Maybe the Time is Right to Place a Bet on Glen Oaks Remodel

With all the dust stirred up by the almost assured redevelopment of the nearby Golf Club of Dallas, it’s time to look at what’s available in the area that’s almost assured to be better built than what’s coming.  No particular slam on Huffines, but newer construction isn’t as solid since lightweight methods cropped up in the 1970s.

It’s also interesting to see what’s just across I-35E from my Southern Dallas Buyer’s Guide series.  Here, the neighborhoods have names — look for community names like Polk Terrace, Wheatland Hills, Beckley Heights and Woodland Canyon.  Many of the homes, like this one, are flips, which tells you there is opportunity and that it will begin to move east across I-35E. Glen Oaks is just north and east of the Golf Club of Dallas and this home is a block from the Mark Twain Leadership Vanguard school. If the kid gets straight A’s, you can fling ‘em over to the Bahama Beach Waterpark just west as a reward.

Here’s the nitty on 723 Town Creek Drive.  It’s a flip consisting of 2,214 square feet with four bedrooms and three baths that’s listed for $249,900 with Eric Chen of Aesthetic Realty.  That’s $113 per square foot and it sits on an 80-by-169-foot lot — that’s about a third of an acre.  The home was last sold on New Year’s Eve 2014 when it was listed for $76,000.  But remember, it’s a flip, so TONS of work and cash has been splashed out renovating this place … so you don’t have to.

I’ll be the first to admit this flip isn’t perfect.  What was a gracious double entry door has been blocked in with a single door that hardly fits with the midcentury design of the home’s exterior.  What is nice it that the original planters survived to brighten up the entry with seasonal flowers. You can even see the original mail slot remains (left edge of picture).

Entering the home and you can easily see it’s been opened up for today’s living.  The front door is in the distance and leads to the dining area overlooking the front of the home. The kitchen separates the dining and living rooms (in back of the photographer).  The floors are an anachronistic bamboo, but at least it’s not laminate or engineered.

The kitchen has good counter space and a large island.  While not white, it is Shaker.  The only dings here are cabinets not reaching the ceiling (and there isn’t even a soffit) and the lack of an overhead cabinet for the fridge.  Without that cabinet, the fridge will look like an add-on. I like the skylight.

Here you can see the size of the large living room and how it connects to the kitchen.  You can also see what I mean about the refrigerator. I assume you slap it at one end, but it’s unclear where.  The fireplace is gorgeous — you could spit-roast a cow in there. Some would want a mantle, but I like the cleanliness without. Besides, that’s where the TV goes, right?  If you’re a lucky man, it will be as wide as the fireplace!

Here’s the other end of the living room.  Plenty of windows and French door access to the backyard.  Sure, those were originally sliding doors, but I think the French are nicer and bring in more air. Recessed lighting is a definite help.

There are three bathrooms and none of them are spa-like. It was 1955 and there were no spas.  Ya did ya bidness and ya left.  Décor consisted of a toilet roll stuffed up a doll’s crocheted dress sitting on the toilet tank. So just having an en suite bathroom was a big deal.  As you can see in the mirror, there’s a shower. In the other en suite bedroom there’s a bathtub.

Here’s another oddity.  The flippers poured a new concrete driveway that plows through the backyard.  If you look at the back of the garage, you didn’t they open the garage to the back and onto the alley like its neighbors?  You could ditch the carport and have a really open backyard.  As it is, views out of the house are concrete and carport with a good chunk of land hidden behind the garage.

Furthering the oddity is this original deck.  The concrete is quite cracked. As long as you were pouring a driveway next to it, why not do this too? The costs wouldn’t have been that much.  I will comment on the planters next to the house.  Like the ones in front, they’re original and offer some controlled green-thumbing.

Yeah, I have a few criticisms on the flipper’s work (that front door), but let’s also remember, this isn’t Lakewood or M Streets.  This is a remodeled 2,214-square-foot house for $249,900 that also has a new roof and windows. If you’re not a staunch midcentury purist, I can see this making someone on a budget quite happy once you filled up the planters.

Remember:  High-rises, HOAs and renovation are my beat. But I also appreciate modern and historical architecture balanced against the YIMBY movement.  If you’re interested in hosting a Candysdirt.com Staff Meeting event, I’m your guy. In 2016 and 2017, the National Association of Real Estate Editors has recognized my writing with two Bronze (2016, 2017) and two Silver (2016, 2017) awards.  Have a story to tell or a marriage proposal to make?  Shoot me an email [email protected].