Walking through the front door and past an elegant aquarium filled with exotic tropical fish and coral, you’ll be reminded of Miami. Continue through the sweeping dining room, past the kitchen decked out in Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances and granite-slab counters, and into the dramatic great room floating above the trees, and you’ll get a sense of New York City design coupled with an upstate New York countryside view. A board conference room and library overlook the pool and forest beyond, perfect for those who prefer to work from home. In fact, with a movie theater, gym, and saltwater infinity “floating” pool just steps away, you never really have to leave the grounds.

Quality infuses every detail of this home: the silent, automated window coverings; the exquisite wood cabinets; the wood-lined elevator complete with a state-of-the-art phone system. In the master suite, which along with an adjacent patio is suspended above the trees, the blinds move with the touch of a finger, and the artfully rendered light fixtures provide peaceful illumination.

But for all its ethereal beauty, Oak Mount Place has rock-solid vitals: built in 2009, the home has 6026 square feet, four bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths, and three decks overlooking the woods and that gorgeous pool and spa. Walls of glass surround the kitchen, family and living areas, but the area is so secluded, those automatic window coverings might not even be necessary.

This house—designed by Mark Domiteaux, built by Ron Smith of Quorum Design + Construct, and expertly decorated by Ron’s wife, interior designer Abby Smith—would be right at home in Malibu. Lucky for you its owners chose North Dallas, where it’s available for a mere $2,750,000 (in Preston Hollow it could easily fetch $5 million). Before you sneeze at the price, go see it. Very motivated sellers who have put their heart and soul into this home are ready to say goodbye, and I have to tell you, the interior rivals that of a certain famous white house on Northaven Road.

Listed with Suzy Hotchkiss of Ebby Halliday.

Show me a home that’s stylish and pretty, but where you can get comfy. Relax. Put your feet up and relax.

Happy Labor Day!

The kids are back in school so it’s time to relax with a glass of  wine and House Porn! (Well, at least until car pool time!) I could not resist this brand new Lakewood listing — kind of makes me feel like Medieval Times.  Which in a way, it is. This historic castle on one acre in the  heart of Deep Lakewood was the former estate of  Dallas Mayor Robert Thornton and Edwin Cox — two famous owners in its DNA. A true Dallas landmark with exquisite landscaping, classic architecture, and English tudor everywhere. Built in 1929, 6941 Gaston has four bedrooms, three baths, and 3,200 air conditioned square feet. (Ah, remember when 3,200 square feet was an enormous home?) Only $795,000, but I do think it needs some work. Still, slate roof. Stone and brick facade. Check out the little cannon in the front. Wonder if still functional.

Update: My address is 7350 Mimosa, I’m listed for $399,900 over at Keller Williams Elite, and like the man says, I am already under contract.

What he told me was fascinating and a good lesson in looking below the surface of a recession. Because believe it or not, smart people manage to make money even when the sun isn’t shining so brightly. And the Heritage success story is really a real estate story: their expansion came about in part because they got some good deals on real estate, because of the recession.

Heritage may have started as a coin auction house, but they now sell art and antiques, coins, currency, entertainment memorabilia (which is going gangbusters), historical, stamps, jewelry and time-pieces, movie posters (ditto), natural history, rare books, and sports collectibles, 30 categories in all. They opened a gallery in Beverly Hills Feb 1 and are opening — are you ready? – another new location on Park Avenue and 57th Street in New York City September 1. We are talking the highest rent district in the U.S.A. Sotheby’s and Christie’s might as well take a ten year coffee break.

September 16, 2008: the day the financial markets started to crash. Greg Rohan has it etched in his memory. He says he was with one of his biggest clients shortly thereafter and asked how he was doing.  I’m down a half a billion, the client said, but I don’t have to start flying commercial yet.  Naturally, Greg wondered how clients would react post 9/08 and how Heritage should position itself. For all wealthy people, he says, the recession was a wake-up call. Some had to lower their style of living to fly commercial first class rather than private, others had to fly coach.  And buying habits changed, too, except that people who have the collecting gene have it during lean times as well as fat.  They collect but steer towards the rarest of the rare items across the spectrum, not so much common items. Common means items that will always come along, like a bus.

Because of that, as far as collectibles, today the best of the best is still worth as much or even more than it was pre- September 20, 2008. Really good items are worth maybe 10% less than pre-crash, common items are generally worth 15 to 25% less.

Rohan thinks that about June, 2009, people settled into their new-found wealth status (worth less on paper, well you can’t take it with you) and adjusted, hence started spending again. And collecting. That’s where the uptick came from.

“I think Dallas is indicative of the rest of the country,” says Rohan. “If it’s something they want, they’ll buy it.”

Even better: Rohan knows folks who made money — they sold collectibles in early 2009 at a 15-25% loss then turned around and bought stocks and real estate that had dropped 50% or more.

And Heritage had always wanted to expand to the east and west coasts but never anticipated opening both offices simultaneously. Voila, the real estate market had dropped so much that a well established company like Heritage, with solid gold credit, negotiated leases with a big stick , 35% off Beverly Hills, a whopping 50% off Park Avenue.

Which is now fueling their expansion. The company’s business has expanded over the last ten years, averaging a steady growth rate of 10 to 15% a year, this over the greatest recession since the Great Depression.

Which is why I picked up the phone.

Well, maybe someone ought to whisper a word to the owner of Champs D’Or, 1851 Turbeville Road, Alan H. and Shirley Goldfield who have changed brokers once again and have the house listed THIS TIME with Coldwell Banker for…  please, do sit down or at least breathe deeply before you read this — ready? — OK — $69,900,000. Yep, that’s the Best Little Tear Down in Texas on the market STILL and Realtor  Number 5 — I’ve lost count. (What the bejesus was the last listing price, $27,500,000 for half the property and who what where was the agent?) We could start a boutique agency with all the agents who have tried to sell that place and lost moola on the marketing materials. Chanel boutique closet or no, I love it, but that place is not budging.

Seriously folks, let’s place some wagers here: how long will this relationship last before that agent is out the door faster than Oksana? And who will be the next?

Update: I apologize for leaving the “s” off  “Champs” in the headline. We do not have a spellcheck for our headlines hence I screw up words all the time — sorry!

Ron Wills, a Canadian, says he just cannot take Texas summers. But his wife, Corrina, a Tucson native, says she is not going to live anywhere with brutal winters. My suggestion:  Make an offer with the contingency they become personal tenants of that lower-story space November through April each year.

(Fanning myself. Whoo.)

I’ve done a little investigative reporting this morning on my own to learn that the buyer of this property (yes, it was cashola)  is none other than Dallas Cowboys (tight end??? Where’s my Football for Dummies?)  Terence Newman. Lots of blue and white parties and testosterone over there now on Park Bridge — love it!

You’ve heard me rattle and rave about 1112 S. Canterbury Court previously. Well hold onto your britches, because 808 North Bishop, pictured, is just amazing for $482,000. The Pride of Bishop — a one-of-a-kind Craftsman. Built in 1942 but fully restored in 2007, keeping P.C. — that’s period correctness –  in mind. Bright, open spaces, pine floors, 10′ ceilings, restored original windows, grand balconies with full on views of downtown Dallas. Updates include total rewiring, new HVAC, new roof in ’07, water heaters, gorgeous kitchen(s) with stainless everything, glass tile back splash, walk-in car wash shower, huge walk-in closet in 3276 gorgeously cared-for square feet. Bishop is a must-see even if you aren’t interested in buying a house.

But do scurry on over to sleek 909 Knott Place – a 3/2 with formals, contemporary kitchen featuring custom cabs, quartz counters, stainless appliances, glass and marble back splash, walnut stained island overlooking great room,  42 x 21 master suite retreat upstairs with sitting area and spa bath could be the setting for a whole season of “Desperate D’s” . And Oh. My. God. Just look at  Nob Hill Place.

Now here’s the best part about this Sunday open house: it ends with brewskis. Turns out the owners of  808 N. Bishop Ave., Corinna & Ron Wills, also own The Beckley Brewhouse.  The Brewhouse is usually closed on Sundays; however, they are going to open their doors immediately following the Oak Cliff Tour of Homes on Sunday, July 18, 2010, from 4pm to 10pm with the kind of hospitality I love — no food, just drinks! Even better, cheap drinks!  Happy Hour will be 4pm to 6pm with $1 off wells and beers.

Sunday is going to be a fabulous day in the O.C: 99 degrees for the high, clear sun, the Oak Cliff Tour of homes, and $1 Brewskis.

In other words,  Museum Tower and The Residences at the Ritz Carlton. All the downtown developers were on hand to be supportive for this crew — as Sharon Quist pointed out, this recession has taught us that “we all really need to pull together if we want to thrive. Or survive!”

Kyle Crews and and Joseph agree with what John said when he announced the ground-breaking last week: by the time this Tower is complete, the Ritz will be sold-out. In fact, Joseph says that the resurrection of Museum Tower brought him a few more clients.

For a full report, read what D intern Ashley Slayton wrote over on Frontburner…  I think she did a great job of reporting, and I am so glad someone there was paying attention!

I just love that building. You know Amanada Blake, Miss Kitty from Gunsmoke, lived there. (‘Twas my grandfather’s favorite show.)

I checked on DCAD and found something both interesting and exhausting: each unit in the Maple Terrace is valued separately, which means I had to add up all the values — and may have messed up a few numbers on my old-fashioned, key-in calculator — to get a total value of about $8,811,040.  Some units are valued as low as $23,010 while one unit, 1611, is valued at a whopping $66,980. The owner is High Street Maple Terrace Associates, LP. Rents range from $600 to $4000 per month.

Will you just look at this house?

“Thirty-seven percent of 69 Japanese pension funds surveyed by JPMorgan Asset Management (Japan) Ltd. plan to increase alternative investments that include real estate, according to a survey released on April 20.”

The Japanese Teachers Fund is now mulling REITs as a decent alternative investment as a hedge against risks and for decent returns.