Articles by

Shelby Skrhak

Shelby is a journalist, podcaster and content strategist turned full-time freelancer based in Plano. She comes to CandysDirt.com after 12 years with SUCCESS magazine as digital content director before its closure in January. After hosting two top rated iTunes Top 200 podcasts, she launched her own podcast called the Secret to My Success. She's a southpaw and her handwriting should be a font.

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04/26/19 9:40am

From the Builders of Stonebridge Ranch, The Grove Frisco Is Putting Down Roots

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If you drive all the way north up Custer Road, you’ll come upon The Grove Frisco, a new 735-acre master-planned community by Newland. About 120 homes have been sold or are under construction in what Newland, the community developer with more than five decades of experience, calls a modern village. As you turn off Custer Road onto Gartner Road, The Grove Frisco feels different than an ordinary builder community under construction and it’s all about the trees and The Orchard House.

Recently, Newland’s Grove Frisco was named the Best Residential Community of the Year by Dallas Business Journal and The Orchard House was named Best Community Amenity by the Dallas Builders Association. The Orchard House is a modern farmhouse-styled clubhouse with fitness center, two pools, splash pad, and locally-owned Swirl Cafe & Bakery. (more…)

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Thursday Three Hundred
04/25/19 9:45am

Plano River Bend Contemporary Is Hot With California Buyers

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This 80s soft contemporary at 2524 Ellis Court in Plano’s River Bend neighborhood will probably be under contract by the time I press publish on this Thursday Three Hundred post. That’s just how hot this four-bedroom, three-bath home has been, listed for $319,900 by Von Truong of Re/Max Premier Properties. Listed just six days ago, Truong says she’s had approximately 60 showings for the house that seems to be popular with both east- and west-coast transplants. (more…)

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04/24/19 9:25am

Hotel California Meets Texas Ranch in This Curiosity-Piquing Aledo Estate

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When the grand Aledo estate at 107 Nueces Trail was listed for the first time ever, Southern Living magazine called it “Every Texan’s Dream.” They quoted listing agent John Zimmerman, who was with Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty at the time, telling the Dallas Morning News it was “the biggest residential estate in Parker County that I can remember in the last 25 years.” He likened it to the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill County Resort, just north of SA’s outer 1604 loop. Methinks it’s more reminiscent of the La Cantera Resort and exotic like the Eagles’ Hotel California album cover — without all the connotation.

The Mediterranean estate naturally piques the interest of neighbors and all that see it on the horizon, and rightfully so. With a mission style silhouette set against the rolling plains west of Fort Worth, this 19,265-square-foot custom estate was meticulously-built for a Texas oilman and philanthropist. But simply type the first few letters of a Google search about the property and you’ll understand the folklore that surrounds the home: Who owns 107 Nueces Trail Aledo Tx, Nueces Trail Aledo builder, Biggest house in Aledo all pop up as popular search suggestions. Here’s a look inside the seven-bedroom, 12-bath “biggest house in Aledo” now on the market for $6.99 million, marketed by John Zimmerman of Compass Real Estate Texas.

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Suburb Sunday
04/21/19 9:55am

Life in Grand Prairie Soars in Great Aviation Tradition

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The great thing about writing Suburb Sunday is diving into a city’s history to see if its past has interesting gems that explain the town’s present-day tapestry. Grand Prairie’s history doesn’t disappoint. When the railroad came to town in 1876, officials called it Grand Prairie instead of the settlement’s given name Dechman because of its location on the vast grand prairie of land that stretched into West Texas. That rolling landscape of grassland became a three-block town by the turn of the century, and then a booming aviation community by World War II, when the Naval Reserve Airforce Base and supporting businesses came to town. In fact, there was such a boom for housing at wartime, Avion Village builders assembled a wood frame home in a record 58 minutes. Today, Grand Prairie still has its aviation roots with Lockheed Martin, Bell Helicopter, and Vought Aircraft among its largest employers. For this week’s Suburb Sunday, we’ve found three great homes in Grand Prairie that surely don’t touch that previous home-building record. (more…)

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Saturday Six Hundred
04/20/19 9:55am

Monticello Ave Tudor Is Delicious Like Gingerbread (Or Chocolate Bunny Ears)

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Greenland Hills is full of such adorable 30’s-built Tudors that you could eat them like gingerbread and this M Street corner lot at 5203 Monticello Ave listed for $619,000 by Lou Alpert of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty is no exception. This two-bedroom, two-bath is a well-built classic Tudor with 1,739-square-feet that has been updated to feature an open kitchen, professionally-landscaped yard, and top-of-the-line appliances. Take a look at the delicious details of this great home after the jump. (more…)

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Thursday Three Hundred
04/18/19 9:45am

This Mid-Century Modern Across from Bishop Lynch Is Heavenly

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Maybe we’ve got Easter Sunday on our minds, but this mid-century gem across from Bishop Lynch High School in East Dallas has so many updates for this price range, it’s heaven-sent. This 1956-built home at 1805 Swan Drive has three bedrooms, two baths, and 1,640-square-feet full of bright, open floorplan space that perfectly highlights the original and refinished hardwood floors, listing agent Sejal Bogdon of Central Metro Realty tells us. Actually, it’s the agent’s own home that she and her husband have lovingly restored since moving into the Crest View Park neighborhood a few years ago. (more…)

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Suburb Sunday
04/14/19 9:50am

You Can Find Amazing Estates Priced Below Market Value in Glitzy Westlake

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You don’t typically think of bargain-priced properties when it comes to Westlake. Known as one of the most affluent suburbs in the Metroplex and home to celebrities and athletes alike, Westlake doesn’t have any homes priced under $1 million. At least not on the market right now. However, these three outstanding estates are great value for the purchase price, whether they’re priced below market value or they’ve been reduced several hundred thousand dollars. They’re not in everybody’s price range, but they’re three great homes to dream about for this Suburb Sunday.

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Saturday Six Hundred
04/13/19 9:55am

Lower Greenville Stucco Has the Perfect Entertaining Rooftop Deck

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For this week’s Saturday Six Hundred, we’re headed to Anita Street near Lower Greenville for a spacious four-bedroom, five-bath Mediterranean stucco home listed for $669,000 by Robert Kucharski of the Kucharski Group with David Griffin & Company.

The 2006-built single-family attached home at 5600 Anita Street shares a wall with the home next to it, making what’s called a split home, slightly different from a duplex in that the property line is actually split by homeowners. It’s easier seen than described, so check out the open house Sunday, April 14 from 2-4 p.m. Meanwhile, we can tell you this three-story home has an impressive 3,411 square feet with a rooftop deck you’ll want to see. As you enter the foyer, to the left, a formal room with French doors that open to the garden-like front yard. To the right, the kitchen, casual dining, living area, and spiral staircase to the second floor. (more…)

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