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Casa View Oaks

I’m back–temporarily–to help Candy out as she takes care of family business.

I’m always amazed at how many tucked-away neighborhoods there are in Dallas that I’ve never heard of.  With really good architecture.

Just drove over to an area that I guess might be called Casa View Oaks, in an area of east Dallas that can only appreciate, near Ferguson and Oates.  There’s quite a pocket of Cliff May-designed houses over there that are crying out for young families to come on in, buy a house for next to nothing, do some restoration work, and end up with affordable architectural significance.

Cliff May, who is sometimes referred to as the Father of the California Ranch House, practiced throughout the mid century (20th, right).  His houses were notable for their close connection between interior and exterior spaces, which tends not to be the case with the ranch houses we all grew up in.  The houses over in Casa View Oaks clearly have it.  One current listing, 2651 Andrea Lane, is on the market for $146,000 and has been a hot topic over at livemodern.com.   Take a look at the photos.

Dallas Real Estate: My New Dream Pool

I found it in West Allen at Wimberley Place in a home by Steve Roberts. This pool was built by Leisure Living Pools. Full disclosure, they built our pool nine years ago and are still around digging pools. (Wonder if many of the pool contractors I interviewed can say the same?) I would so build a pool like this if I were building one today. Not only is this a fun waterfall feature, there’s a romantic little cove where you can hide out from the sun and stay super cool. LOVE the rock! Guess how much money the average pool costs to build today? I’ve heard between $75,000 and $100,000 depending on size,  features and rock. What’s out in pools? Diving boards.

Dallas Mayor Leppert Just Fishing For Real Estate?

They are not “actively marketing their home” nor hankering to move, and they don’t have their eyes set on another abode. But now that the kids are gone, Mayor Tom Leppert and his wife, Laura, are toying with the idea of selling their 10,106-square-foot home in the honeypot of Preston Hollow — a hop, skip and jump from the recent $30 million-ish sale of 5323 Park Lane.

They are toying with the idea so much that they have their home quietly listed with Keller Williams agent Nicky Sheets (how much they are not-actively-marketing it for, Sheets won’t say), and the home is not listed in the MLS. According to the mayor’s spokesperson, Chris Heinbaugh, the first couple of Dallas just want to let it be known that if someone is interested in buying a beautiful Granbury-stone home DCAD valued at just over $5 million, built in 2002, at a competitive price, well then they just might consider selling.

Of course, should the “not-active-marketing” result in a sale, the Lepperts would like to stay in the same area.

Dallas Home Price Performance

Today Steve Brown tells us that, even though our home values have taken about a 15% price hit from the highs of 2007, Dallas home prices are projected to remain constant over the next twelve months while they are expected to continue to decrease nationally by 6.6 percent, all this according to yet another home price consultant guru, North Carolina-based Local Price Monitor. At a real estate event last night — so fun,  commercial brokers had to dress up in tuxedos and serve the ladies wine — I heard tale upon tale of buyers coming in with low-ball offers. At least one agent said, if you don’t have to sell your house, why would you have it on the market now? Getting back to the North Carolina study: yesterday, Steve quoted the folks at Harvard, who I personally find morbidly doom and gloom in their reports, as saying our home values were back to 1990’s values.  (CNN says new home sales in May down a third from 2008 levels.) While today’s report seems to contradict that report, I guess this means it still is not as bad as the 1980’s.

Dallas Deal Estate — a REAL Estate Sale in Preston Hollow

 That would be5915 Desco, one of Preston Hollow’s most magical streets, perfectly located west of Preston, east of the Tollway, and all verdant green green green. This pup is a 1951 brick ranch that has been expanded (8232 square feet) and updated with guest quarters, tennis court, pool. With 1.22 acres, this is like having a country club in your back yard. In fact, it’s better! Home is beautifully maintained and I’m sure some builder is eyeing it to strip the carcass bare and build a new behemoth from one end of the acreage to the other — so someone buy this home now, please, to save it. Great point: sprawling master bedroom is on the first floor, perfect for empty nesters or the gently aging baby boomer with bad knees from playing too much college football!

Update: This home is listed for $1,995,000 — 1.22 acres in the honeypot. Unbelievable.

Dallas Deal Estate: Heck Of A Deal(s)

Nicky Sheets slashed the price on his 4512 Beverly Drive listing —  live on Beverly for less than $2 million! Diane Duvall Rogers is trimming the fat on this Briarwood cutie pie, 4907 West Amherst, or head south to Winnetka Heights for a rare find, 219 North Willomet , $365,000.

Dallas Home Seller’s Weekend Chores: Caulk It Up

Don’t even think it’s Miller Time until you have these pre-sell, honey-do’s out of the way:

Norman Brinker’s Dallas Home

Though it’s now owned by oncologist Dr. Dennis H. Birenbaum, and on the market with Polly Kinzie of Allie Beth Allman for $6,300,000, I will always think of 9410 Alva Court as the home of Dr. Terry James, who built it, and the great Norman Brinker, who James sold it to in the ’90’s.

Champ D’Or Changes Agents, Now On Market For Only $27 Million

 Just heard that Champs D’Or has changed real estate brokers, agents and price again. The mega mega property, built in God’s country north of Denton, had been listed with Dave Perry-Miller’s Elaine Whitfield and Matthew Edwards for $65 million. Now it’s bounced back to Briggs Freeman, listed for $27 million. The mega property was also a cover story in D CEO…  where it was speculated that it could end up a tear down.  This property has had more agents than Wilt Chamberlain had sexual partners.

Andrew Merrick Lowers Price of Home by One Million Dollars

Not 3500 Beverly,  which is still $17.9, but this one: 4201 Versailles, reduced to $3,999,999 from $4,999,999. 8465 square feet, slate roof, basement, loaded. If this was Vegas, we could probably start a wager on how much these two homes will ultimately sell for — but if this was Vegas, those prices would be slashed to smithereens and the banks would likely be the owners. Andrew Merrick still has James Dondero.  Go ahead — comments are wide open here — tell us what you think these two homes will ultimately sell for.

House Porn: Video Tour of 3619 Crescent, Just Under Ten Million

Park Cities People’s Merritt Patterson got Doris Jacobs’ clients to throw in a Terminator poster if she buys this over the over-the-top Park Cities manse… check it out.