Calmont Cottage Offers Charm and Location

Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda. This page has extensively covered the ebbing affordability of housing in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. And, in addition to the stand out, marquee listings I cover, I continue to pursue the vanishing, charming, affordable, starter house. So naturally a prime westside listing in Arlington Heights on 5037 Calmont Ave. in Fort Worth had been on my radar. Alas, it listed June 29 and was under contract on July 14.

It couldn’t be more obvious why. Priced at $284,000, it’s so picture-perfect that it’s practically a cliché. Yes, that really is a white picket fence covered with roses. Let’s take a look. 

This part of Arlington Heights has become extremely active in the past few years and these cottages are being snapped up, often by investors as tear-downs, for larger and pricier spec houses. Often these bungalows are a bit cramped with small darkish rooms and an average size of under 1,500 square feet.

Not here. The living room of the 1,700-square-foot house feels spacious, symmetrically anchored by a fireplace and a pair of windows. The original hardwood floors throughout the 1939 house are in good shape.

The dining room is equally generously proportioned. Mercifully, the fanciful encoignure cabinets have survived intact. A beadboard dado is an added architectural detail.

The kitchen has undergone some thoughtful updates. The tile backsplash is skillfully executed. Enviable is the sought after vintage Chambers stove.

There is an additional large living area at the back of the house with a wall of windows which I suspect is a useful add on.

There is no good photography of the two bedrooms, but they too are roomy — large enough for king-size beds. Each has a bath. Also unusual for a house of this date is the abundance of storage.

Many houses in the area have only one-car garages. Calmont has one for two cars. If you feel that you simply must live here, the residence was listed for lease, two days ago for a below market rent of $1,700 per month.

Listing agent for 5037 Calmont Ave. was Lori Gallagher of Burt Ladner Real Estate.

Eric Prokesh is an interior designer whose work has appeared on HGTV, and in books and publications including D Home, Southern Accents, House Beautiful, and House and Garden. In January 2005, HG named Eric one of the 50 tastemakers in America and D Home has included him as one of Dallas’ Best Designers for 10 years. Having lived most of his life in Dallas, he now calls Fort Worth home and is one of our experts on beautiful Fort Worth Dirt.