Local realtor Sara Williams is one of many who understand this predicament well. Although she is now a 29-year-old who is happily (and affordably) living in Dallas, she distinctly remembers her 20-year-old self waiting tables and struggling to make ends meet each month.
This background is the reason Williams now uses her online platform — made up of over 50,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram — to help Dallas residents find rentals that won’t break the bank.
“I know just paying the bills can be hard enough, so I’m very emotionally driven on this, " Williams says. “I hear people's stories, like a single mom or roommates who can't afford a whole lot together, and I want to continue to help them because I know you're just trying to make it. I know that you're doing your best and it's so hard, so I think that has really been what's led me to continue doing this.”
When Williams made her start in real estate, she tried to be the realtor that “everyone else around her was” and only serve those who had a renter fix. She later came to realize that others, such as those who came to her with $1,500 price points, found little to no options for affordable rent that met their needs within Big D. So while taking a 12-day vacation last summer, Williams looked for something to run on her social media and was inspired to find 12 Dallas apartments under $1,200.
“I just sort of fell into it and began to realize what a need there was for that in our community,” Williams says.
Known by fans as the “Dallas Heeltor” and @the_heeltor on socials, Williams has since gone viral for her videos sharing local rentals at lower price points across the city. The pump-wearing realtor offers locations that fall within tighter budgets, such as those in her “2B Under $2K” or “Twelve Under Twelve” series.
While the steals and deals Williams manages to find are big reasons behind her growing popularity, she’s also gained a following for her funny and approachable personality. In her videos, Williams does more than give a visual tour of the space — she’ll offer interior design advice for a unit, compliment a property’s lack of off-putting odor and make sure to celebrate mold-free fridges that pass the vibe check.
“I do this all by myself, so if I can get up there and make myself laugh; that's really what the goal is,” Williams says. “If you go far back on my page, you can see that this has been who I have been for a while — like this is really just me being me.”
Williams has also garnered the respect and attention of many for her ability to be real about the rentals she shows, even if they aren’t perfect. Units that fit in a lower budget are bound to come with some downsides, including front doors that are missing doorknobs, rooms that still house abandoned items — ranging from suitcases to beer bottles or even the occasional dead roach. Rather than gloss over the less-than-pretty cons of a home, Williams gives them as much airtime as she would a pro quality.
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“Why would I not point out the bad things? Because we're all seeing them,” Williams says. “We're gonna have to make light of it. And to be honest, if that's what you're paying for rent, it's probably going to come with some quirks. So we should embrace it on the front end because I don't want you ending up signing a lease to live somewhere and be like, ‘Sara, there's no garbage disposal in my kitchen sink.’”
When she entered the real estate game, Williams felt lucky to get just five leads a month. Now, with her newfound online popularity, she’s getting over five inquiries a day. As she steadily adapts toward balancing her ever-growing clientele, Williams says she is constantly humbled by the love and success she's been given by her own local community.
“This has been the most amazing thing, and I never expected that I would be given this opportunity,” Williams says. “I'm so blessed and just so appreciative to those who follow along, whether they’re in Dallas or not, whether they’re looking to rent right now or not. It’s amazing and I'm just really humbled and flattered.”
Since becoming one of Dallas’ go-to real estate influencers last summer, Williams has had her first listing and says her inquiries are getting to the point where she can’t handle them all at once on her own. Even though she’s not able to help each individual Dallasite who comes her way, she still has advice for those who have to apartment hunt themselves.
Williams says it’s best to look at older buildings and one-off properties to get those lower rent rates. She also suggests renters look for properties where their income is around three times the rent price point, and says they should settle any outstanding debts to landlords through a payment plan so as to not further disadvantage themselves in the long run.
With her viral momentum, Williams knows she could easily move on to listing bigger, more expensive Dallas properties that would pay higher commission rates, and says she may still look into it in the future. But for the time being, she’s still just a grateful local “heeltor” who wants to help others in her own community.
Williams was once in her followers' shoes, and wants to continue to try to ease the challenges of Dallas living for anyone simply trying to make it here.
“I've learned that it's really hard to make ends meet sometimes, but saving on your cost every month can help alleviate some of the pressure of just being alive in 2024,” Williams says. “It's challenging for them [renters] and it's challenging for me, too, but I hope that I can continue to grow and serve my community. Well, that might not make me rich, but it'll make me feel good.”
