Part Two: Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s Completes Lakewood Acquisition With Addition of Team Whiteside

We told you about Part One last week: Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s has acquired Scott Carlson Real Estate.

And we told you to stay tuned, very tuned.

Today we can tell you what will be officials news tomorrow: Briggs sought out legendary Lakewood Realtor John Whiteside and his Team Whiteside to join their new Lakewood office, bringing together two well-established groups of Lakewood experts. That’s right: Scott Carlson + Team Whiteside = Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s new Lakewood office. 

“We have wanted to expand our business in Lakewood and East Dallas for several years, but we know that you need a deep bench of neighborhood experts to succeed. John Whiteside and Team Whiteside and Scott Carlson Real Estate provide that deep bench.” said Robbie Briggs, President and CEO of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty.

Gene Taylor, Executive Vice President, Director of Sales and Development for the company, will manage the office, located in the Wells Fargo Building, 6301 Gaston  Avenue Plaza 170. The company expects to add a full-time manager and support team soon.

“So many people are moving throughout Dallas,” said John Whiteside of Team Whiteside. “They may be coming to Lakewood from a beautiful high rise Downtown, or moving out of East Dallas for more land in the suburbs. With our new affiliation, we are part of a network that can assist anyone wanting to buy or sell anywhere.”

Lakewood, home to some of the fastest-turning, most rapidly appreciating properties in the area, is a prize plum for local Realtors and brokers. Demand plus tight inventory have made price gains here are among the highest in North Texas. Home sales prices in East Dallas were up 51% in January 2014 over 2013, according to the MLS.  Similarly, Oak Cliff prices shot up 53 percent from a year earlier, 49% in northwest Dallas and 65 percent in southeast Dallas.

And the brokers know that’s just the tip of the iceberg: with relocations on steroids and investments that have been made in downtown Dallas in the last decade, more people are choosing to live close-in. This is evident at M Street open houses where it is not uncommon to have 25 to 30 lookers descend on a property.

In fact, one property on Velasco, a FSBO (for sale, by owner)  recently sold after 4 weeks on the market with (gulp) NO AGENT and (triple gulp) NO WEBSITE!

I spoke to the owner on Saturday: the home was 6426 Velasco, a home they inherited and fixed up to sell.

“We didn’t have a website, and no photos, we just sold it by holding it open every weekend for about 4 weeks. It’s pending now. We asked $535,000.”

Of course, the home was a total doll house, 1800 square foot circa 1927 charmer. Those don’t come along every day. But that’s the kind of “deep bench” Robbie Briggs is talking about. Lakewood is a very unique community, one of Dallas’ treasures. I am seeing young thirty-somethings who grew up in Park Cities, Preston Hollow or Plano return home to Dallas and live in Lakewood. As one young resident told me Saturday night, “It reminds me of Austin.”

Stay tuned for more from John Whiteside…