Urban Living in Dallas
When Erle Rawlins Jr. and his wife purchased an old laundry business on Congress Avenue, his goal was to take the building and turn it from a cavernous commercial property and into a true townhome. This was in 1934, when most people were trying to find their financial footing after the stock market crash of 1929.
Rawlins was a business-savvy man — a Realtor, natch — and he knew a thing or two about architecture. So he set out on this project with the help of Earl Hart Miller, and what they ended up with is this amazing 3,000-square-foot home around which high-rises and a bustling neighborhood was built.
What happens when you find your dream home, remodel it into your perfect home, and then something happens and you have to move?
It’s a huge struggle, says Duane Dankesreiter.
He and his wife own that gorgeous updated Tudor in Wilshire Heights we featured for our Friday Four Hundred last week. They still love the house (who wouldn’t!?) and are heartbroken about putting it on the market. But, family calls from the suburbs, and they are trying to sell the house they thought they’d stay in forever.
Read on for more …
I was just cruising MLS, minding my own business, and BAM … I ran into 4303 Rawlins, a listing from the adorable Jory Walker of Coldwell Banker Apex Realtors, and my search was over. I had to show you, dear readers, just how gorgeous this home is.
I’ve told you how I feel about Tudors. Folks, this is the Anti-Tudor. This is the Tudor to end all Tudors. This Tudor will knock your socks off, sweep you off your feet, and light a fire in your escrow account.
Lots of young folks moving to Oak Cliff are looking for a charming older home with great bones. They’re looking for fixer-uppers, diamonds in the rough, and plenty of room for sweat equity.
To me, however, that sounds like a lot of work. (If that makes me sound lazy, well, color me guilty.)
If I were looking for a home in Oak Cliff, I’d snag one of these adorable Winnetka Heights Craftsman bungalows where someone else has poured in the blood, sweat, and trips to the hardware store so I don’t have to. So you can see why 122 S. Rosemont Ave. is so appealing to me. And at $229,000, it is an incredible value.
So you’re thinking of downsizing, but you don’t want to move into any ol’ bland condo. Or perhaps you’re a young family looking to capitalize on downtown Dallas’ growing urban core before the prices get too ridiculous. Or maybe you’re a young professional looking to buy your first home in a hip, walkable area?
