Living in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, I know housing is something that affects families in all kinds of ways. Whether you’re trying to buy your first home, paying rent every month, or simply watching the cost of living go up, these are things that can make a difference in how families plan their budgets and their futures.
When I received information about a new report examining vacation homes across the country, the Dallas-Fort Worth numbers caught my attention. According to the analysis, the Dallas metro has 10,838 homes classified by the U.S. Census Bureau as being for seasonal, recreational, or occasional use.
That number might sound like a lot, but the report also puts it into perspective. Those properties represent approximately 0.3% of the area’s nearly 3.1 million housing units. At the same time, the report notes that 52.4% of Dallas-area renters are considered cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their gross income on rent and related housing costs.
I wanted to learn more about what these numbers mean and how vacation homes fit into the larger housing picture here in North Texas. So I reached out for a written Q&A to get more information directly from the research team behind the report.
The goal is to help our readers understand the findings, what they may tell us about our local housing market, and why the difference between traditional second homes and shared vacation properties matters.
About the Research Team at SellMyTimeshareNow.com– The responses below were provided by the research team for SellMyTimeshareNow.com, as requested by the company.
Their analysis examines vacation-home data from the U.S. Census Bureau and compares vacation-home concentrations with other housing measures, including home affordability and the percentage of renters who are cost-burdened. The full report looks at more than 900 metropolitan areas and all 50 states. You can read the complete report here: Cities and States With the Most Vacation Homes — SellMyTimeshareNow.com.
Our Questions and the Research Team’s Answers
- The Dallas metro has 10,838 homes classified as being for seasonal, recreational, or occasional use. What does that number tell us about the Dallas-area housing market?
Response from the research team for SellMyTimeshareNow.com:
Having 10,838 vacation homes in a market as large as Dallas tells us that the region maintains a healthy balance between primary residences and properties classified for seasonal, recreational, or occasional use. A baseline of short-term rentals and vacation homes can be a beneficial part of a healthy housing mix—when balanced properly, they can help spur local tourism, support the local tax base, and add a layer of flexibility and demand to the real estate market.
The problem arises when a market becomes too concentrated with non-primary residences, which can restrict the available housing stock and artificially drive up home prices and local rents. Because the Dallas-Fort Worth metro has nearly 3.1 million total housing units, those 10,838 properties represent a mere 0.3% of the overall inventory. This tells us that the Dallas area housing market is fundamentally anchored by permanent residents rather than being squeezed by vacation properties.
- Dallas has one of the lowest vacation-home concentrations among large U.S. metros. What factors contribute to that relatively low percentage?
Response from the research team for SellMyTimeshareNow.com:
While 10,838 vacation homes sounds significant in a vacuum, it represents merely 0.3% of the metro’s nearly 3.1 million total housing units. When normalized by total housing inventory, Dallas ranks 55th out of 56 large U.S. metros, giving it the second-lowest concentration of vacation homes among major cities nationwide.
This uniquely low share is primarily driven by a combination of steep financial overhead and mounting regulatory hurdles. Between rising home prices and Texas’s high property taxes—which hit second homes particularly hard without the benefit of a homestead exemption—the carrying costs are already a major hurdle for buyers. After layering on local legislative attempts to ban short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods alongside a patchwork of HOA occupancy restrictions, investors and vacation homebuyers face additional friction and regulatory risk in the Dallas metropolitan area compared to other parts of the country.
- Your analysis notes that 52.4% of Dallas-area renters are cost-burdened. How should readers understand that number in the context of the vacation-home findings?
Response from the research team for SellMyTimeshareNow.com:
A renter household is considered cost-burdened when it spends more than 30% of its gross income on rent and related housing costs. With 52.4% of renters in the Dallas metro area falling into this category, local affordability is significantly strained. However, because seasonal properties make up just 0.3% of the housing stock, this squeeze primarily stems from fundamental supply-and-demand imbalances rather than second-home buyers pulling inventory off the market. Broad economic factors—such as rapid population growth, a booming local job market, high interest rates, and new construction failing to keep pace with demand—are the primary drivers of this housing pressure.
That said, the high cost-burden rate is crucial context for understanding the local sensitivity to vacation homes and short-term rentals. Because a majority of Dallas metro area renters are already stretched thin compared to many other large markets—Dallas has the 19th highest share of renters that are cost-burdened out of 56 large metros—the housing ecosystem is highly vulnerable to even minor supply constraints. Despite vacation homes representing a small fraction of the overall inventory, any additional demand pressure or localized reduction of long-term rental stock can have an outsized impact on rent prices and exacerbate the existing affordability crisis.
- Is there a difference between the impact of traditional second homes and shared vacation models when it comes to housing availability for year-round residents?
Response from the research team for SellMyTimeshareNow.com:
Yes, there is definitely a substantial difference between how traditional second homes and shared vacation models impact local housing availability. A traditional second home removes a residential unit from the market entirely, often sitting vacant for the majority of the year while serving just a single household or family. Although these types of properties still contribute property taxes in applicable areas, this represents a highly inefficient use of local housing stock that directly reduces the inventory available for year-round residents.
In contrast, shared vacation models—such as timeshares or fractional ownership—divide access among multiple households, achieving higher year-round utilization—reaching 79.9% occupancy in 2025. Because these types of properties are often concentrated in dedicated commercial or resort districts, they can absorb tourism and vacation demand that might otherwise spill over into the single-family housing market. Timeshare owners also generally contribute more to the local tax base, as higher occupancy rates mean these visitors consume local goods and services much more frequently than traditional second homeowners.
- What is the biggest takeaway for Dallas-Fort Worth homeowners and renters from this analysis?
Response from the research team for SellMyTimeshareNow.com:
Although vacation homes and seasonal properties make up only 0.3% of the Dallas metro area’s total housing stock, rapid population growth continues to place pressure on the overall housing supply. With 52.4% of local renters already cost-burdened, the region’s housing ecosystem is stretched thin. In an environment where the supply of affordable, permanent housing is already constrained, any additional demand on housing—like from vacation homes or short-term rentals—can have an outsized impact on availability, home prices, and rent costs for year-round residents. As municipalities across the Dallas metro area navigate housing affordability alongside tourism and tax revenue growth, striking the right balance between traditional second homes, short-term rentals, and shared vacation models will be critical.
What stands out to me is that these findings are about more than vacation homes. They are also about the challenges families face when trying to find a place to live and keep up with everyday expenses. The report says vacation homes account for a small percentage of the Dallas-Fort Worth housing inventory. That is useful context, especially when we hear discussions about short-term rentals and their effect on local communities. At the same time, the finding that more than half of local renters are cost-burdened deserves attention.
I think it is important to look at the whole picture. Housing affordability can be affected by many things, and one number alone cannot explain everything happening in a region as large as ours. Population growth, construction, housing costs, local rules, and the availability of homes all matter.
I also think it is worth understanding the difference between a traditional second home and a shared vacation property. They do not necessarily affect communities in the same way, and understanding those differences can help people have a more informed conversation about housing and tourism.
For families across North Texas, having a place to call home is about more than a roof over our heads. It is about stability, budgeting, raising children, and being able to plan for the future. I hope this report gives our readers another way to understand the local housing conversation and the many factors involved.
Thank you to the research team for SellMyTimeshareNow.com for answering our questions and providing additional information for Greatful Moments readers. As always, I believe it is worth taking the time to look at the information, ask questions, and learn more about the issues affecting our communities. Moments — Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.
Learn More
Read the complete report from SellMyTimeshareNow.com:
Cities and States With the Most Vacation Homes
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Grateful. Thankful. Blessing.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
