Lakewood and East Dallas Homes and Real Estate

East Dallas is the ring of established neighborhoods around White Rock Lake, from 1920s Lakewood and the M Streets to cottage-scale Little Forest Hills, postwar Casa Linda and mid-century Lake Highlands. The Agency Dallas represents buyers and sellers of Lakewood and East Dallas homes across all of them, pricing each street on its own sales, school zone and city rules rather than a ZIP code average.

What are the main neighborhoods in East Dallas?

Housing age, school district and renovation rules change from one side of the lake to the other. Each link goes to our full guide.

• Lakewood. Character: 1920s to 1950s period revival homes west of the lake, partly inside a city conservation district; Full guide: Is Lakewood a good neighborhood?.
• Little Forest Hills. Character: Wood-frame cottages from the 1930s and 1940s on larger, treed lots southeast of the lake; Full guide: Little Forest Hills guide.
• Lake Highlands. Character: Mid-century ranch stock north of the lake, mostly zoned to Richardson ISD; Full guide: Lake Highlands guide.
• M Streets (Greenland Hills). Character: East Dallas neighborhood also called Greenland Hills, near Lower Greenville, with its own conservation districts; Full guide: M Streets market report.
• Casa Linda. Character: Postwar neighborhood first developed in 1939, anchored by Casa Linda Plaza; Full guide: Casa Linda.
• White Rock Lake area. Character: Homes on and near the lake and its trail; Full guide: White Rock Lake area.
• Casa View Haven. Character: Smaller single-family homes farther east; Full guide: Casa View Haven.
• Buckner Terrace. Character: East Dallas neighborhood with a wide range of home sizes and prices; Full guide: Buckner Terrace.

Is Lakewood a good neighborhood to buy a house in Dallas?

For buyers who want period architecture and mature trees near the lake, yes, with eyes open on price and rules. Lakewood is generally bounded by Mockingbird Lane, Abrams Road, Gaston Avenue and White Rock Lake (DFWChild), and its housing dates mostly from the 1920s through the 1950s. In our Lakewood report, the median sales price for ZIP 75214 was $985,000 for January through August 2026, up from $900,000 a year earlier (NTREIS MLS).

Read the full guide: Is Lakewood a good neighborhood to buy a house in Dallas?

Lakewood, Little Forest Hills or Lake Highlands: which East Dallas neighborhood fits you?

The three differ most in housing age and schools. Lakewood offers older revival homes and Dallas ISD's Woodrow Wilson feeder pattern. Little Forest Hills, with a median year built of 1947, offers cottages on bigger lots in the Bryan Adams feeder pattern, while Lake Highlands, with a median year built of 1979, is mostly Richardson ISD (D Magazine, Nielsen 2023 estimates). Lakewood has a conservation district in parts; the other two do not.

Read the full comparison: Lakewood vs. Little Forest Hills vs. Lake Highlands

Is Little Forest Hills a good place to buy a house?

It suits buyers who want a quieter, cottage-scale neighborhood near the Arboretum and the east shore of the lake. Typical homes run about 1,300 to 3,200 square feet (East Dallas Living), and several streets have no sidewalks. The city council denied a conservation district application in 2009, so new construction there follows standard zoning.

Read the full guide: Is Little Forest Hills a good place to buy a house in Dallas?

Is Lake Highlands a good place to buy a house?

Lake Highlands generally trades at lower price points than Lakewood and offers a consistent Richardson ISD school path for most addresses. Zillow's typical home value for ZIP 75238 was $645,061 as of June 30, 2026. One caution: the Old Lake Highlands area near the lake is Dallas ISD.

Read the full guide: Is Lake Highlands a good place to buy a house in Dallas?

How does the Lakewood Conservation District affect buying or renovating?

Parts of Lakewood sit inside Conservation District No. 2, adopted in 1988, with a Tract IV expansion approved by the Dallas City Council on February 26, 2025 (Ordinance 33026). Interiors and floor plans are not regulated. What the Tract IV rules do cover:

• Front facade style of new construction
• Height, lot coverage and setbacks
• First-story materials and garage orientation
• Exterior paint colors and mature front-yard trees
• Demolition of original houses built before 1961

Read the full guide: How a Lakewood conservation district affects buying or renovating

What should buyers know about living near White Rock Lake?

White Rock Lake is a 1,015-acre city lake with a 9.33-mile hike and bike trail (Dallas Park and Recreation), and the Dallas Arboretum sits on its eastern shore. Buyers near the water should check floodplain status by address and plan for race-day road closures. For seasonal events, see fall around White Rock Lake and Lakewood.

Read the full guide: What buyers should know about living near White Rock Lake

Which schools serve Lakewood and Little Forest Hills?

Both are in Dallas ISD but in different feeder patterns. Lakewood addresses generally feed J.L. Long Middle School and Woodrow Wilson High School, while Little Forest Hills feeds Bryan Adams High School, with Alex Sanger Preparatory School serving PK3 through 8th grade (Dallas ISD). Zones can change, so we confirm every assignment by address with the district.

Read the full guide: Which schools serve Lakewood and Little Forest Hills?

How is the East Dallas housing market doing in 2026?

Lakewood and the M Streets both closed sales at higher medians through August 2026 than a year earlier. Our M Streets report describes that market as close to balanced, with buyers gaining choice and negotiating room. Both neighborhoods close only a few dozen sales a month, so year-to-date figures are steadier than any single month.

• Closed sales. Lakewood (75214): 353; M Streets (75206): 331.
• Median sales price. Lakewood (75214): $985,000; M Streets (75206): $775,000.
• Median price per sq. ft.. Lakewood (75214): $430; M Streets (75206): $364.
• Median days on market. Lakewood (75214): 13; M Streets (75206): 23.
• Active listings, Oct. 5, 2026. Lakewood (75214): 156; M Streets (75206): 198.
• Months of supply. Lakewood (75214): About 3.5; M Streets (75206): About 4.8.

Source: The Agency Dallas market reports, NTREIS MLS.

Read the Lakewood housing market report and the M Streets housing market report. Regional context is on our market reports page.

Where can I read more about East Dallas neighborhoods?

The Lakewood & East Dallas tab of our Dallas Journal collects our neighborhood guides for Lakewood, Forest Hills, the M Streets, Little Forest Hills and Lake Highlands, with guides on schools, renovation rules and selling. Read our East Dallas neighborhood guides.

How The Agency Dallas works in East Dallas

The Agency Dallas is an independently owned and operated franchise office of The Agency, founded in January 2023, with roughly 68 agents, more than $1 billion in closed sales, and in-house marketing, photography and video. The Agency Dallas prices Lakewood and East Dallas homes from street-level comparables, reads conservation rules before an offer, and confirms school zones by address. Owners can start with a free home valuation.

Frequently asked questions

What ZIP codes cover Lakewood and East Dallas?

Lakewood is generally ZIP 75214. Forest Hills, Little Forest Hills and Casa Linda share 75218. Lake Highlands spans 75238, 75231 and 75243, and the M Streets fall in 75206 along with Lower Greenville and Vickery Place. ZIP boundaries cross neighborhood lines, so we price homes from sales inside the actual neighborhood.

Is all of Lake Highlands in Richardson ISD?

No. Most of Lake Highlands is served by Richardson ISD and feeds Lake Highlands High School, but the Old Lake Highlands area near White Rock Lake is in Dallas ISD and feeds Bryan Adams High School. A Dallas mailing address does not guarantee Dallas ISD, so confirm the assignment for the specific address with the district before you write an offer.

Can I tear down and rebuild a house in Lakewood?

It depends on where the lot sits. Outside the conservation district, standard zoning applies. Inside Tract IV, an original house in a contributing style can be demolished only if bringing it up to minimum property standards would cost more than 80% of its appraisal district improvement value, and new homes must follow approved styles. We review the tract map for every Lakewood lot.

Do the M Streets have a conservation district?

Yes. The M Streets are covered by two separate conservation districts, M Streets (No. 9) and M Streets East (No. 11), with rules distinct from Lakewood's. Nearby Junius Heights is a separate historic district. Anyone planning an addition or new build should confirm which district applies with the City of Dallas before closing.

How big is White Rock Lake?

White Rock Lake covers 1,015 acres, and its hike and bike trail runs 9.33 miles, according to Dallas Park and Recreation. The park includes the Bath House Cultural Center, Winfrey Point, a dog park and piers, and the 66-acre Dallas Arboretum sits beside it on Garland Road (Dallas Arboretum).

Where is Casa Linda?

Casa Linda sits east of White Rock Lake in ZIP 75218, near Garland Road and Buckner Boulevard, beside Forest Hills and Little Forest Hills. It was first developed in 1939 and has a median year built of 1957 (D Magazine, Nielsen 2023 estimates). Casa Linda Plaza, which opened in the late 1940s, occupies three corners of that intersection and anchors the area's shopping.

Sources and method

Figures on this page come from our live East Dallas posts and the public sources they cite: NTREIS MLS data in The Agency Dallas Lakewood and M Streets market reports (January to August 2026, active listings as of October 5, 2026); Zillow Home Value Index for ZIP 75238 (June 30, 2026); D Magazine neighborhood profiles using Nielsen 2023 estimates; East Dallas Living (January 2026); DFWChild (June 2025); City of Dallas Ordinance 33026 and conservation district list; Dallas ISD feeder pattern and campus information; Dallas Park and Recreation; Dallas Arboretum; and EDENS (Casa Linda Plaza). Market figures include condos and townhomes. Verified October 2026.

If you are weighing a move in or around East Dallas, we are glad to talk it through at (469) 839-6020.