Why I Love This Pink Wall Condo at The Seville: It Belonged to My Beloved Mother

I have been thinking a lot about my late mother lately, not that I ever don’t think about her, but in particular her real estate comings and goings.

It’s the goings I’m musing. Like me, my mother got one shot at building what was her dream house, or as close as she could get to a dream house within her budget. She had three bedrooms, an in-home office for my dad (who later left her), a great kitchen with an orange sink, orange indoor-outdoor carpet, which was soooo hot in the ’70s, orange shag carpet in the paneled family room with a sliding glass door to the pool, and an Amana Radar range — one of the first microwaves. (Truth: I have it in storage.) The home is still perched on a one-acre lot in Dundee, Illinois. Everything looks the same as it did in 1987 when she left it, but the bird sanctuary next door now has a home on it.

She Found Comfort in Her Condos

When she sold her home, which was an incredibly emotional affair for many reasons, my mom moved to Dallas to be near me and my family. But Mom was very independent, so she wanted her own place and her own vehicle.

At first, she lived in a cute condo in far north Dallas, which was available thanks to the real estate crash of the early ’80s. From the nationwide peak of 4 million existing home sales in 1978, there was a full 50% drop in home sales over the next four years. By 1982, only 2 million homes were sold in the nation.

Dallas was hit particularly hard, particularly in commercial real estate. But in every crisis there is opportunity. We found a cute foreclosed condo she leased and loved, except that we were in Preston Hollow and it was a long drive to see her grandchildren.

One day I saw a condominium for sale “Behind the Pink Wall” at The Seville on Averill Way, which was exactly a mile from our home on Park Lane. It was a lower unit with one covered parking space, two bedrooms, two baths, an interior laundry room, a dining room, and a really cute kitchen in pristine condition.

With my help, she snagged it — the help being I assured her at closing that she would not be going bankrupt from the purchase.

When she didn’t like the interiors, I said, “No worries, we will remodel!” And remodel we did including new easy-to-clean kitchen flooring, carpet, and bathroom. She moved in and lived happily ever after until her death in 2003.

We kept the condo and have been leasing it ever since, mostly to women like my mother: Single, mature, independent ladies, who are transitioning from large homes, and looking for a nice, safe place to downsize their life.

Mother used to walk to get her hair done at Preston Tower. Or to Preston Center for lunch and ice cream with the kids — she loved the chiming of the steeple at Park Cities Baptist Church. She loved this condo.

6121 #B Averill Way in The Seville

And this cozy little space is now up for lease. Since December, we have been updating and upgrading. I felt my mother’s extreme disapproval when I tore out the laminate in her kitchen and installed a beautiful quartz counter plus a deep stainless steel Kohler sink — this child of the Great Depression hated redecorating just for the sake of it.

“There was not one spot on that laminate,” I virtually heard her say. “I took damn good care of it! Why did you rip it out and waste money?”

She was right, but I did it anyway. Sorry, mom.

For Lease: 2/2/FMLS/All Bills Paid

At The Seville, the majority of the residents own their condos. And they are all adorable. There is a swimming pool in front of the complex where I imagine lovely ladies hung out in bikinis and beehives in the 1960’s. (All that was missing to remind my mom of her home up north was a sliding glass door.)

The condo has two bedrooms, two baths, and is a little under 1,500 square feet. I replaced the vinyl flooring (which had replaced the white carpet we installed for my mom) with beautiful wood planks. We have painted, installed fresh new carpet in the bedrooms, new counters, and re-wired all electrical including new switches. A new dining room chandelier arrives Friday.

There is a new large-capacity Kenmore washer and dryer in the laundry room. The condo is fabulously located behind the pink wall, nestled in verdant shady streets, and located across the street from The Imperial House.

This home at 6121 #B Averill Way is listed with Sanders Avrea from the Urban Team at Allie Beth Alllman for $3,000 a month, which includes all utilities — and it is move-in ready.

And you will feel very, very much at home.