17 Years of Texas Pride Realty Group: What It Means for Your DFW Home Search

Seventeen years in real estate is worth recognizing, but I don’t think the point is to hang a giant “look at us” banner and call it a day.

For me, the more useful question is: What does 17 years of serving LGBTQ+ and ally clients actually mean when you’re trying to buy or sell a home in Dallas–Fort Worth?

It means there’s a team with a long memory. A team that understands the difference between completing a transaction and making someone feel genuinely respected throughout it. A team that has seen the market change, watched families and communities grow, and learned that inclusive service has to be more than a sentence on a website.

Texas Pride Realty Group was founded in Dallas in 2009 by Bob McCranie and recently marked its 17th anniversary. The group has grown from one agent into a team of roughly 25 agents serving DFW, Austin, Houston, and East Texas. Dallas Voice covered the anniversary in August 2026, including the team’s history of serving LGBTQ+ clients relocating throughout Texas.

I joined Texas Pride Realty Group | HomeSmart Stars because the team’s culture made me feel safe doing this work. That matters to me, not as a marketing phrase, but as a person.

Inclusive service should feel practical, not performative

I’m a REALTOR® serving Dallas, Fort Worth, Mansfield, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, North Richland Hills, and the entire DFW metroplex. I’m also transgender, LGBTQ+, a former pageant titleholder, and someone who spent 10 years performing in drag and hosting shows in Austin.

That background taught me how to read a room, but real estate requires something more important: listening carefully before assuming anything.

I’ve lost a home before. I know how quickly a housing plan can become stressful when finances, timing, employment, or life circumstances change. I’m also about a year and a half into recovery, which has deepened the way I think about patience, stability, and major life transitions.

I got into real estate because buying and selling shouldn’t feel intimidating. Nobody should feel like they have to explain, minimize, or hide who they are just to receive competent service.

That’s what the team’s 17 years means to me. I’m not walking into this work alone. I’m part of a group that has spent nearly two decades learning how to serve people who haven’t always felt fully seen by traditional real estate systems.

What Texas law says, and what I want you to know

I believe in being honest about the legal landscape, even when the answer is complicated.

The Texas Fair Housing Act does not explicitly list sexual orientation or gender identity as standalone protected classes. The state’s listed protections include race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability.

The federal Fair Housing Act also names “sex” rather than separately listing sexual orientation or gender identity. However, federal court interpretations and federal fair-housing enforcement have recognized that some discrimination against LGBTQ+ people can be treated as sex discrimination. The federal landscape can change, so I encourage anyone with a concern to review current guidance from the Texas Workforce Commission, HUD, or a qualified attorney.

There may also be additional protections or complaint resources at the local level. The City of Dallas and City of Fort Worth are among the local resources listed by the Texas Workforce Commission.

Separately, REALTORS® who are members of the National Association of REALTORS® are bound by Article 10 of the NAR Code of Ethics, which prohibits denying equal professional services based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Article 10 is a professional ethics obligation, even though it isn’t the same thing as a Texas statute.

That distinction is important. I don’t want to scare anyone. I want buyers and sellers to understand what questions to ask before they share sensitive information, sign a representation agreement, or start touring homes.

You don’t have to work with me. You do deserve to feel comfortable with the person you choose.

Here are questions I would ask:

Have you worked with LGBTQ+ buyers and sellers before?
You’re looking for a clear, respectful answer, not vague rainbow branding.
How do you handle names, pronouns, and legal documents?
This is especially important for transgender and nonbinary clients whose lived name may differ from their legal name.
How do you protect my privacy?
Ask who will know about your family structure, identity, financing, transition, or relocation plans.
How do you talk about neighborhood fit without steering?
A good agent should provide objective information about commute times, housing stock, taxes, amenities, walkability, and local resources. They shouldn’t decide where you belong based on your identity.
What would you do if I experienced discrimination?
Your agent should be able to explain how they would document the concern, communicate with the appropriate parties, and help you identify fair-housing or professional-ethics resources.
What exactly is in the buyer representation agreement?
In Texas, buyers sign a written agreement before touring homes together. I explain my role, compensation, services, and your options in plain language before anyone signs anything.
Which lenders, inspectors, title professionals, and contractors do you regularly work with?
The agent is only one part of the transaction. You deserve a professional network that treats you with the same respect.

If someone gets defensive about these questions, that’s useful information. You’re interviewing them, too.

DFW neighborhoods to live in, and what to look for beyond the zip code

The Dallas–Fort Worth area continues to grow quickly. NCTCOG reported that North Central Texas added more than 203,000 residents in 2025, reaching nearly 9 million people across the 16-county region.

That growth gives buyers plenty of choices, but it also means a neighborhood’s identity can’t be reduced to a list of “good” or “bad” ZIP codes.

Some places I often discuss with LGBTQ+ buyers include:

Oak Lawn and Cedar Springs: The historic center of Dallas’ LGBTQ+ community, with established businesses, nightlife, community organizations, and proximity to the Resource Center.
Bishop Arts and Oak Cliff: Artsy, walkable in pockets, and known for inclusive small businesses and a strong neighborhood feel.
Uptown and Turtle Creek: Urban, dense, and close to Cedar Springs, with condos, apartments, restaurants, and walkability.
Lakewood and East Dallas: More residential and green, with access to White Rock Lake and proximity to welcoming inner-Dallas communities.
Near Southside and Magnolia in Fort Worth: A creative, mixed-use area with LGBTQ+ visibility, restaurants, bars, events, and a strong community presence.

But I don’t want to reduce someone’s entire housing decision to whether a neighborhood has a Pride flag in a storefront.

I also encourage buyers to look at:

How they feel walking around at different times of day
Whether local businesses use inclusive language and policies
Access to healthcare, community centers, schools, parks, and transit
Commute patterns and major road noise
Property taxes, insurance costs, HOA rules, and flood risk
Whether the housing stock matches their budget and maintenance comfort
How welcoming the immediate block feels, not just the larger neighborhood name

The best DFW home search is usually a conversation between your budget, your daily life, your support system, and your comfort level.

Buyers have more leverage than they did a few years ago

The DFW market in September 2026 is not the frenzy many buyers remember.

Depending on the city and property type, the broader market is hovering around a $390,000 median, approximately 4.3 months of supply, about 58 days on market, and a sold-to-list ratio near 94.8%. Thirty-year mortgage rates are generally around 6.7% to 7%.

That means affordability still requires careful planning, but buyers have more room to negotiate. I’m seeing opportunities to ask for price adjustments, closing-cost assistance, repairs, rate buydowns, or other terms when the property and circumstances support it.

For sellers, it means pricing thoughtfully matters. Buyers have more information and more alternatives, so “let’s test the market” is not always the strongest strategy.

I work with buyers generally shopping between $250,000 and $800,000, and I ground every recommendation in the specific neighborhood, property type, condition, and financing plan, not a generic metro-wide headline.

What 17 years means when you’re my client

It means I can bring my own perspective while leaning on a team with deep experience.

It means I can ask questions without pretending I already know everything. I’m a newer licensed REALTOR®, licensed in August 2025-but I’m backed by people who have been doing this work for 17 years.

It means I can help make the process less intimidating, whether you’re buying your first home, selling after a major life change, relocating to DFW, or trying to figure out whether now is even the right time.

And it means you don’t have to perform confidence for me. You can bring the messy budget, the complicated family structure, the name-change questions, the past housing loss, the uncertain timeline, or the “I’m just curious and not ready yet” conversation.

I’m happy to start there.

If you’re considering a move anywhere from Dallas to Fort Worth, or Mansfield, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, North Richland Hills, or somewhere in between, you’re welcome to read my buyer’s guide, learn more about me, or send me a message.

A text, a coffee, or a no-pressure conversation is enough. You don’t have to be ready to make an offer.

Just bring your questions.

Sources: Dallas Voice, Texas Workforce Commission Fair Housing, NAR 2026 Code of Ethics, NCTCOG population estimates, and Realtor.com’s August 2026 DFW market report.

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