Trinity’s Driving Me to House P: Katy Trail Townhome With a Kitchen Fit for Dean Fearing

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There has been too much real estate news occupying my brain this week — Museum Tower on the front page of the NYT, Champ D’Or closing, the continuing Deion and Pilar fracas. Now I have to digest this Trinity Tollway thing.  My husband is flat out against, I am for, I think. Pretty soon we’ll be like Deion and Pilar! I need a fix of House Porn, something not out on the boonies, but a home where you can walk everywhere because that is what these young Green things want us to do. Never mind that we are all getting older, the climate is getting warmer, and I think making us walk in August is a way to kill us off to save on Social Security!

Lordy Lordy, here’s a fix for $1,199,000. It’s 4,800 square feet at a corner Casada townhome that is gated yet still sports a two car garage. Casada is a development of 22 luxury townhomes at Blackburn and Turtle Creek, ranging from 3500 to 5200 square feet, developed by Alan McDonald as City Homes and then sold to Centex when about 85% completed. Four are exceptionally large units with exteriors rivalling a Park Cities home. In fact, listing agent Missy Woehr says this is about as close as you can get to a home in Turtle Creek without the maintenance.

“If I cannot keep the bushes trimmed with tweezers,” says Missy, “then then it’s too much work.”

This unit was purchased four years ago by serious cooks who gutted the existing 2003 kitchen and brought in German ingenuity. Hell, I think they just relocated Angela Merkel. There’s Gaggeneau, Fisher&Paykel, Bosch, Wolf, professional culinary stainless counters, steam center, induction cooktop, warming drawers, two dishwashers, beverage station, LIEBHERR refrigerator which I will have in my next home, soft-close cabinets and LED lighting. There are four bedrooms, four and a half baths, an extreme exterior entertainment area, beautiful circular staircase, huge master, elevator, formals. Compare Casada to higher-priced downtown condos: try $250ish a square foot with $600 a month HOA dues that cover exterior insurance and include pest control.

Oh yes, best part to make the Greens happy: you can leave your hybrid or electric car in the garage and walk walk walk to Uptown, downtown, even the Tate Lecture Series at S.M.U. 3360 Blackburn is on the Katy Trail, which is almost as important to some buyers today as a pool — maybe more!

 

 

 

Candy Evans, founder and publisher of CandysDirt.com, is one of the nation’s leading real estate reporters.

12 Comments

  1. bettycrocker on May 4, 2012 at 9:31 am

    Always loved the look of this development. Thanks for listing the HOA fees. I wish listing agents would disclose that info in the initial listing. The properties in Dallas are all over the place when it comes to HOAs. It would make condo shopping much, much easier.

    • Scott Vann on May 4, 2012 at 10:09 am

      And that, bettycrocker, is why they don't disclose them up front many times. They want you to fall in love with the property first, then slap with you with HOA fees. 🙂

  2. bettycrocker on May 4, 2012 at 9:31 am

    Always loved the look of this development. Thanks for listing the HOA fees. I wish listing agents would disclose that info in the initial listing. The properties in Dallas are all over the place when it comes to HOAs. It would make condo shopping much, much easier.

    • Scott Vann on May 4, 2012 at 10:09 am

      And that, bettycrocker, is why they don't disclose them up front many times. They want you to fall in love with the property first, then slap with you with HOA fees. 🙂

  3. Candy Evans on May 4, 2012 at 10:21 am

    @Betty I cold not agree more and it is our policy to always include them. Smart agents promote transparency because that's what consumers want and frankly what they'll get. If I ever see an agent post a home without a sales price, I just may have a melt down.

    • Missy Woehr on May 4, 2012 at 5:50 pm

      Hey guys… Totally on HOA fees & rules. Critical component in making a decision when budgeting (& if your 4-legged kids exceed the weight/breed restrictions). Can you imagine an agent failing to mention can't bring your 6 yorkies- you can only have 4 after you are through your option period & just about ready to close??)
      $600/month is a DEAL!: Blanket insurance, extermination 4xs per year, security monitoring, gate & fountain maintenance, porter a few times per week for bulbs & general maintenance, landscaping & color change 4xs per year, outside common utilities, security cameras, exterior maintenance (repainting railings, garage & front door staining, stucco, stone), power washing 1x per year, fire sprinkler tests annually, reserves, property management fees & extra left over to throw 3 parties a year for the homeowners : )

      • Cody Farris on May 4, 2012 at 7:32 pm

        Missy – that's the best justification I've ever seen for HOA dues! Talk about maintenance free.

        • Missy Woehr on May 5, 2012 at 8:33 am

          @Cody.. HOA Good, Maintenance Bad : ) xoxo Come see this one, it's stunning!

  4. Candy Evans on May 4, 2012 at 10:21 am

    @Betty I cold not agree more and it is our policy to always include them. Smart agents promote transparency because that's what consumers want and frankly what they'll get. If I ever see an agent post a home without a sales price, I just may have a melt down.

    • Missy Woehr on May 4, 2012 at 5:50 pm

      Hey guys… Totally on HOA fees & rules. Critical component in making a decision when budgeting (& if your 4-legged kids exceed the weight/breed restrictions). Can you imagine an agent failing to mention can't bring your 6 yorkies- you can only have 4 after you are through your option period & just about ready to close??)
      $600/month is a DEAL!: Blanket insurance, extermination 4xs per year, security monitoring, gate & fountain maintenance, porter a few times per week for bulbs & general maintenance, landscaping & color change 4xs per year, outside common utilities, security cameras, exterior maintenance (repainting railings, garage & front door staining, stucco, stone), power washing 1x per year, fire sprinkler tests annually, reserves, property management fees & extra left over to throw 3 parties a year for the homeowners : )

      • Cody Farris on May 4, 2012 at 7:32 pm

        Missy – that's the best justification I've ever seen for HOA dues! Talk about maintenance free.

        • Missy Woehr on May 5, 2012 at 8:33 am

          @Cody.. HOA Good, Maintenance Bad : ) xoxo Come see this one, it's stunning!

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