Inwood Home of the Week: Solid University Park Home is Just What the Family Ordered

The reason you get “smaller” lots in University Park is because of the community’s name, “Parks”. The whole point is community parks for everyone to enjoy. What makes living in this Gold Coast enclave of Dallas that began as a cluster of homes surrounding Southern Methodist University so pleasant is the safety and serenity of living, and the ability to let children roam around on their bikes to parks, to the ice cream store, even to the movies.

So it is the location steps away from Caruth Park that gives 3325 Greenbrier an extra big star in our book. You walk to the west, past two houses, cross Hillcrest at the light, and you are there for games, relaxation, or just a chance to unwind. University Park is one of the most walkable communities in the country, with the happiest residents. In a survey conducted this year, University Park asked residents to rank services and concerns on a point scale of 1 to 5, ranging from “very dissatisfied” to “very satisfied.”

On the key question of overall satisfaction with the services the City provides, of the 1,156 respondents who answered that question, 96 percent marked “very satisfied” or “satisfied.”

That same approval rating has been reached with the same question in each of the previous three surveys the community has taken.

So when I found this house, which has already been reduced, I thought to myself — perfect family home. Rock solid, the home was built with classic quality in 1998 but you would never know it. Classic quality means the house does not scream the age of it’s birth via some wild style — like Country French. There is nothing wild grabbing you, just rock-solid classic style and form.

The main floor has the formals — two of the three living areas, plus a richly wooded library study loaded with bookshelves. The updated kitchen looks as if it came right out of a 2015 show house with beautiful light granite, two ovens, two dishwashers, and high end appliances, of course. Upstairs is the master and three more bedrooms plus a playroom.

That’s why this is the perfect family home: I think parents need to be in bedrooms on the same floor with their children until those children are in high school, and maybe even then. Also, having a playroom up here keeps the downstairs more pristine and “adult”.  The master is spacious and features a cathedral ceiling with beams. The master bath is a mini-spa with a cove barrell ceiling. As a matter of fact, all the upstairs ceilings are unique, And that game room could double as a media room.

 

But just wait till you get outside: the “smaller” lot is really .22 of an acre with an outdoor living area with a beautiful rock-waterfall pool and round spa. Plenty of room for pool parties or relaxing on a nice Labor Day weekend while steaks sizzle on the grill. Listed with Lucinda Buford and Tessa Mostellar at Briggs-Freeman Sotheby’s now for $1,679,000 after a reduction from $1,799,000. And even though school has started, the good folks at Inwood Bank can help you do the right math to get a mortgage on this puppy. Just give them a holler. You will talk to a real, live person, never a “get in line” machine. Because that’s the way a community bank does business!