When I spotted this Organic Modernist home at 2215 Kessler Woods Court, I did a little happy dance. It immediately brought to mind Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic Fallingwater, and Mountainside House created by architect James Fox. The influences of these midcentury masters are evident in the inspired design of this home.
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When Debbie Williams with Dave Perry-Miller-Preston Center told us about this adorable Midcentury Cottage in Elmwood with a fantastic price point, we knew we had to take a look.
For one, in a city where move-in ready inventory in the $200,000 to $350,000 price point can be a bit dear, Elmwood is still a place where you can reliably find a Dallas starter home. And unlike other locations at this price point, Elmwood is near plenty of fantastic amenities, and a fantastic commute for anyone working in the downtown area.
With it’s proximity to Bishop Arts and Trinity Groves, plus a soon-to-be revitalized Wynnewood Village (including a movie theater), Elmwood is a great option for a new homebuyer.
“This charming two-bed, one-bath home is in the heart of desirable Elmwood Addition, an area in the process of a great rebound,” Williams told us. “It’s a great time to get in at the beginning of the curve.” (more…)
Realtors — did you know that every week, we solicit pitches for our various featured listing posts like the Tuesday Two Hundred, the weekly roundup of Open Houses, Thursday Three Hundred, Friday Four or Five Hundred, and more?
All you have to do to get in on the action is join our Facebook group, Getting the Dirt. It’s a great place to virtually mingle with fellow professionals, ask questions, lend a hand, and, yes, pitch stories to CandysDirt.com writers.
Take, for instance, this week’s three properties featured in our CandysDirt.com Open Houses of the Week. After asking members to share their listings that would help someone meet a common New Year’s resolution, three Realtors pitched their open houses — and are now seeing them featured today.
Want to see who made a successful pitch? (more…)
[Editor’s note: Happy New Year! This week, we’re taking time off to focus on our loved ones, so we are sharing some of our favorite stories from this year. Keep an eye out for our top features from the archives as we rest and get ready for a brilliant 2019! Cheers, from Candy and the entire staff at CandysDirt.com!]
When you’re looking in that $300,000-and-under price point, sometimes you feel like you have to sacrifice something to get it — location, space, or even amenities or finishes. But with this week’s Tuesday Two Hundred in Oak Cliff, you really do get a lot for the price point.
The first thing that caught our eye was the sunny yellow exterior paint of this Cottage-Style Ranch at 2538 Emmett St. Clocking in at 1,712 square feet, this three-bedroom, two-bath home may have been built in 1925, but it’s had a recent update — enough of one that listing agent Lucy Massey with REMAX Select Homes calls it, “almost like new.”
The seller addressed aesthetics, but also addressed quite a bit more structurally, installing new plumbing, a new electrical system, new roof, new decking, a new HVAC system, new siding, and windows.
Builders of Hope CDC’s affordable condo project in the Bishop Arts District, the Saragosa (seen in the foreground), will make homeowners of Dallasites that might not otherwise be able to afford to enter the market (Photos courtesy 3D Immersion Tours).
[Editor’s note: Merry Christmas! This week, we’re taking time off to focus on our loved ones, so we are sharing some of our favorite stories from this year. Keep an eye out for our top features from the archives as we rest and get ready for a brilliant 2019! Cheers, from Candy and the entire staff at CandysDirt.com!]
As new construction of single-family homes continues to become more expensive, even existing homes in affordable price points can be as fine as hen’s teeth in high-demand areas like the Bishop Arts District of Oak Cliff. But one community development corporation is aiming to change that — starting with one condo development.
It’s been a steady refrain for almost a year among economists and builders — construction nationally isn’t getting any cheaper, with tariffs, skilled labor shortages, increases in land costs, and increased costs in construction materials. In February, it was almost certainly the consensus at an affordable housing conference at the Dallas Federal Reserve that one entire segment of new single-family home construction — homes priced less than $200,000 — had virtually disappeared from the market. A study in May of the area all but confirmed it. (more…)
Our Saturday Six Hundred is a gorgeous Venice-style Spanish mansion in the Stevens Park neighborhood of North Oak Cliff is just waiting for your Christmas tree and garlands.
And the beautiful 1846 Mayflower Dr. probably has some stories to tell, too, since it was built in 1928 by the architecture firm Flint & Broad, who were also responsible for many other buildings and homes in Dallas, including the Masonic Temple on Harwood Street, and parts of the aquarium at Fair Park and the original Love Field passenger terminal.
The firm also designed a Highland Park home on Versailles Avenue, and the Medical Arts Building in Shreveport, Louisiana, and the Black Hotel in Oklahoma City.
Thomas Broad and Lester Flint established their firm in 1923. Not much is known about Flint, other than he had served as president of the North Texas chapter of the American Institute of Architects during the Depression, and served as one of the first members of the State Board of Architectural Examiners.
More is known about Broad, who was born in Paris, Texas, and got his undergraduate degree in architecture from the University of Texas at Austin before attending Harvard for graduate school, leaving to go back home after a fire destroyed downtown Paris in 1916, where he helped with the rebuilding effort.
After stints in the U.S. Army Air Corp and then a firm in Kansas City, he went to Europe in 1921 to further his education. (more…)
When we asked Realtors last week to give us their cutest homes during our Thursday call for pitches, Bethanne Carter-Buffington with Colleen Frost, REALTORS told us about this adorable listing in Oak Cliff she said would make a perfect Tuesday Two Hundred.
“It’s a gorgeous Oak Cliff reno!” she said.
And she’s right. This 1924 cottage located at 2738 W. Brooklyn Ave. has been lovingly renovated, and is ready for a new family. How ready?
“The sellers are willing to leave it completely furnished,” she said.
So first-time homebuyers and downsizers, check this out (although we would also argue that at this price, it would make a great investment property as well) — a three-bedroom, two-bath home with 1,348 square feet of living space, all recently renovated and ready to go. (more…)
It’s not unusual to move to a new town and buy a new house. But the Pages didn’t just buy a house — they bought their first flip, in a city that they’re making their new home base.
As far as flips go, Jennifer and Tim Page actually picked a home that wasn’t entirely scary when they signed on the dotted line for 1111 South Waverly Dr., a good investment with easy access to Bishop Arts, downtown Dallas, and more.
“This is actually our first flip,” Jennifer said. “We moved here from Chicago just looking for a change of scenery without knowing this is what we would get into, but my husband Tim has always wanted to own his own business and be his own boss, so I told him to go for it!”
The couple had saved money from selling their home in Illinois, and with the market in Dallas doing so well, they thought it was time to jump in with both feet, finding a property in the ever-changing Oak Cliff, tucked between the Wynnewood, Elmwood, and Winnetka Heights neighborhoods.
“The house when we bought it was actually not in the worst condition,” Jennifer said. “It had been just recently flipped but not well at all.”
“You could tell that the previous owners were also trying to flip and may have run out of money and finished the house quickly and without regard for making it aesthetically appealing.”
And since it didn’t require a complete gut job, the couple felt “this would be the perfect starter.”
So that gave them time to take a good look at the house, what was selling, and what changes they could make to make it more functional and prettier. (more…)
