The home is 3405 square feet, was built in 1993 on a 50 by 129 foot lot as a custom, and may need some 2010 updates in the kitchen and baths. Traditional property: an entry flanked by formal living and dining rooms, high ceilings, hardwood floors and custom draperies. Note: lest you think wallpaper and draperies are passe, I’ve just returned from The Greenbrier in West Virginia where Carleton Varney even used wallpaper on ceilings! Two masters, one up, one down and a central staircase sweeps you up there to that retreat plus bedroom number three.

Downstairs, where of course you will spend most of your time, is a large family room with fireplace, skylights, and that kitchen. There’s a paneled study off the family room for those who would rather Facebook (oh dear, I just made it a verb!) than watch TV, and an outdoor living area. I mean really, what else do you need? More garage space? Gotcha covered — you can store three cars in the home’s two garages. (Or “stuff”.) A bargain? OK, these sellers are not drinking any post-Fourth Kool Aid: this home has been reduced in price to $469,500. Another one in the same area at 8332 Coral Drive  is on for $525,000.

Full disclosure: there are home association dues of $800 a year that cover front yard landscaping and security plus common area maintenance — I think I could live with that!

“I own a one bedroom unit at a older but well respected highrise in
Dallas and am looking at remodeling my woefully deficient bathroom.
Due to it’s size it is equipped with a very mediocre bathtub/shower
combo, the bathtub portion of which has never been used by me. I have
been giving some thought to instead of having a very mediocre
shower/tub combo putting in a luxurious shower, likely a steam shower
and cannibalizing a small portion of a very large bedroom walk-in
closet to do it.

My question is, is this going to hurt my resale value too much? Am I
better off having an tub/shower combo or a nice, large steam shower
without a tub? And is it smart to have a large closet and large shower
instead of an extra large closet and a smaller shower?”

Know that really important rule of real estate that rules supreme: location, location, location? Well, here’s another: you can never be too rich, have too many closets or a big enough bathroom. Now I have always heard that a bathroom with a tub/shower combo is better for re-sale value, but they may not have been talking about granite-clad spa baths. (And I’m assuming that is what you are considering.) I am wondering if the new “tech” bath supersedes that old combo bathtub/shower wives tale. So we shall ask out there — what would you do? Personally, I’d like the fancy-pants steam shower but could never part with a larger closet.

Question: how much room is on your balcony? (Just kidding!)

Folks, what should this homeowner do?

Anyone care to enlighten us and share their experience?

I’d like to know who came up with the Happy idea of naming these streets after Disney characters; is it true that homeowners on Grumpy consume more Prozac than those on Snow White? Long nappers on Sleepy? A newspaper article from the time indicates that Disney corporate may have been initially Grumpy, but it was the good old days when they didn’t have a lawyer in every other house and torts were desserts—so they never sued and kind of reaped from the branding.

Now, are you ready for the price? $545,000. But before you run for your checkbook, I must tell you there was an option contract on Cinderella until today. Given the market, I thought you’d still like to take a look. Bicker all you want, folks. People will always love Disney.

Whoever buys 6815 Gaston Ave. must have at least one patriotic party a year here; in fact, let’s make that a contingency in the contract. This is the perfect home for a patriotic week: built in 1949 in the post WWII building boom, the home has been meticulously updated yet retains all the Lakewood charm. Plus, the location is great, because Lakewood Country Club is right across the street. Step inside to see the entry flanked by formals and a remodeled kitchen with white cabinets, top-grade stainless-steel appliances, granite, moveable island, and breakfast nook. The home has original hardwoods up and down and new energy-efficient windows. The second-floor master features a balcony overlooking the almost quarter-acre lot, and the bath has been updated with double rubbed bronze fixtures and a huge walk-in shower. The 2,650 square feet includes three bedrooms; three baths; large family room; wine cellar; and spacious, treed yard. And the price is nice: $499,000. Or you can lease it for $2,850 per month.

Update: I’m now told that this house has been leased. See, you were too late. But I’ll be the agents have a few more up their sleeves.

I, too, lived in a “scraper” for ten years that was also on the northwest corner of a lovely intersection. I knew  my girl was riding into the sunset and we watched every penny we poured into her, kind of like those comparison-effectiveness studies health care reformers want to help whittle costs. (Just wait…) We stuck to functional repairs — only repair plumbing but forget new wallpaper. In other words, resuscitate, plastic surgery out of the question. I wanted a shot at building my dream house so we sold her — one of the hardest, most retching sales I ever had. I remain great friends with my realtor to this day for this reason: I called him at two in the morning 42 hours after closing, begged him to get me out of the contract. (Client from hell, that was me.) I was sobbing: I can’t leave this home, I cried, it has way too much history and… way too much stuff. I particularly enjoyed Christine’s story, because like many of us, I like to play “what if”? What if I had not gone to the college I did, met my husband, what if I had not bought our home on Park Lane and what if my dear agent had called me back, said yes darling, I’ll reverse that transfer of funds stat and find you a nice real estate attorney to cover you for the likely lawsuit you will be in for failure to perform to contract. Never had five garage sales, packed two moving vans, moved a family of four plus three dogs and a parrot into a rent house for 1.5 years, was almost evicted from said rent house, never got my security deposit back even though the builder tore the house down to — kindling. Took him to small claims court and won, but he had filed for bankruptcy and I just got in line. Am still in line, actually.

Do you see how this scraping business created an economic frenzy? On a bright note, only one thing broke: my sister’s antique glass cake plate, and she knows nada to this day.

Christine, I know what I am getting you for Christmas: earmuffs!

Oh well, sometimes ignorance is bliss.

The Drexel Montane (2848 Woodside St.), in State Thomas, houses some of the best condo buys in town. Unit 205 is a three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath corner unit on the second floor with private elevator, three fireplaces (how cozy), four balconies, crown moldings, 10-foot ceilings, concierge, and travertine and wood floors—all just a short drive from the Crescent, where owners can obtain health club memberships. These boutique units have all the flash and amenities of the rich kids down the block—Azure, Ritz-Carlton, W—for a whole lot less. HOAs are currently running .32 per square foot under the management of Worth Ross and Associates. Saucy neighbors: the building is a kind of quiet hideout for many local sports pros and, until recently, Mi Cocina founder Mico Rodriguez. Must be those private elevators—a Drexel signature. Unit 205 has been reduced from $517,900 to $497,500, so the seller is very motivated—which he has to be, because there are plenty of other units available in this class-act building.

Even so, the City Plan Commission denied permission to let the Simon David store on Inwood Road expand back onto Robin. Word is the neighbors, while happy with the store’s expansion plans, wanted to keep things within the original lot footprint. Basically, the neighbors did not want to take out Robin and told Randalls, the folks who own Simon David, come back with different plans, and let’s talk.

This area northwest of Inwood and Mockingbird lane is called the Bird Streets because of all the streets named after birds. I’ve been bullish on this ‘hood for years, and in fact would seriously consider an investment here. Here’s why: one year ago realtor Perry Guest sold 6806 Oriole on an 80 by 145 foot deep lot for about $155,000. Today, he’s got the 2000 square foot, womped-up house under contract for about $300,000. Guest loves the Bird Streets so much he lives there. “This is what Devonshire was six, eight years ago,” says Guest, and it’s right across from Greenway. It’s the last place close-in where you can buy a home on a great lot for a decent price, fix it up and flip it a year later, come out ahead.

Of course, Robert Shiller might tell you to wait five years.

Lots are treed, leafy, Park City-sized 80 by 150. They run under $150,000, maybe even less now. A few home builders have dabbled, none overly successful. This is the kind of place where you spruce up the existing 1940′s or 1950′s ranch, sit back and enjoy it while she appreciates as much as the current market conditions let her rip. Here’s one 2635 quare foot home reduced to sell listed for $429,000; another cutie pie down the street, owned by Briggs Freeman’s Meredith McKee, nets you 1320 square feet for only $225,000. McKee is quite hot on the Bird Streets and has renovated and sold a few nests there herself.