An Arlington Heights Domicile That is Steeped in Local Lore

Sometimes big legends come in relatively small packages.

Tarrant County Appraisal District has 5221 Collinwood recorded as built in 1921, and yet according to legend, it may be much older. I spoke with John Staab, whose company has listed the property twice in less than one year. I’ve covered several of John’s listings beginning in 2017, as well as Motive Real Estate Group, the unique real estate firm he created. More on that interesting story later.

More Lives Than a Cat

Local lore and neighborhood gossip says that this two-story Arlington Heights home has had many incarnations. It has served as domicile, artist’s studio, and perhaps a carriage house to a larger house on a farm that predates the construction, post-World War I dismantling, and later redevelopment of Camp Bowie.

The endearing, 2,800-square-foot, four-bedroom, three-and-one-half-bathroom bungalow has certainly been the locus of a lot of concentrated activity in the last year. The curb appeal has been enhanced by the creation of a front porch with columns supporting the second floor. Gone is the camo green, which shrouded this cottage among the mature vegetation.

A lot of thought and professional architect-guided planning has been the leading force in the renovation of this Arlington Heights domicile. The house was purchased less than a year ago with a plan to renovate and resell.

“What condition was the property in before the renovation,” I asked Staab.

“Rough. The kitchen was bad ’60s vintage with carpet probably that old,” he says.

“A lot of cramped dark spaces,” he adds.

This house comes as close as any to persuading me to like the open concept, which is, with limited square footage, a viable option. I loathe the McMansion version where the ground floor looks like a cold, infinity hotel lobby, with uninterrupted views front to back.

Here, however, the vibe is very livable, happy, and human.

For Every House Sold, a House Given

And now a flashback and update on Motive Real Estate Group and the vision that brought it into existence.

“I thought about what a lot of companies already do to give back, like donating a small percentage of profits or a few dollars to charities,” Staab said. “That’s all great, and I love that they do that, but I wanted to make more of an impact. So after a lot of thinking and soul-searching during long runs, mountain bike rides, and just sitting still (which I don’t do often), I had a crazy idea that it would be amazing to give a home away for every home I helped a client buy or sell.”

Sounds kind of crazy, right?

“I slept on it a few nights and, each day I woke, it seemed just as crazy as it was when I went to sleep the night before. I was completely fixated by the idea,” he said. “That’s when I knew it was what I needed to do. I would create a real estate brokerage driven by the purpose of giving a home for a home.”

After much research of foreign and domestic NGOs and nonprofits, he stumbled onto The Butterfly Tree which has been working in the land-locked, southern African country of Zambia.

“Butterfly Tree has been working in Zambia for over a decade and they have cut through the red tape and jumped through the hoops necessary to get things done,” Staab said.

Granted, these dwellings are very rudimentary, but recipients are generally large families living unsheltered in the open, exposed to malarial mosquitoes and predators. So far, Motive has built 12 such structures.

That was five years ago.

“We are still only in Zambia,” John informs me. “But we have surpassed 200 houses built there.”

Staab is still very hands-on with this singular business which serves locally and shares globally.

John Staab of Motive Real Estate Group has listed 5221 Collinwood Avenue at $797,900. Sadly, after six days on the market, it is already contingent.