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Hey there, Texas dreamers! 🌟

From glass-box estates that turned Dallas into a global art stop to Park Cities mansions rewriting the price record books, this week’s Texas Property Round Up is all about where money, culture, and everyday life actually collide on the map. We’re looking at the Dallas homes that double as power stages, Texas barbecue quietly conquering Utah with an assist from Kevin Durant, a brand-new state park ready to steal New Year’s in Palo Pinto, and the Austin suburb muscling its way into Texas’ top-five cities to move to.

Think of this edition as your shortcut to the stories behind the listings—who’s buying, who’s selling, and which corners of Texas are quietly becoming the next “must-watch” ZIP codes.

📰 Upcoming in this issue

• Dallas’ Glass Box That Became a Texas Cultural Powerhouse 🏜️

• When $35M Buys You a Park Cities Power Address 🐂

• How Texas Barbecue Followed Kevin Durant to Utah 🍖

• Texas’ Next Star: Palo Pinto Mountains 🌌 

• Leander Crashes Texas’ Top-Ten Party 🏡

📈 Trending news

• Inside Texas’ Priciest New Listings This Month

• Texas’ Ancient Cave Art, Finally Dated

• Amazon’s Under-$15K Solar Tiny Home

• A $170 Million Love Letter to the Texas Panhandle

• Inside Texas’ 14,000 Sq Ft ‘Black Gold’ Barndo

Dallas’ Glass Box That Became a Texas Cultural Powerhouse 🏜️ read the full 900-word article here

Article published: November 22, 2025

When I read the article "Iconic Dallas estate where art and celebrities meet hits the market for $23M" from Chron, it felt like a Texas institution suddenly slipping onto MLS.

This article follows the Rachofsky House, a Richard Meier modernist landmark on Preston Road, now priced at $23 million.

In a city obsessed with new construction, this 1996 cube became a Texas nexus for art, philanthropy, and celebrity.

TWO X TWO galas at the house channeled more than $130 million from Dallas’ elite into AIDS research and the museum.

The listing language leans into Texas drama—ancient oaks, private lake, and light described as a “steady docent” through rooms.

Yet the seller frames it as more than a trophy home, insisting the house is an artwork and part of the community.

What intrigues me is whether the next owner treats it as a Texas cultural asset or just another high-walled compound.

Key Takeaways

• 🏙️ Dallas as cultural engine: This Preston Road landmark turned Texas philanthropy, celebrity glamour, and high-design modernism into one address.

• 🌵 Texas scale on display: Three-point-two-acre grounds, private lake, and ancient oaks make this feel more ranch than residence-style living.

• 🏗️ Rare Meier in Texas: In a state of big traditional mansions, this white modernist cube reads almost extraterrestrial today.

• 💼 From public Texas stage to asset: Estate planning could convert a quasi-public cultural landmark into another discreet billionaire holding.

When $35M Buys You a Park Cities Power Address 🐂 read the full 400-word article here

Article published: December 2, 2025

When I read the article "$35M Park Cities mansion tops Texas’ most expensive homes" in The Dallas Morning News, it felt like a snapshot of Texas wealth in one University Park block.

This piece zeroes in on a 12,957-square-foot Volk Estates mansion at 6601 Hunters Glen Road, now listed for $35 million.

Built in 1927 on nearly two acres, it layers old-money Park Cities pedigree with ten fireplaces, a sculpture garden, a cabana, and a resurfaced pool.

What intrigues me is how this one listing crowns a statewide ranking where half of the priciest new homes sit in Dallas-Fort Worth.

The house’s previous connection to late Fortress Investment Group co-CEO Joshua Pack adds another layer of finance-world mythology to the address.

In a cooling migration moment, this ultra-luxury Park Cities property reads like Texas doubling down on legacy zip codes and concentrated wealth.

Key Takeaways

• 🏡 Volk Estates’ crown jewel: Nearly 13,000-square-foot mansion on two acres anchors Park Cities’ old-money enclave with manicured, amenity-stacked grounds today.

• 💰 Price-setter for Texas: Tops recent statewide list of most expensive new listings, underscoring Dallas-Fort Worth’s dominance in luxury housing markets.

• 🎯 Amenities as status theater: Ten fireplaces, sculpture garden, sport courts, playground, cabana, and gym turn the backyard into private resort living.

• 📊 Reading the Texas mood: Listing arrives as migration cools, yet ultra-wealth keeps consolidating in legacy Dallas ZIP codes and enclaves.

How Texas Barbecue Followed Kevin Durant to Utah 🍖 read the full 900-word article here

Article published: December 1, 2025

When I read the article "How a Houston-born pitmaster in Utah won over Kevin Durant" in Chron, it felt like Texas barbecue sneaking into a road game box score.

This piece follows Rockets star Kevin Durant and staff as they detour to LES BBQ in Draper, Utah, for true Texas-style smoke.

Owner Les Rhodes Jr., grandson of Houston Black cowboy Norman Davis, rebuilt his life and restaurant here after Hurricane Harvey.

He treats the place as a living tribute to Black cowboy culture and Gulf Coast backyard cookouts, just relocated under mountain skies.

Durant’s verdict—one word, “Fire”—lands like validation that the brisket, ribs, and oxtails still carry Houston in every bite.

What intrigues me is how a displaced Texas family turned disaster into a new outpost of Lone Star identity, then fed the city’s newest basketball hero on enemy turf.

Key Takeaways

• 🍖 Texas smoke in Utah: Houston-born pitmaster Les Rhodes Jr. turns Draper, Utah into a Texas smoke outpost, serving brisket, ribs, and oxtails to Durant.

• 🌪️ Harvey’s long shadow: Harvey’s devastation in 2017 uprooted the family from Houston, pushing their Texas pit tradition into mountain-framed suburban Utah forever north.

• 🔥 KD’s stamp of approval: Durant’s one-word review, “Fire,” pairs with 25 points on 14 shots next day, turning Utah swing into Texas victory narrative.

• 🤠 Black cowboy legacy: Rhodes frames LES BBQ as living tribute to Black cowboy Norman Davis, fusing rodeo roots, family tables, and NBA superstardom.

Texas’ Next Star: Palo Pinto Mountains 🌌 read the full 600-word article here

Article published: December 3, 2025

When I read the article "Texas’ newest state park will open on New Year’s Day" in Wanderlust, it felt like Texas unveiling a secret showcase.

This piece introduces Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, a former ranch turned 4,871-acre wilderness just seventy-five miles west of Dallas–Fort Worth.

I was struck by the strange ‘cuestas’—hills that slope gently one way, then drop suddenly into North Texas canyons above Tucker Lake.

At its center, Tucker Lake bans motorboats, turning fishing, kayaking, and swimming into something closer to a North Texas retreat than a reservoir.

What really hooked me was the night sky: clear, dark, and alive with skunks, foxes, beavers, bats, and ranger-led stargazing.

Framed against rising U.S. national-park fees, Palo Pinto feels like Texas quietly inviting travelers to trade bucket-list crowds for local stars.

Key Takeaways

• 🌄 Texas hill country wildcard: New Palo Pinto park brings cuestas, prairie, and 90-acre Tucker Lake to North Texas, just seventy-five miles west Dallas today.

• 🐦 Wildlife and wings: Endangered golden-cheeked warblers, black-capped vireos, deer, bobcats, plus dark-sky stargazing make this park ecologically and experientially rich for North visitors.

• 🥾 Trails for everyone: First Day Hikes include wheelchair-accessible Raptor Ridge stroll and tougher spillway, dam, and Cross Timbers loop for seasoned hikers alike.

• 🌌 Cheaper than Yellowstone: With rising U.S. national-park fees for international visitors, Texas state parks like Palo Pinto become cheaper, less crowded nature gateways.

Leander Crashes Texas’ Top-Ten Party 🏡 read the full 800-word article here

Article published: December 1, 2025

When I read the article "Thriving Austin neighbor named No. 5 best Texas city to move to" in Culture Map, it felt like Austin’s suburbs quietly stealing the spotlight.

This story explains how ConsumerAffairs scored Texas’ 50 largest cities on affordability, safety, economy, health care, and quality of life.

Leander emerges as the only Austin-area city in the top five, boasting the state’s safest streets and second-strongest economy, even while affordability and quality-of-life rankings lag.

The demographics read like a growth engine—high incomes, pricey homes, and a population skewing heavily toward families and under-forty professionals.

Set against Austin, Round Rock, and Georgetown’s lower placements, Leander feels less like a bedroom community and more like Texas’ next power suburb.

Key Takeaways

• 🏙️ Leander’s rank: Leander lands fifth statewide, powered by top safety scores, a booming economy, healthcare, education, and middling affordability overall.

• 🛡️ Safety and jobs: ConsumerAffairs calls it Texas’ safest city, with five-year job growth beating every other metro across the state.

• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Age mix: Leander skews young, with most residents under forty-five, yet still holding a notable share of retirees and seniors.

• ⚖️ Austin vs. DFW: Dallas–Fort Worth nabs the top four spots, while Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Temple, and Killeen trail behind.

Take This Edition’s Poll 📊

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Why It Matters

Texas real estate is never just dirt and square footage—it’s art galleries in glass cubes, Black cowboy barbecue in the Rockies, dark-sky parks an hour from Dallas, and suburbs like Leander turning into full-fledged power players.

My hope is that each issue gives you one new place to Google, one new neighborhood to watch, or one new story to bring up over coffee.

Until next time,

Hannah Collinsworth
Editor-in-Chief
Houston, Texas
Texas Property Round Up

P.S. Even if you’re just curious, it’s worth a quick look. Deals with this much land, this close to Austin and the lakes, don’t stick around long. Click here to see photos, maps, and more details about the property, and if you’d rather talk to a real person, call or text 877-888-7566 before someone else snaps it up.