Articles for October, 2008
Long Lines At The Polls
It took about 30 minutes just to get in the door on this the last day of early voting, election judges told me they had been swamped all week. Makes you kind of proud. The candidates were there to give us one last pitch, including one of my faves, Dan Branch. Could not resist asking the people around me what they thought of the election, and the man standing behind me in line said something very interesting: he thought he had made up his mind who he was going to vote for, until very recently. Then he started thinking: if Obama is going to raise our taxes, as he says he will, what are we going to get from it? I wouldn’t mind paying more in taxes, he said. if I knew we’d see definitive results — better schools, a higher level of education, something tangible. But all we’ve been given is generalities. Raise taxes for a better life. Try asking to increase your budget at work “to make the company” better and see how far it will get you.
I thought this was interesting and probably what a lot of people are mulling.
Are Dallas Mansions Still Selling Well?
Pining for the Bubble: Kind of interesting, looking at an article from just over a year ago. What happened to these homes and who sold them?
Terranova: Highland Park Village Style Scoots North
So what makes Houston developer Randall Davis think he can swoop in to Dallas, plop 42 high rise units in Preston Center priced around $400 per square foot and sell them?
His proven track record. Davis, says Allie Beth Allman’s Kyle Crews, has developed two successful condo projects with his partner for Terranova, Hines (as in Dallas Galleria), and is working on a luxury condo tower on South Padre Island. And let’s face it: given the current credit market, if you have any chance at all of obtaining financing, you’d better have a granite-solid track record.
Davis is also quick: the development team purchased the site from Chase Bank (Douglas at Weldon Howell) and will have a bank drive-through on one side of the lobby, which I told you all about in June. My concern: won’t residents have to worry about bank robbers? Davis’ response: no, that means there will be better security!
The building will be nine stories high, but still called a “high rise”. Mediterranean/Tuscan architecture and all this is standard: outdoor kitchens, private wine room, Viking, Sub Zero, Wolf, roll-out pantries, coffered ceilings, art niches, Origami Air bathtubs, Italian porcelains, marble, granite, 10-foot ceilings, guest pied-a-terre, and private elevator entries. Sizes will range from 1400 to 4400 square feet. And Davis says he already has five deposits!
Sebastian Construction Group Celebrates 60 Years
With a fabulous party last night at Arlington Hall at Lee Park, great food, wine and company. John, whose father started Sebastian Construction Group in 1948, is one of the city’s most high-profile builders. I’ll be posting photos of his work that were on display last night, including the Harlan Crow library. Top realtors in attendance: precious Irmgard Arthur with Allie Beth Allman, Briggs-Freeman’s Joan Eleazer who is listing French by Design design expert/author Betty Lou Phillip’s home because Betty Lou and husband John Roach are building new, and John Sebastian is their contractor. Also every great architect in town — Wilson Fuquay, Richard Drummond Davis, subs and cannot forget the folks who supply all the fixtures for Sebatian properties, Elegant Additions.
Halloween Lobster
Property value enhancement: a furry red lobster in the house!
Dallas, Houston, San Antonio Home Equity A-OK
So says Steve Brown today, citing the Center for Economic and Policy Research and the National Low Income Housing Coalition. I guess folks are concerned that if they buy homes, even cheaper homes, prices may fall after they sign on the dotted. Reminder: Real Estate is for the long term, not a three-month flip. The study says basically that Texans will have more home equity long term, and the worst is yet to come in areas that had huge bubbles, such as the so-called “sand belt”. See, Real Estate is such a local story… what do you think?
The Wedding
All these reports of a lavish, outlandish wedding last weekend rumored to have cost close to 9 million dollars. Well, tonight I got the goods on the house. Where they will be living post nuptials: Audubon Place. Aquarium in the master bedroom. Got a little digging to do, but this story is so on my radar… so stay tuned!
More Glam Shots For Your Car
Where else would a company like this originate? Josh Davis Photography, Fort Worth, Texas. Question: I don’t understand what she is there for, maybe to clean the garage?
Glamour Shots For Your Car
I am not even kidding.
Get Out The Vote — FAST
Not for politics, but for Rick and DeDe Mercer Moffett’s Frisco house to win Favorite Halloween Decor on The Today Show. Dede, who lives at 5130 Kiowa Drive in Frisco, is really into decorating for Halloween and Christmas. Couple weeks ago she saw the Halloween decorating contest on TV, rolled up her sleeves, and decorated to the hilt. Then she submitted the photos. She didn’t even know her house was a finalist until a friend called. Earlier the Moffett home was in second place, was just dropped to number 3… come on and vote! We cannot let a home in Michigan or Oregon outdo Texas for Halloween! Besides, house number one is way too electricity-intensive, in my opinion, and the Moffett’s made great use of a turret — there are EYES in it!
Another Celebrity Home In Dallas?
Owen Wilson was spotted shopping in the Fossil store at Northpark Mall in Dallas Monday evening at about 6:00 p.m. Might he be buying a home here next?
What We Need Right Now
A little party time.
The Rate Cut: I Love This Blog
The Mortgage Reports, because I can count on them to explain in English what all the fed posturing means to me as a home buyer. A Fed cut does not always mean a cut in rates. In fact, MR expects rates to go up in the next 30 days.
People Are Just Nuts
So glad this West Hollywood homeowner took this down — very bad taste. Talk about weird neighbors.
Everybody’s Suing — Music To My Ears
Only because I have two lawyers in my house, but I kind of saw this coming a few week’s ago. If people have no money to pay their attorneys fees, think they’ll take chickens?
There Are Two Sides To Every Story
And here is Nicky and Eleanor Sheetses’ response to the IRS, as filed last Friday. Please note, barring unforseen developments, this is my last post on their case. I personally and sincerely wish them the very best of luck.
Shop/Compare Title Policies On Line?
It’s all about transparency.
When Housing Blogs Throw Stones
Ths is a must-read article for anyone who reads real estate blogs, a Bible for anyone who writes one. Thought I might take this as a sweet opportunity to talk about how mean people can be on this, and other, blogs.
Here? On DallasDirt? Just read some of the posts, you’ll see that Thorazine must not be getting covered by a lot of HMO’s these days.
(See? I’m being mean! Bad blogger!)
“Everything inside is nothing but beige and barf”: what one commenter wrote about a home on the Real Estalker — I won’t even repeat what the Real Estalker wrote about Phil Romano’s home.
(Hate to be picky, but barf is not always beige.)
Why do we have to be so mean and put down other people’s homes? Are we just envious? Maybe some people like their homes all huge and purple, like a bruise. (Slap me!) We cannot all afford the Taj Mahal one of the Ten Most Beautiful Homes In Dallas, nor can we all afford to hire the likes of Trisha Wilson, Emily Summers, Neal Stewart or Michele Nussbaumer to create exquisite, tasteful home environments. (Maybe some of us would rather be altruistic with funds and buy back a foreclosed home for a sobbing woman.) We are all to do this tasteful decorating on our own? (Hello, why do you think Pottery Barn was created.)Well, what if we cannot? Is that why we offer up snarky opinions on photos of homes that are not to our liking, or remind us of (give me sunglasses) pre-school?
But who would be stupid enough to leave an exercise bike smack in the middle of the room he was trying to showcase for sale?
I guess we have all become critics. (more…)
Great, Heartwarming Home Story
A Rockwall woman named Marilyn Mock bought another woman’s foreclosed home in Pottsboro, Texas, and is giving it back to her. How wonderful!
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