Candy Evans

Candy Evans, founder and publisher of CandysDirt.com, is one of the nation’s leading real estate reporters.

Building or Buying A House? Watch That Square Footage Because Really, Honestly, The Too-Big House is (Finally) Dead

By Candy Evans / May 11, 2011 /

I was with some local Dallas real estate experts yesterday who told me something shocking: in some parts of town, square footage over 6500 square feet IS BEING DISCOUNTED for appraisal purposes. Shocking, shocking news. Let’s say you have an 8500 square foot house: anything over 6500 square feet — 2000 square feet — is…

Dallas Realtor Kari Schlegel’s Fairybook Wedding: The Reception

By Candy Evans / May 11, 2011 /

I don’t think a Dallas Realtor has ever had a gown quite like this. The bride wore a dress designed specifically for her by bridal gown designer Monique Lhuillier in Los Angeles, and Kimberly Schlegel¬† Whitman tells me that she was under orders by Kari not to cry lest the floodgates open. Also, it was…

The $15 Million Home Sale that Everyone is Talking About: Dallas Real Estate News

By Candy Evans / May 10, 2011 /

This is what’s happening in real estate: the rich are getting richer and buying up trophy properties, sky’s the limit. The rest of us can eat cake. Case in point: 3820 Gillon Avenue, owned by Randall and Olamaie Fojtasek, a former partner at Hicks Muse who co-founded the private equity firm Brazos Partners. The Fojtaseks…

The Tax Doctor is In & Busy: Can You Protest a Substantial Residential Improvement?

By Candy Evans / May 10, 2011 /

A reader writes: Tiffany, Can you protest a 2011 valuation on a substantive residential improvement value increase on an old home to offset a land decrease (the 2011 value is the same as 2010). No change in valuation from 2011 to 2010, but there’s no way the 2010 residential improvement was correct. Bruce, Absolutely. This…

The Tax Doctor is In & Busy: Can You Protest a Substantial Residential Improvement?

By Candy Evans / May 10, 2011 /

A reader writes: Tiffany, Can you protest a 2011 valuation on a substantive residential improvement value increase on an old home to offset a land decrease (the 2011 value is the same as 2010). No change in valuation from 2011 to 2010, but there‚Äôs no way the 2010 residential improvement was correct. Bruce, Absolutely. This…