North Oak Cliff Craftsman Airplane Bungalow is a Charmer

Sitting on a front porch swing, sipping ice-cold lemonade, and waving at the neighbors seems like a nostalgic scene from a great movie. You may think that lifestyle is only found on screen, but there are still neighborhoods and homes in Dallas that capture every bit of that vintage cinematic charm — and then some. Our Friday Four Hundred is a cute Craftsman airplane bungalow at 243 N. Waverly in Oak Cliff, and it’s certainly camera-ready.

You know we’re pretty fond of North Waverly in the historic L.O. Daniel neighborhood here at CandysDirt.com. We’ve been writing about another home on the street all week and what “shoulda, coulda, woulda” been done to make it a stand-out, before we performed a team staging intervention. This three-bedroom, two-bathroom, 2,263-square-foot cottage is one of the best examples we’ve seen of what happens when you put an extremely proactive agent together with highly motivated sellers — a picture perfect home.

Brian Bleeker, who is with the Hewitt Habgood Group at Dave Perry Miller has the home listed for $429,000.

“I take a somewhat different approach to selling houses,” Bleeker said. “I let sellers know what they need to do to get the maximum value for their home. I create a punch list and we have a meeting to assess expectations and the desired end result. I run a price comparison for what the listing price would be without making any improvements and what it would be with my suggested changes.”

Bleeker is a big believer in properly preparing a home for market, and he does not pull any punches when it comes to making those suggestions.

“Almost every home needs some landscaping, painting, and every single home needs staging,” he said. Bleeker oversees the entire process when he readies a home for listing. “ This home was landscaped, the flooring on the front porch was redone and the entire interior and exterior of the house was painted.”

The massive wrap-around front porch is a huge selling feature. With original doors and windows and unique grid pattern ceiling, it had a lot to offer.  However it was painted a darker color and simply did not look inviting. A new pale gray exterior paint color with  bright white on the ceiling and lemony yellow on two of the porch doors was added to make the house pop. A porch swing was painted bright white and a few colorful toss pillows added providing a nostalgic yet hip ambiance.  “I wanted to highlight the original features of the house while providing a direction and a concept that was completely current,” Bleeker said.

The spacious living and dining rooms have beautifully preserved coffered ceilings, French doors, and fireplaces. Original bookcases flank either side of the fireplace in the living room, while the dining area has the look repeated with built-in glass-fronted cabinetry. Bleeker personally applied Scott’s Liquid Gold to every inch of the wood trim. That’s what we call going above and beyond for your clients.

Bleeker had a coat of polyurethane added to all of the floors. The kitchen floors were in good shape and color coordinated nicely with the grays – Sherwin Williams Dorian Gray and Agreeable Gray — chosen for the interior paint colors. White paint was used for woodwork, cabinetry and trim throughout the rest of the house to create an updated look.

Bleeker is a huge proponent of staging and brought in Kelli Kirkham of Stylish Home Texas to lend her magic touch and create an ambience in this home any buyer will love.

“I tell my clients when it comes to staging, if  I were to sell my own home tomorrow, I’d consult a professional stager for an extensive package,” Bleeker said. “It’s the most important part of a selling a home, everyone needs a stager. You have to create an inspiration for buyers as to how they can live.”

We’re certainly inspired, by this adorable cottage. Our hats are off to the sellers for collaborating with their agent and to Bleeker for going that extra mile to maximize value for his clients and put a truly inspiring home on the market. If you want to see it in person, stop by on Sunday, April 24, from 2 to 4 p.m.