ensuite luxury baths, an upstairs bedroom-level laundry room, and an efficient gourmet kitchen boasting custom wood cabinets covered in a sexy European veneer with waterfall marble counters. There are great closets and storage, plus ceiling speakers for a Sonos sound system.

The spacious rear courtyard is adjacent to double covered parking with an electric car charger that is shaded by more oaks, planter boxes for a vegetable garden, and ground covered in a beautiful turf and stone design that is zero-maintenance. This garden is essentially a secondary living room en plein aire.

Of note, there is a generous powder room on the ground floor convenient for guests. Go ahead, entertain your heart away here. There is ample street parking, and low monthly HOA dues grant you membership to an Olympic-sized club pool across the street, another smaller pool around the corner. Tennis courts are being resurfaced as we speak and should be ready for fall.

The Northaven Trail is about half a mile away, as is the Aaron Family Jewish Community Center. Why live in congested, high-rent Uptown when you can get into this beauty for less than half a million, and rest, relax, and watch your equity grow?

Steven Koleno of Beycome Brokerage Realty LLC has listed 7608 Riverbrook Dr. for $489,000.