Tell Me Your Real Estate Story: Single Mom Back in Dallas Buys Lochwood Cutie

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Jennifer Kilpatrick

Jennifer Kilpatrick and her son Jack

Single mom and attorney Jennifer Kilpatrick is a Dallas native and Ursuline Academy grad who moved away in 1992. After a divorce in 2016, she and her son moved back to North Texas, renting an apartment in The Village. She wanted time to find a new house in this competitive market, and focused her search to the area in which she grew up.

“I began searching for a house a few months ago, and wanted to buy a house in east Dallas, since I grew up in Lake Highlands and Jack goes to school at St. Thomas Aquinas,” she said. “I confined my home search to Lake Highlands, Little Forest Hills, Lochwood, and Ridgewood Park (and small, ill-defined neighborhoods around those places).”

We’ve followed her home-buying journey, from first searches to closing on a Lochwood cutie this month. It’s a great story!

Full name: Jennifer Kilpatrick

Occupation: Attorney

Location: East Dallas

Price Range: Under $350K

AgentCindy Johnson with Keller Williams

Jennifer Kilpatrick Jennifer Kilpatrick Jennifer Kilpatrick

“I found and totally fell head over heels in love with a house in Little Forest Hills — I didn’t expect to find something so quickly and I made a full price offer with a 30-day close and was ultimately outbid,” she said. “I was really bummed, but kept working with my Realtor, who is also a single mom and lives in Lochwood.”

Her Realtor “had all the optimism I lacked,” Kilpatrick said, noting they both scoured the MLS listings every day.

“I found a house on Ridgemont that was half of a duplex, I bid on it, and my bid was accepted — but I ultimately canceled it because the inspection showed foundation problems and HVAC problems,” she said. “And truthfully, I was concerned about jointly owning real estate with someone I’ve never met before.”

Jennifer Kilpatrick

Closed!

After continuing to look online, Kilpatrick found the house she ultimately purchased.

“I happened to see it on realtor.com the day it hit their website and asked my realtor to show it to me and my son that evening,” she said. “She did and I made a full price offer that night.”

The sellers got another offer the next day, so they asked for best and final by 9 p.m. that night. Kilpatrick offered over the list price, waived the appraisal contingency, and agreed to a 21-day close and a free 60-day leaseback, as the sellers are moving to San Antonio and needed time to shop for a house.

“They accepted my offer that night and the house sailed through inspection,” she said. “The house ended up appraising for $10k more than the sales price — thank goodness! — and I closed with my Realtor and mortgage broker in the conference room cheering me on.”

This Lochwood home has three bedroom, two bathrooms, two living areas, and 1,358 square feet on one story, built in 1958. There’s professional landscaping, hardwood floors, an updated kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, and a nice-sized backyard with a patio. It’s perfect for them.

“My son and I are thrilled and I’m really looking forward to having a little place that is just for us (and to no longer living in what is basically an SMU dorm, though it’s been fun),” she said. “Our leaseback ends on June 12, and we move in at the end of June.”

She closed on April 12 and will move in in late June, once the leaseback ends.

Jennifer Kilpatrick Jennifer Kilpatrick

Kilpatrick says with the beautiful trees surrounding Dixon Branch, her Lochwood house feels like an oasis in the midst of the city.

“I was looking for an older house, but one that was move-in ready, as I’m not exactly handy,” she said. “While I don’t care for ranch style houses generally and prefer cottages, which is why I was looking in Little Forest Hills, my house won me over.”

Her favorite things include the fact that it doesn’t have a completely open floorplan, because it makes the individual rooms cozier. She also loves the natural light in the house and the updated kitchen, especially the subway tile backsplash. The patio in the backyard was also a big selling point.

“I love being back in Dallas and the abundant sunshine here, the temperate winters (especially compared to Chicago!), and the friendly residents,” she said, noting how much has changed since she moved away almost 25 years ago. “My son adores museums, and not long after we moved back, I got to introduce him to Big Tex and Fletcher’s corny dogs at the Texas State Fair and he’s a fan.”

Most of all, she’s feeling settled.

“I could give a million different reasons why I love Dallas, but it just comes down to a feeling more than anything else,” she said. “I’m 43, a single mom, and a lawyer, but on a cool fall night when the weather is absolutely perfect and I roll down my windows and drive down lower Greenville, I’m 16 again. And I know I’m home.”

 

Leah Shafer is a content and social media specialist, as well as a Dallas native, who lives in Richardson with her family. In her sixth-grade yearbook, Leah listed "interior designer" as her future profession. Now she writes about them, as well as all things real estate, for CandysDirt.com.

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