High Caliber Home of the Week - Sponsored
12/12/18 9:55am

Rebuild in Casa Linda Brings Modern Touch to a Family Friendly Ranch

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More and more homes in the Casa Linda Estates area have been torn down, with towering two-story houses filling lots where rambling stone ranches once stood. That’s happening all over Dallas’ close-in neighborhoods, some may note. However, it’s laudable to see a builder come in and expand a home in a way that adds a fresh face to it without taking over the large lots for which Casa Linda Estates is known. 
 
That’s what makes this gorgeous rebuild from Tivoli Construction our High Caliber Home of the Week presented by Lisa Peters of Caliber Home Loans. Taking an already great home with sturdy bones in a great neighborhood with a fabulous location and transforming it into a stylish, modern house fit for family life is no small task, said listing agent David Collier of David Griffin & Company Realtors.
 
Right from the spacious front deck, which wraps the front of this updated midcentury ranch at 1540 San Saba, you can tell that this rebuild is something completely different. Not only was the interior completely redesigned, but there are so many wonderful touches outside the home, cementing its status as a High Caliber Home. Spoiler alert: It’s priced under $1 million, too!

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Wednesday WTF
12/12/18 9:45am

Christmas Gifts for Folks With Too Much Damned Money, Part Two

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ChristmasFor loyal Wednesday WTF readers, you may recall that last year, around Christmas, we at WTF headquarters happened upon a certain section of the Tiffany & Co. website that uh, caused us to hit the pause button.

On a whim, we checked back this year, and sure enough, there’s new stuff. I mean, of course, there’s new stuff. If you’re the target audience for the “Price Is No Object” offerings from Tiffany, you’ve played with your sterling-silver Legos and figured out that a $9,000 ball of silver yarn is about as useful as you’d imagine a ball of yarn that costs as much as a Kia Rio would be, and well, you’re ready for new stuff.

And we are here for that. I mean, rest assured that as journalists, we have zero dollars for any of this stuff, but we are here for this because seriously, we are so down for seasonal WTFery.

By the by, that useless ball of yarn is still on the list, despite being tagged as having limited availability last year, which likely means that even if the price is no object, you don’t want a cat toy that costs the same as a trip to the ER for a toddler’s ear infection.

Are you ready to see what you can buy if your toilet paper is made of actual $100 bills? Jump with me, won’t you? (more…)

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Second Shelters
12/12/18 9:41am

Hawaii Market Update: Condo And Single Family Sales Prices Have Risen

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Overall, the island of Oahu continues to go from strength to strength with price increases unbothered by increasing inventory. Often, when inventory rises, prices take a hit as buyers with more choice have increased bargaining room. Not in Hawaii. The only hint of more inventory has been an increase in days on market

For single-family homes the median time to sell was 29 days compared with 15 days a year ago – nearly double the time. However for condos, days on market only increased from 21 days last year to 25 days in October 2018.

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Oak Cliff
12/12/18 9:30am

Michael Amonett: To Preserve Neighborhoods, You Have to Participate

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Community residents attended an information session regarding the authorized hearing process that could completely transform the neighborhood surrounding Hampton and Clarendon roads.

By Michael Amonett
Guest Columnist

An authorized hearing has been set in motion to rezone an area in Oak Cliff at the intersection of Hampton and Clarendon roads.  The area was once a small farming community settled in the 1870s called Jimtown. Clarendon Road was Jimtown Road, and was built along the old Santa Fe Railroad right of way.  Historic buildings and car repair shops dot the area, including the Sunset Theater built in 1922 at 1112 S. Hampton. The theater partially burned in 1957 and today is part of the M.S. Lumber Yard.  Oak Cliff was annexed into Dallas in 1903, and Jimtown was annexed later in 1915.

Authorized hearings can be initiated by an applicant, the City Council, or can start with the City Planning Commission.  This particular one was authorized by the CPC and former CPC member Chad West at the behest of some of the area commercial property owners.  The area fronting Hampton is currently zoned Community Retail (CR). Clarendon is also zoned CR as well as Community Services (CS). There is a small parcel adjacent to the CS zoning on Clarendon that is zoned exclusively for parking and approximately 45 single-family homes in the southwest corner are zoned multi-family.  

These zoning classifications are outdated and unstable.  The single-family homes can become apartments or shared-access condos by right at any time.  The one- and two-story historic buildings that sit directly on Clarendon and Hampton roads can be torn down for a CVS or a Wells Fargo and pulled back away from the street with parking in the front.  Not only would you lose irreplaceable historic resources, you’d lose the current urban streetscape forms that interact with pedestrians and cyclists and replace them with parking lots that break up the historic block-face.  The businesses inside these buildings currently are stable mom-and-pop businesses; most of them Latino.

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Title Business
12/11/18 9:50am

Title Tip: How to Choose a Title Agent

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By Lydia Blair
Special Contributor

It’s easy to make the general statement that all title companies are the same. They all offer the same services, and in Texas, they all charge the same for title insurance. However, it’s like saying that all Realtors are the same, or all home inspectors or insurance companies are the same.

A closer look will reveal that there is often a difference in the level and quality of service between companies. Working with a reliable, experienced, and caring professional can make the difference between an easy, positive transaction and a nightmare experience.

Which title company you get into bed with can be like a marriage. Regardless of how it goes, you’re stuck with them for the duration of the time you own your home.

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Tuesday Two Hundred
12/11/18 9:45am

Renovated Oak Cliff Home Ready For a First-Time Buyer

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Oak CliffWhen we asked Realtors last week to give us their cutest homes during our Thursday call for pitches, Bethanne Carter-Buffington with Colleen Frost, REALTORS told us about this adorable listing in Oak Cliff she said would make a perfect Tuesday Two Hundred.

“It’s a gorgeous Oak Cliff reno!” she said.

And she’s right. This 1924 cottage located at 2738 W. Brooklyn Ave. has been lovingly renovated, and is ready for a new family. How ready?

“The sellers are willing to leave it completely furnished,” she said.

So first-time homebuyers and downsizers, check this out (although we would also argue that at this price, it would make a great investment property as well) — a three-bedroom, two-bath home with 1,348 square feet of living space, all recently renovated and ready to go. (more…)

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Tarrant County Tuesday
12/11/18 9:30am

Santa Will Have Plenty of Fireplace Choices in Tarrant County

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The fireplace at 13809 Green Elm Road is a direct vent — so there’s no chimney for Santa to come down.

How does he do it?

How is Santa not only able to deliver toys to all the good little girls and boys of the world, but how does he manage to get down the chimney? I have so many questions for Santa. Does he have a favorite type of fireplace?  What about a direct-vent fireplace? How does he handle homes with no fireplace?

Reviewing the homes of Tarrant County Tuesday from 2018, I wanted to share some of the vast options that jolly old St. Nick will have in a few short weeks.

While a tall flue , the actual fire box might be a tight squeeze for St. Nick at 312 Verna Trail

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Architecture
12/11/18 9:15am

The AD EX Launches New Base in Downtown Dallas at Republic Center

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The AD EX — formerly the Dallas Center for Architecture — launched its new digs at Republic Center to go with its new name Dec. 8. (Photo: Craig D. Blackmon, FAIA)

There’s a new spot for your architecture and design fix in downtown Dallas from a source you’ll recognize. The AD EX — formerly the Dallas Center for Architecture and short for The Architecture and Design Exchange — had its official launch on Saturday, Dec. 8. The organization held the celebration with Downtown Dallas Inc. and the Better Block Foundation in its new digs located at Republic Center, which is near Thanks-Giving Square. Even with the new name and location, the Ad Ex will have the same great programming, including diverse exhibits, weekly free Lunch Learning Sessions, and guided architecture tours.

If you’re already intrigued, you can stop by between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, with late and weekend hours of 8 p.m. Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.

Photo: Craig D. Blackmon, FAIA

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