Dallas is Reinventing the Roaring ’20s

…and it is on track to becoming one of the most desirable cities to live in, says RHA Commercial’s Rogers Healy.

MARCH 25, 2022 | Rogers healy, D CEO

North Texas has seen a tremendous amount of growth in this past decade. Duh. Everyone knows that.  In fact, over 1.2 million people decided to make our old stomping grounds, their new stomping grounds. Do you even remember when our old stomping grounds had a lot more room to stomp? Remember the days where “bad traffic” in Dallas meant you had to wait seven minutes? Ahh, yes…we now refer to those times as PPD, or more commonly known as “Pre Pandemic Dallas.”

Since the rise and fall of the pandemic, about 300 people are moving to the Dallas metro daily.  We see that the growth is deemed beneficial for our city through business development, economic impact, and both commercial and residential real estate. However, we often wonder ‘where will all these migrating people go?’ This is a very practical question given the current status of our housing market is near the bottom of the barrel in inventory. Here’s a fun fact: we’re currently over 200,000 homes SHORT, in terms of demand. How incredible is that?

What’s interesting to see unfold is how Dallas got to this point. A point of growth, enhanced expansions, practical investments, and both big and small moves into this amazing city of ours. The Roaring 20’s are back, and boy, is it something else. For those of you wondering if I’m writing this, while wearing my silk robe, all while smoking my cigar…you’ll have to keep guessing.

Let’s take a look back at post World War II Los Angeles. A thriving city full of young families, high hopes, and development out the roof. Los Angeles was not always the Hollywood  we know today. It has grown to become the ‘city of dreams’ from the influx of people who wanted to go and make LA their home after the war. That is what we are seeing in Dallas today. People WANT to move to Dallas not just because of a career move and not just because it is convenient. Los Angeles benefited from the Baby Boom, and Dallas is benefiting from the Pandemic Explosion.

If we mirror the second World War with the 2020 pandemic, we see people’s outlook on life shift, and shift BIG. In the mid-twentieth century, the biggest baby boom happened post-World War II. The end of the War, plus a boost in economic prosperity, kick started people having families and therefore – the Baby Boom. In recent years individuals want to settle down again. They took what they’ve learned through the last two years and decided it is time to make practical investments. Corporations are right there along with them, as to why you are seeing more businesses expand outward and away from Downtown. 

Businesses continue to relocate into the practical Dallas-Fort Worth area and developers have had no issues with the growing need. Dallas’ office availability rate within the last 12 months has gone up less than 2%. This is a clear sign that the commercial real estate market in our town is thriving. Demand for office space in the area has surged to about 900,000 square feet,  leading in the first quarter of the year. An opposing testament to the popular ‘work from home’ trends we have seen within the past two years across the country.

Within the past six years, six Fortune 500 companies have relocated to Dallas. While these transitions into the metro are beneficial for our economy and growth, the issue comes on the residential side of real estate. Dallas is currently short thousands of homes. As of March 2020, we saw a shortage of nearly half a million residential homes. The good news is that the influx of people will continue to kickstart commercial development with shopping and dining. The growth of these needs will provide job opportunities and, of course, more growth for our beloved city.

Now I’m not saying Dallas will be the next Los Angeles, but it is on track to becoming the most desired city to live in. Practicality is the name of the game these days, and Dallas owns that market. #KeepDallasDallas

Rogers Healy is the founder of Dallas-based Rogers Healy Cos.

Meet the Dallas 500: Rogers Brandon Healy

The real estate star on his music memorabilia collection (Jimi Hendrix’s hair?), the diversification of Dallas, and the future of the region’s “crazy” residential market.

April 13, 2022 | BEN SWANGER, D MAGAZINE

One of the most recognized faces in residential real estate, Rogers Healy has driven tremendous growth at his company, Rogers Healy and Associates Real Estate. The firm quadrupled in size last year, averaging more than $100 million in sales per month. More growth seems to be in store for 2022; Healy kicked off the year by launching a land and lake vertical that pulled together a $50 million pipeline in just one week.

“We are trying to take over the market,” Healy said. “We’re expanding across Texas very slowly, very quietly, and only with one office. I take a lot of pride in [our growth].”

Birthplace: Corpus Christi 

Education: Southern Methodist University (BA-Advertising and Psychology) 

Best Advice: “A quote that greatly impacted my career was ‘Be yourself; everyone else is taken.’ People often struggle with being their authentic selves. I got sucked into the vortex early on in my career when someone dear to me finally gave me a little reality check when they read me that Oscar Wilde quote. It resonated, and I began to really embrace who I am and how I lead.”

Proud Moment: “I was extremely proud of how we handled the pandemic by putting the safety of others before potential production and profit. We closed the office down until we could completely renovate to make it safe for our employees to return to the office, abiding by CDC guidelines. Ultimately, we took a hard stance on wearing masks and putting safety first. A highlight for our company was being able to return to the office safely when many were still at home. We executed our return the right way. Additionally, we doubled our team of agents and quadrupled our internal staff in less than a year.But the biggest highlight of my career to date has been becoming the Official Real Estate Partner of The Dallas Mavericks.”

Dream Car: “A car that works, has good air conditioning, and sufficient leg room.”

Second Home: “My second home is my office. I’m at work more than I am at home, so we have an extremely comfortable office with plenty of windows, high ceilings, and an open floor plan. Since I spend most of my time at work, we have to have a comfortable setup and make it feel like a home away from home. We had a second home in East Texas, but someone reached out to me on social media during the peak of the pandemic expressing interest in purchasing it, and now we no longer own it!”

Future Forecast: “I love how Dallas is continuing to diversify. Who we were in Dallas 10 years ago is completely different from where we are now. There are plenty of options for so many different people making our city eclectic for the first time maybe ever. My wife and I are starting a family, and that is personally what excites me the most about the future. Slowing down from the hustle and bustle and taking a step back is what we’re supposed to do at my age, and I am excited to do so.”

Walk-up Song: “‘I Will Not Go Quietly,’ by Dallas’ own, Don Henley. I wake up every single day on a mission, to change the world. I realize that the odds are stacked against me, in a city full of real estate people, but my goal is to always press on, no matter how hard it gets. Also Don Henley is the greatest singer ever.”

Hobby/Passion: “I love music. I have been a collector of music memorabilia since I was about 3 or 4 years old. I love the history and nostalgia behind the music, and really take pride in having one of the most unique music memorabilia collections in the world. I have items ranging from Jimi Hendrix’s hair to one-of-a-kind pieces from artists such as Don Henley, Van Morrison, David Ruffin, and Otis Redding. I am extremely passionate about music and collecting items from the world of music.”

Local Fare: “I love my kitchen. It doesn’t get better than enjoying a home-cooked meal with my wife.”

Industry Trend: “We are experiencing the craziest market we have ever seen. We are going to see the housing crisis slow down due to production resuming. We are beginning to see building costs going down. When that happens, many of the potential sellers we have now will buy something in the city that they can’t sell until they find another property. Ultimately, the chain will return to somewhat normal. I don’t think there will necessarily be an influx of listings, but we will return to some semblance of reality. We are lucky enough to be able to hire the best talent in DFW, and are able to remain at the top of the industry even in the midst of a crazy market.”

 A quote that greatly impacted my career was ‘Be yourself; everyone else is taken.’ People often struggle with being their authentic selves. I got sucked into the vortex early on in my career when someone dear to me finally gave me a little reality check when they read me that Oscar Wilde quote. It resonated, and I began to really embrace who I am and how I lead.

Rogers Healy launches a new division to focus on land sales

Ranch sales are picking up across Texas, and a Dallas firm is getting further in on the action.(Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer)

MARCH 8, 2022 | MITCHELL PARTON, DAllas morning news

A leading Dallas residential real estate firm is launching a new division to focus on Texas’ thriving land market as properties closer to cities remain scarce.

The Rogers Healy Cos. launched Rogers Healy and Associates Land and Lake in the last week of February. The new company will focus specifically on properties in rural areas across the state.

The push comes as the state saw a jump in rural land purchases last year. Statewide rural land sales were up almost 18%, according to a report from the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M University.

“I don’t think there’s a slowdown in sight,” owner and CEO Rogers Healy said of the booming land sales activity statewide. “I’m an opportunist that saw a way to go and grab a good share of the market.”

The company had sold rural properties such as ranches and lakes for 15 years, but now, through the dedicated arm, it expects to expand from about 25 agents in the category to 100 by summer.

The land subsidiary plans to work on deals alongside other groups under the Rogers Healy umbrella such as the relocation and commercial teams. Buyers could range from people wanting a place to spend the weekends to developers looking for the next boomtown.

Rogers Healy has more than 500 real estate agents and sold more than $1 billion in homes last year across roughly 2,000 sales transactions, according to Healy. He founded the brokerage in 2006.