Hello Fort Worth Insiders!
Cowtown threw everything at the wall this week and the headliner is the biggest property tax win Texas homeowners have seen in a generation. The new $140K homestead exemption is officially live, and the average Texas homeowner just got a roughly $1,700/year raise (most don't even know it yet).
Below that: the May 12 Fort Worth data center vote is locked on the calendar, UTA West chose its first building (anchoring Walsh Ranch), $1.7 billion just broke ground west of downtown, Morningstar Phase 3 is moving fast, Arlington signed the Cowboys through 2055, and the $185M parks bond is on the May 2 ballot.
Whether you own a home here, you're investing here, or you're relocating to Fort Worth - this issue is the one to read. Pour the coffee (tea for me please).
Let's go,
Kirstine
Texas Just Handed Homeowners a $1,700 Raise And Most Don't Know It Yet
The new $140K homestead exemption is automatic for filers. Here's what to check before May 15.
Propositions 13 and 11, passed by Texas voters in November 2025, took effect January 1, 2026, raising the general residence homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000 and the senior/disabled combined exemption to $200,000. The average homeowner saves roughly $1,700 per year on property taxes, and seniors and disabled homeowners pick up about $945 more on top of that. The kicker: if you've already filed homestead, the increase is automatic - no paperwork needed. If you closed in 2025 or early 2026 and haven't filed yet, do it now. With protest deadlines hitting May 15 and 2026 appraisal notices in mailboxes, this is the moment to confirm your exemption is on file and your value isn't out of line.
Source: Texas Property Tax Appeal / Texas Comptroller
DFW Officially Flipped = Buyers Have Real Leverage for the First Time Since 2011
NTREIS data shows 5.4 months of supply, 66% of homes selling below list, and price cuts everywhere.
After fifteen years of seller dominance, the DFW market is now a true negotiation. NTREIS data shows roughly 5.4 months of supply (the highest since 2003), more than 27,000 active listings, and about two-thirds of homes closing below list price. Days on market climbed from 70 to 76, and most homes sell at about 95% of list. Translation: buyers can ask for inspections, concessions, and rate buydowns again. Sellers; your pricing strategy needs a rewrite, not a tweak. The right number on day one is worth more than three price drops over six weeks.
Source: M&D Real Estate / NTREIS
🏡 This Week's Openshaw Realty Featured Listings
From a 10-acre Aledo ISD estate to a 25-acre equestrian property to an Arlington investor play with development upside.
⭐ HIGHLIGHTED: 110 Bent Creek Ranch Ct, Fort Worth: $1,550,000 (Just dropped $25K on April 2 = motivated sellers)
5 BR / 4.5 BA / 4,965 sqft on 10+ acres in Aledo ISD. NO city taxes, NO HOA, 9 acres AG exempt, mineral rights negotiable. Resort-style pool with waterfall and spa, outdoor kitchen, 3-stall barn, 3-bay shop, two primary suites plus guest quarters - ideal for multi-generational living or income potential. The Fort Worth address with Aledo schools value prop, on real acreage.
View 110 Bent Creek Ranch Ct →
2196 Old Agnes Road, Weatherford: $1,150,000 (Brand new listing)
3 BR / 3 BA / 2,700 sqft on 24.99 acres. Turnkey equestrian estate - fully lighted 230x200 ft arena for year-round riding, 6-stall barn, AC-controlled workshop, and a creek running through the property with rocked crossings. Cross-fenced with horse-safe fencing and rotational turnout pens. Weatherford ISD, no HOA, no city services (well, septic, propane). Built for the serious horse owner or professional trainer.
View 2196 Old Agnes Road →
2215 California Lane, Arlington: $675,000
4 BR / 3 BA / 4,539 sqft on 2.24 acres in the heart of Arlington. Investor angle: per the City of Arlington, the property has potential to be divided into 8 lots with the option to connect Wolff Dr to California Lane (after demolition of current home). Surrounded by 200-year-old trees, dedicated workshop, 4-car garage plus carport. Rare urban acreage play with real development upside.
View 2215 California Lane →
📍 Want a private tour or a deeper financial breakdown on any of these, or Off Market Options? Reply to this email or call/text me at 682-442-3441.
UTA West Picks Its First Building And Walsh Ranch Just Got Its Anchor
The $149.5M flagship breaks ground this spring. 1,000 students arrive fall 2028.
The University of Texas System Board of Regents approved funding for UTA West's first building on its 51-acre site inside Walsh Ranch, with HKS designing and Hensel Phelps building. The flagship will house teaching labs, classrooms, a library, and a café and welcome roughly 1,000 students for the fall 2028 inaugural class. First-year economic impact alone is projected at $200 million, with the campus eventually serving 10,000+ students. Walsh continues releasing new neighborhood phases through Republic Property Group, with builders ranging from $400K townhomes to $1M+ custom homes - all zoned to acclaimed Aledo ISD. If you own (or want to own) west of downtown, this is your appreciation tailwind.
Source: UTA News Center / Fort Worth Report
$1.7 Billion Just Broke Ground West of Downtown Fort Worth
Westside Village - 37 acres along the Trinity, is officially under construction.
Larkspur Capital and Keystone Group have broken ground on Westside Village, the largest urban infill project Fort Worth has seen in a generation. The full build-out at 100 University Drive: 880,000 square feet of office, 238,000 square feet of retail, 1,785 apartments, and a 175-room hotel. Phase I kicks off this spring with a Class AA office tower and a 308-unit luxury residential community along the West Fork of the Trinity River. If you own anywhere near West 7th, the Cultural District, or TCU, this is the project most likely to move your home's trajectory over the next three years.
Source: Fort Worth Inc.
Mark Your Calendar: The $10B Fort Worth Data Center Vote Hits Council May 12
The Black Mountain Energy decision could redraw southeast Fort Worth's appreciation map.
The 187-acre Black Mountain Energy data center proposal heads to Fort Worth City Council on May 12, with a 10-year tax abatement decision now in the same window after months of community pushback. More than 450 acres are already rezoned to light industrial, and the plan includes a 980-megawatt power substation. Residents in Forest Hill, Kennedale, and east Fort Worth have packed multiple meetings citing power, water, noise, and home value concerns. However the council votes, this sets the tone for every data center proposal that comes after and there will be more. Insiders, this is the meeting to watch.
Source: KERA News / Fort Worth Report
Arlington Locks in the Cowboys Through 2055 with $273M Deal
7-2 council vote triggers $1B+ in stadium investment and 29 more years of game day.
Arlington City Council approved a $273 million contribution to AT&T Stadium improvements on April 21, extending the Dallas Cowboys' lease through 2055. The team commits at least $750 million of their own money to the renovation, and the city's portion comes from existing voter-approved venue taxes - not new taxes or general fund money. The city's third-party study pegs Cowboys-related economic impact at $324 million annually for Arlington. For Arlington homeowners and Tarrant County investors, that's a 29-year tailwind locked in.
Source: Fort Worth Report
Fort Worth's $185M Parks Bond Hits the Ballot May 2, Here's Why It Matters for Your Home Value
Homes near parks consistently sell for more, sell faster, and hold value better.
Fort Worth's $845 million bond election on May 2 includes a $185 million parks proposition, the biggest green-space package in city history, funding the Good Natured Greenspace Initiative for trails, parks, and protected open space citywide. Real estate research consistently shows homes near parks command premiums and move faster off the market. Whichever way you vote, watch which corridors benefit if it passes, that's where neighborhood equity will grow fastest. Early voting is already underway. Make a plan.
Source: Fort Worth Report
🌟 Community Spotlight: Morningstar Ranch - Aledo's Spring Market Is Officially Live
Median Aledo prices up 6% YoY ($513K), Phase 3 inventory is moving, and D.R. Horton just dropped fresh builds in the $360s.
Aledo's spring market is exactly what buyers have been waiting for. Median home prices in the area are up 6% year-over-year as of March 2026, now around $513,000, but with average days on market sitting at 116 days, buyers finally have time to breathe. No bidding wars. No 48-hour decisions. Inside Morningstar, the new construction inventory is the strongest it's been in months.
Where the value is right now:
— D.R. Horton has 14-15 active listings. The Portales and Blanco plans start in the mid-to-high $350s for 4 bedrooms and 1,800+ sqft. The larger Yorktown J and Juniper plans run $440K-$465K for 3,100+ sqft and 5 bedrooms. Watch 721 Bushman Drive, it just dropped from $385,990 to $380,990, signaling negotiation room this spring.
— Trophy Signature Homes is selling from the $370s, with larger 5-bedroom models reaching the $485K range.
— Riverside Homebuilders has move-in-ready 4-bedroom layouts around 2,800+ sqft on Green Bluff Drive.
Why this matters for the long play: Morningstar sits in Aledo ISD, McCall Elementary, McAnally Intermediate, Aledo High, but with a Fort Worth address. That means top-tier schools without the $600K+ price tag often found inside Aledo proper. On April 21, the Aledo Growth Committee presented final recommendations to the Board of Trustees on future high school learning spaces = a clear signal the district is managing growth proactively to protect its standards. Add resort-style pools, the amenity center, and miles of hike-and-bike trails, and this is the spring window worth moving on.
Heads up for hometown heroes: D.R. Horton's Main Street Stars program offers up to $1,000 toward closing costs or design center upgrades for military, law enforcement, firefighters, healthcare professionals, and educators.
📍 Want a private tour of Morningstar, a side-by-side on the builders, or a deeper look at the lots moving fastest? Reply MORNINGSTAR or call/text 682-442-3441.
Source: Aledo ISD / D.R. Horton / Welcome to Morningstar
💰 FOUNDATION TO FUNDING WITH CLIVE
He built the homes. Now he funds them. #FoundationToFunding
MORTGAGE MINUTE: Clive's Take: Rates Just Hit Their Lowest Spring Level in Three Years
The 30-year fixed dropped to 6.23% this week, down from 6.30% last week and well off the 6.81% we were looking at a year ago. Freddie Mac is calling it the lowest spring rate in three years, and the 15-year is now at 5.58%.
Here's the part most people miss: HousingWire's Logan Mohtashami draws the line at 6.25%. If rates stay below that threshold, the country picks up an extra 237,000 home sales in 2026 alone. Translation: every buyer waiting on the sidelines for "a sign" just got one. When they jump back in, the leverage you have right now starts shrinking.
If you locked in at 7%+ in 2023 or 2024, today's 30-year refi at 6.53% deserves a hard look. And the wild card here is oil = geopolitical pressure can push rates back up quickly. This window may not stay open long.
Clive works with buyers on VA, FHA, Conventional, DSCR, Profession-Based Loans and more. Want to know exactly what you qualify for at today's numbers? He's the person to talk to.
📍 Reply with APPLY to connect with Clive. NMLS #2639452 & 2821824
Source: Freddie Mac / HousingWire
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Before you go: Want to talk through how any of this week's stories affect your real estate plans this year — whether you're buying, selling, or investing? Let's get on a quick call.
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🏡 I'm Kirstine Openshaw, Top 250 Fort Worth Texas Realtor. Clive and I own the Openshaw Realty Group, your insider guide to Living in Fort Worth. I get you the home. Clive gets you the loan. Fort Worth's been in my blood since 2006. I believe when you know more, you win more. That's why I track the pulse, so you always have the edge. Let's get you home. 🏡 🔑 NMLS #2639452 & 2821824
Clive is my husband and a One Real Mortgage Loan Originator.
📍 Want to discuss how any of our Featured Stories affects your real estate moves this year? Simply reply back here or call/text 682-442-3441.
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Kirstine & Clive Openshaw
Founders of Fort Worth Pulse
Openshaw Realty & Home Loans | REAL Broker
NMLS 2639452 & 2821824
📞 682-442-3441
✉️ [email protected]
🌐 www.OpenshawRealty.com
Social Platforms: @FortWorthPulse
P.S: The May 15 protest deadline is 21 days away. If your 2026 appraisal notice came in higher than expected, reply back and I'll walk you through the numbers. No charge, no pitch, just clarity.