Finding the Hot Blocks: Part 2

Steven McCord

By Steven McCord

Co-founder and CEO of Spatial Laser, the company behind Locate Alpha.

August 13, 2020

Continuing on our theme of improving neighborhoods in Dallas, we decided to look at the question from another angle: code violations.

What are code violations?

They are things reported to the city’s “311” hotline system that affect the quality of neighborhood life. According to the Dallas Open Data website, “The most common are high weeds, litter, junk motor vehicles, and bulky trash.”

Looking for improvements

We set out to look for improvements. A neighborhood where code violations are in decline are places that are showing improved levels of upkeep and pride of ownership. We compared the two year period of 2016-18 (the latest available), which had a whopping 266,000 violations across the city of Dallas, with the two-year period of 2014-16.

Several hot spots showed substantial reduction in the number of violations reported per square mile:

  • Areas around Fair Park, especially just east of it
  • Piedmont Addition, an area on the way to Pleasant Grove
  • Winnetka Heights just past the Bishop Arts District
  • Cockrell Hill along Illinois Ave.
  • Wynnewood
  • The area around the VA hospital

These are all areas that are worthy of a closer look for future investment potential. Taken together with other indicators we have explored, like renovation activity, building permits, and others, we can pinpoint with a good degree of confidence where things are headed.

Code violation categories:


Source: Fort Worth Code Compliance Division

Steven McCord

By Steven McCord

Steven is the co-founder and CEO of Spatial Laser, the company behind Locate Alpha. Steven also enjoys investing in single-family homes. He can be reached at info@locatealpha.com. Locate Alpha helps single-family home buyers find the perfect place to invest, in minutes, using detailed location data.

About Locate Alpha

We help real estate investors find the perfect place to buy a home or invest. Our flagship product, Locate Alpha, lets you explore the market and form a laser-focused investment strategy based on rich data.

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