Methodology

Where the facts come from § 01

County appraisal rolls. Dallas County buildings use the Dallas Central Appraisal District (DCAD) certified export; the 2026 roll was certified July 23, 2026 (export DCAD2026_CERTIFIED_07232026). Tarrant County buildings use the Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD) residential data download. Each building file states which roll it uses and the as-of date.

Associations. Association names, managers and the transfer fees an association charges come from the management certificates associations record under Texas Property Code §82.116 and §209.004, as published on the Texas HOA management certificate registry. Each file cites the recorded document number.

Named sources. History, architects and floor counts come from named public sources (developer releases, Wikipedia, the CTBUH Skyscraper Center), cited inline with an access date. A developer’s or marketer’s unit count appears only when it is attributed to its source, and always next to the county count.

What the numbers mean § 02

Unit accounts. We count residential tax accounts on the roll for the building’s legal description. Owners who combine homes often end up with one account, so older buildings usually show fewer accounts than they were marketed with. Common-area and commercial accounts are excluded, and a file says so when it finds one.

Values. Values are the appraisal district’s certified appraised (market) values. Assessed values trail market prices and are not what a home sold for. Per-square-foot figures divide each account’s value by its recorded living area.

Homestead and owner mail. A homestead count is the number of accounts with an active homestead exemption on the roll. “Owner mail” is the share of accounts whose owner mailing address is at the property. It is a rougher proxy than homestead and is not an owner-occupancy rate.

Deed dates. Each account carries the date of its latest recorded deed. We count those dates to show turnover. A deed date doesn’t confirm an arm’s-length sale.

Why no prices or dues § 03

Texas is a non-disclosure state: closed prices never enter the public record, and we don’t estimate them or republish listing prices. HOA dues appear only when an official association document states them. Until then the field reads “not on file.”

Documents to request before an offer § 04

Ask for the recorded declaration and every amendment, the bylaws, current rules, the two most recent budgets, the latest reserve study and a current resale certificate. These documents settle leasing limits, pets, any right of first refusal, move-in fees, renovation approval and insurance requirements. The document checklist explains what each one tells you.

Report a correction § 05

Own, sit on a board or manage a building on this site? Send a correction or a document. We check every submission against records before we publish, and corrections go on the changelog.

Get a building’s report § 06

We’ll email the full county-record report for the building you came from, then one short update a month for that building. You can unsubscribe anytime.