This home was built on white rock with bell-bottom piers (not to be confused with bell-bottom pants) in 1969, by its original owners. He was in the building products manufacturing business: door entrances. He sold to Pella Windows, which is every small-company owner’s dream. Thus the owners, who raised their family in this home, had both a keen eye and an “in” for high-quality materials. The exterior doors are solid Andean walnut from Bolivia; the double spiral banister on the front stairway was imported from Sedrina, Italy; the plentiful crown molding is imported from Cremona, Italy—well, you get the picture. The owners also installed an elaborate outdoor lighting system and a new HVAC and hot water heaters in 2007. But last summer they really went to town: scraped hardwoods in the living room, granite counters in the kitchen, new faucets, and new light fixtures. In other words, this home is turnkey. Their pain, your gain. It has been staged by Creative Staging by Design of Dallas, and it will be open this Sunday from 3-5 pm.

RUFUS C. BURLESON

Rufus C. Burleson, III passed away in his sleep on November 13, 2009. He was 77.  A Dallas native, born on May 22, 1932 at Baylor Hospital, he lived in Sachse, Texas with his wife, Mary Frances.

He was a Texas Tech graduate, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Husbandry in 1954, before joining the service where he was a First Lieutenant in the Army serving at Camp Chaffee in Arkansas.

After returning to Dallas, he had a successful career in residential construction. He “retired” to follow a passion that he and his wife shared, and began breeding and raising show Boxers full time.

He managed Marburl kennel situated on 11 1/2 acres, and enjoyed much success having completed American Kennel Club championships on at least 45 Boxers, many of whom were homebred and carried the kennel name Marburl Boxers. Marburl Boxers have won the prestigious American Boxer Club (ABC) Annual Specialty twice, the American Boxer Club Regional Specialty twice and the American Boxer Club Futurity once. In addition, one of Marburl’s International Champions won the ABC Legion of Merit. Rufus also was a well-respected judge in Boxer Specialties, judging Boxer Specialty Shows in Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Japan and Australia, and many Boxer Clubs throughout the US. The Burlesons received many awards for their show dogs, including the Life Time Achievement Award from the American Boxer Club.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Lucille Moore Burleson and Rufus C. Burleson Jr., a sister, Ann Burleson Honea, as well as his great-grandfather, Rufus C. Burleson who was president of Baylor University; Burleson Hall is named in his honor.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Mary Frances Burleson, niece Lisa Ingison of Dallas and many cousins in Dallas, Waco, Houston and Austin. Additionally, he will be remembered by many friends from his college days, Boxer owners, fishing and hunting friends and friends at Park Cities Baptist Church, where he was also a Deacon and a member of Floyd’s Faithfuls Sunday School class.

Rufus was an avid outdoorsman and grew up a member of the Boy Scouts reaching the impressive rank of Eagle Scout. He loved scouting and in his earlier years was a Scoutmaster. He also worked as a trail guide at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Rufus loved to hunt and fish, and especially enjoyed fly fishing. He fished many of the best rivers around the world, recently completing trips to South America, Alaska and Canada.

Rufus loved life and always had a smile on his face and a kind word for the people who were lucky enough to be around him. He was a devoted husband, who shared life with his soul mate and best friend, Mary Frances. He never missed a chance to support her real estate career and loved nothing more than sharing in her success and honors.

A true renaissance man, he was an artist and was well-known for his Boxer-inspired original paintings, “Dog Art,” which he created for each holiday. The paintings were reproduced as postcards for several thousand people who looked forward to receiving his latest “dog” masterpiece bestowing blessings for Thanksgiving or celebrating love on Valentines Day.

The memorial service and celebration of life is Friday, November 20 at 2 p.m. at Park Cities Baptist Church, 3933 Northwest Parkway, Dallas 75225. A reception will follow in the Fellowship Hall. A private burial will happen at noon. Visitation will be held at Restland Funeral Home on Thursday, November 19 from 6-8 p.m.

Honorary pallbearers are Larry Byrd, Bob Gayden, Marshall Comerer, Fred Pendleton, Franklyn Thiebaud and Jon White.

Memorial contributions may be made to Buckner International, c/o Jim Huey, Buckner Foundation, 600 N. Pearl St., Ste. 2260, Dallas, 75201 or the American Boxer Charitable Foundation, ABCF Memorial Endowment Fund, P.O. Box 8667, Spokane, WA 99203.

“The original auction brochure listed 29 units to be open for inspection.  On Saturday, only ten were listed as being offered for sale that day.  I did not ask why so many were excluded.  I presumed that it was because each bidder that went through the registration process in the days prior to the event was asked which units they were interested in – and that the excluded units had insufficient interest during the inspection process.  One other change was that the first two units offered would start with a minimum bid of $295,000 and would be sold to the highest bidder.  The eight remaining units would be sold subject to seller approval of the high bid.  My opinion is that many bidders do not fully understand this provision in that even if they are the high bidder, the seller can come back within a stated time period and say no thanks.  (Editor’s note: the “reserve”.) The brochure clearly states this, but most people think the high bid gets the property.

An interesting feature of the auction was that the Park Hollow units were mixed in with the Craig Ranch properties.  You would have a few homes come up and then a few condos.  It was quite a large crowd that required many additional chairs to be brought in.  It seemed that there were more people interested in the SFR’s (Editor’s note: single family residences) than the condominiums.

I don’t have the one page schedule that listed the exact order of the properties to be sold.  Without it, these results are not particularly meaningful.

The high bid results for the ten condominiums in the order in which they were auctioned:

1 – $310,000 (sold to the high bidder)

2 – $300,000 (sold to the high bidder)

3 – $271,000

4 – $471,000 (penhouse unit)

5 – $468,000

6 – $326,000

7 – $233,000

8 – $251,000

9 – $341,000

10 – $300,000

I did receive a call this week from Kennedy Wilson asking if I was still interested in #4.  This indicates that the seller did not accept the high bid.  I advised them that I thought the auction bid was a lot higher than I was willing to pay to begin with.  I asked if other high bids, besides those on the first two had been accepted.  It was indicated that there were some, but that others had been renegotiated upward before being accepted.  So it appears that in certain cases, being the high bidder only wins you the right to negotiate.”

9243 Church Road, reduced $150,000 from $650,000 to $425,000. This for 1.49 acres on Church Road, kind of an historic Dallas home. The agent, Briggs Freeman’s Erika Orbin, says the sellers are just really, really motivated.

Update: I’m told the property was recently apraised by veteran appraiser D.W. Skelton for $500,000 but the sellers, savvy business folks, are trying to be realistic given the current market. In my shorthand, that means motivated!

And then you can go to the spa instead of vacuum.I don’t know if I ever relayed the grand finale of our superb September stay at The Ritz-Carlton Tower Residences. We were offered spa treatments at the amazing, 12,000 square foot, award-winning  Ritz Spa. Only a few steps away from your Tower residence, located in the hotel complex, you walk into the beautiful, fragrant Ritz spa, slip into a soft robe, and place yourself in the hands of some very capable, talented masseurs and masseuses. I don’t know if I liked the heated, ergonomically perfect massage tables better than the precise, experienced hands that kneaded out every post-wedding kink, but it was pure heaven and I have already made Ritz Spa gift certificates my holiday gift of the year for very special friends.

By the way, our  Ritz-Carlton, Dallas hotel has received the coveted 2010 Five Diamond award, after just two years of operation, one of only 113 hotels in North America to receive AAA Five Diamonds for 2010.

“The AAA Five Diamond award is a truly worthy tribute to the ladies and gentlemen of The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas,” said Roberto van Geenen, general manager for the hotel.  “To be granted this rating within the first two years of operation is a particularly special honor, and it inspires all of us to continue raising the bar for this vibrant region.” Dallas is the only city in Texas to have been awarded AAA Five Diamond hotel ratings for 2010.

Update: Oh must tell you I found this listing on the Sawbuck website. You know, the company that got the Dallas Morning News into the real estate biz.

Please note: Dr. Barnes, I’m told, did not make his great fortune from doctoring but eyeglass ty-cooning. Here I thought everyone was doing Lasik!

Update: Thanks to the reader who snapped and sent these in — huge hugs! This home was also listed in D Magazine’s Most Expensive Homes issue — surprise, surprise!

Fairies, elves, knights in shining armour, I see all this and more in this restored 1931 built Lakewood Heights Tudor that has been restored and remodeled to sustain 21st century living. Yet it has retained the charm of yesteryear, from the exterior brick, roofline, leaded glass windows, moldings and sunroom.  6318 Belmont  is larger than it appears to be,  2703 square feet loaded with four bedrooms, three baths, sun room, large master suite and ginormous closets. And talk about proximity to White Rock Lake — please! This is the Lakewood dream life, biking to White Rock, Whole Foods, footing it to Lakewood Village. Master suite is upstairs with a stunning bath suite. Garage is detached and in back, with an electric gate. The yard: to die for deck and trees. The price: not bad — $479,000. Twist Brett Gray’s arm over at Dave Perry-Miller, but not too hard, please.

Steve, you are a really great speaker! Sorry I had to rush back to class.

Then ZipRealty (Emeryville, CA) tossed out it’s third quarter report to find this quirk:  Grand Prairie, Texas emerged as one of the top ten “hot” markets in the U.S., a hot market being one where accepted offers come in higher than list price. I had no idea this was happening in Grand Prairie. Further, Texas is a non-disclosure state so I am just baffled and have emailed the company for an explanation.

Help if you are from Grand Prairie — we need a clue!

Dear Candy:

My house has been on the market now for 95 days with about 30 showings. It’s a sprawling North Dallas ranch, great neighborhood, large lot near Inwood and Royal. I’m told this is a “highly sought after” area. We are considering lowering the asking price from $999,500. Do you think we should? By how much? My husband says we should take it off the market and wait until spring. Do you think this market is going to get any better?

Here’s the feedback we have received: not big enough; too big; yard not visible enough; too much of a “project” at this time, buyers need to sell their Uptown home first, buyers want new construction and less yard, buyers want quarters for their parents, buyers wonder why the walls are so big, buyers want a contemporary, open and updated kitchen. (Does no one remodel homes anymore? We didn’t thinking buyers would want to make their own statement.) Jeesh.

I just don’t know what to do, can you help?

Love, Amy

Dear Amy: Wow, you have had a busy last few months there, that’s a lot of showings. I know your area and it is hot, but this is a buyer’s market. It’s like the ultimate Last Call. In a market like this, buyers can afford to be picky picky and when they do make offers, they are coming in 20% to 40% below asking. Plus there’s still lots of inventory, so if they want new, they can find spec inventory from a builder who’s willing to let go. The biggest problem, I hear, is the out of towners who do not yet understand that our tongues are not hanging out like the sellers in New York, Florida, Phoenix and Nevada. (California is seeing a blip of euphoria, ha!)

Have you staged your home? Offered a remodeling credit for those who have no vision or inclination to redo that kitchen? Home warranty? Maybe fill the counters with ideas of what they could do. Most buyers today want turn-key — they are too busy to mess with a remodel. I’m the exception — I prefer to do it myself.

Take a cue from what you are hearing? Can you make the yard, which is one of your huge plusses, more visible? Can you draw people out there with furniture? Can you offer any perks with purchase — a face-lift for the new owner?

Just kidding.

As for lowering the price, the buyers will probably do that for you — sorry. The problem is this: the experts think interest rates are going to go up, and that kind of noise always gets the buyers off the pot, so to speak. But I am also hearing worries of inflation, which means all our homes will be worth more. Wish I had a crystal ball. Maybe hang in there ’till spring, or let her go for whatever you can without wanting to kill yourself. This administration had better get the credit market for jumbos — $417,000 and above — un-constipated real fast. After all, we bailed them out, right?

Keep us posted…

xo

Damn, Steve, you are so good. Can you imagine what would happen if we were a couple?

“One proposal by Sen. Johnny Isakson (R., Ga.) and others to extend the credit and make it available to all home buyers through June 2010 carries a price tag of about $16.7 billion. That proposal would raise the income ceiling for eligible home buyers to $150,000 per year for an individual and $300,000 for a couple. Currently the credit phases out for individuals earning more than $75,000 and married couples earning more than $150,000.”

Of course, there is the usual whining from those who claim this program, as well as the standard mortgage deduction, is nothing more than welfare for the middle and upper classes.

Dallas Realtors tell me the program has helped keep our local market hopping, particularly with affordable homes and in such entry-level neighborhoods as Little Forest Hills and others bordering Lakewood, east of Central.

“The under $300K market is really showing improvement,” said David Brown with MetroStudy. “The biggest weakness is in the $500,000 and up market, because there’s no secondary market for jumbos.”

Reminds me of what I was telling my husband the other day: the minute you move in these palaces, the place starts depreciating. All downhill, just like cars. Put the keys in the ignition, turn her on, the dollars start falling before you get out of the parking lot. Structure may decrease in value, but that dirt does nothing but hold hold hold.

So here’s my new theory: we should all live in tents on one acre lots. This place? One fancy pants tent.

Update: My first headline said $1.5K — was just trying to get your attention.

“I have lived in my building for 11 years. Imagine my surprise to drive up and see that they’ve added uplighting, blue-revolving-to-green, that shines up 30 floors on the sides of the building. Was told it might make our 1960’s high-rise appeal to the “younger folks.”

The 29-story Preston Tower was built in 1966 and was one of Dallas’ very first high rise buildings. Only the very cool need move in.

I also read somewhere this week not to count on rising values in “bottomed-out”  communities where investors are buying up foreclosures: hello Arizona, Florida, Nevada, we are talking about you. Their point: investors don’t get rooted in the community, they may lease homes for cash flow, they are the quick in and out guys. For pricing to get solid, you need jobs and families to move in, become established. No one night stands.

However, maybe one toast: the very best place to be in this mired mess is Texas, according to David Brown, Director of Metrostudy, Dallas/Fort Worth. And guess what: we may actually have a shortage of new construction in the not too distant future.  I’ll have an interview up with him next week, so stay tuned. Also of note: I spoke with Ebby Halliday on Friday, who told me the NAR is doing all they can to extend that $8,000 first time home buyer’s credit. There is no doubt which side of the political aisle Ebby prefers.

“The first-time home buyer credit is the one good thing this administration has done,” said Ebby.

I’ve got to get you all inside this one…

“Two years ago, they told us that 69% of all real estate searches started on the internet. Today, they say 89% of all real estate sales are coming in off the internet…”

“…in reality Americans actually are becoming less nomadic. As recently as the 1970s as many as one in five people moved annually; by 2006, long before the current recession took hold, that number was 14 percent, the lowest rate since the census starting following movement in 1940. Since then tougher times have accelerated these trends, in large part because opportunities to sell houses and find new employment have dried up. In 2008, the total number of people changing residences was less than those who did so in 1962, when the country had 120 million fewer people. The stay-at-home trend appears particularly strong among aging boomers, who are largely eschewing Sunbelt retirement condos to stay tethered to their suburban homes—close to family, friends, clubs, churches, and familiar surroundings.”

As I said in an earlier post, aging baby Boomer’s driving is going to very interesting. Joel says the trend is to not just stay put in your home but to enjoy it, too, fill it up with boomerang kids, even work there.

Does this mean D Home needs to launch a home-office column?