To sell real estate in Dallas it used to be the words and terms you needed to know were common ones like condominium, townhouse, Tudor, soft-contemporary.  In some parts of town (especially some historic districts) you needed to know the names of the important architects who designed homes that were built there.  In recent years we have added a bunch of terms that related to "green" living.  To be knowledgeable, you always had to know your vocabulary and the significance of what it all meant but it was fairly straight forward and slow to change.

Dallas Real Estate has evolved in recent years that there are a whole new set of terms to know... and as our market and style of living continues to evolve the sharp agents will be adding them to their vocabulary.  Here are few that I like.  Feel free to share any that you have come across in your endeavors!

Mixed Use:  This term is near and dear to me.  I grew up in the northeast, lived in Washington, DC while attending college and lived in New York City for a couple of years before moving to Dallas.  In NYC,  Mixed Use design is the norm and it works really well for an urban environment.  In Dallas we are seeing a lot of new Mixed Use projects.  What Mixed Use typically means is Retail on the street level with Residential (usually lofts, condos or rental units) on the upper levels.  In some cases there's also a mix of office space thrown in as well.  Examples of recent Mixed Use projects in Dallas include The West Village in Uptown, The Cityville/Vue developments near Parkland Hospital and where my office is located on Lower Greenville Avenue and the "in development" Lake Highlands Town Center.

TOD:  TOD stands for "Transit-oriented Development" and is a term used to describe development that is adjacent to or has mass transit (such as DART Rail here in Dallas) as a feature of its design.  I first saw this term used in The Dallas Morning News a few months ago and have heard it used by people in presentations twice since then, so this must be an up and coming term!  Locally, projects such as Mockingbird Station and the upcoming Lake Highlands Town Center are two examples.

Densification and New Urbanism:  These are definitely two different terms, but are easily discussed together.  I first heard them used in a serious manner at a recent MLS meeting of agents.  Densification is exactly what it sounds like, people living more densely together.  The trend away from large homes located on large lots with all the maintenance, upkeep and associated energy and utility costs to more efficient living in closer proximity to one another is what the trend toward densification is about.  The concept ties nicely in with New Urbanism which is the trend toward people living in communities that are more urban in nature.  The communities may include some use of mixed use type buildings, close walkable proximity to shopping, restaurants, entertainment, parks,  jobs, etc. with less necessary reliance on automobiles and gasoline.  Local examples of communities that appeal to those seeking New Urbanism and Densification are the Victory Park area near downtown Dallas and the Addison Circle area in Addison.    

If you are looking for a home in Dallas or the DFW area and need someone who knows what the latest trends and vocabulary is give me a call!  I will be happy to work with you, or (if you are an agent) your client referrals.