Stevie Chaddick Just Back From Rosewood’s Artesana

Where I am DYING to go and visit the new hotel and residences, after visiting the grounds pre-construction in San Miguel last spring. I’ll get Stevie to tell me all!

Plop Me At The Ritz-Carlton Residences, III

Lovely living room…and you never have to worry about squirrels.

Plop Me At The Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences

Little marble around the tub for soaking.

Note To Kids: My Time To Go, Plop Me At The Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences, San Francisco

This article about how Marie-Dennett McDill, an east coast socialite, spent her last days on earth at the Carlyle Hotel, nearly made me cry. So much I called our attorney and re-drafted our will. When it’s my time to go, I want my kids to plop me at The Ritz, preferably in my San Francisco fractional ownership. Cannot get closer to heaven on earth. (more…)

A-Rod’s Coral Gables House On Market

From my pals at Zillow… later I’ll dig up his cribs when he lived on Douglas in Dallas so stay tuned. Guess they’ll need more space for a nursery.

The Ritz Just Takes You Higher and Higher

With an exclusive publication just for Ritz-Carlton Club Members, those lucky flush few who own Ritz properties — full or fractional ownership — called Elevation, published with American Express Publishing Corp. Those are the same folks who produce Departures Magazine, free to American Express Platinum and Centurion (Black) card holders, but not available to the general public. In other words, the top 1/2 of the top 1 percent wealthy in America, folks with disposable income of half a million or more. The discern is this: if you are affluent, you have $125K to $249K in discretionary annual spending — super affluent, $250K to $499K, wealthy $500K, all this according to The Harrison Group, who presented this information last year at Luxury Portfolio.

Lehman Boys Not Too Shabby In Real Estate

Question: will their capital gains profits on these sales go directly to federal tax revenue or… will they just re-invest in another mansion beach home ski villa penthouse house?

Terrell Owens Owns $2.5 Million In Dallas Real Estate

I knew he had two units at the Azure, didn’t know about the townhouses near Fair Park. His FA, Jeff Rubin, says it’s all investment property (even, we presume, his Azure units). You go, T.O, but be careful. Ask me today if I’d rather have $35,000 in Dallas Real Estate or 500 shares of AIG, guess what the answer is.

Downtown Condo Gossip/Update

I was treated last night to the opening of the Dallas Center for Architecture at 1909 Woodall Rogers, a new central HQ to support architects, allied organizations and disciplines, and engage the public in learning more about the plethora of talent this city holds when it comes to architectural design. The center is beautiful. I also had the chance to speak with two architects working on two major downtown condo developments that many say are lagging. Given the nature of our economic climate the last two weeks, I had to ask them about progress or lack thereof. Good news: Museum Tower just made another residential unit sale, buyer met with the architect recently: MT is plowing ahead. As for the Stoneleigh, word is that the hotel was so successful and overfloweth so much they need the parking garage to be done STAT — so all hands on deck are finishing the parking garage, then going back to complete the Stoneleigh Heritage.

Beach House Porn, Reduced: Cute Emerald Coast Only $695K

I just love the northern Gulf Coast of the Florida panhandle, and this darling three bedroom, one level WaterColor getaway built in 2006 can be snatched up for less than $700,000. Some good bargains out there…

Feel Like A Get Away To Santa Fe?

Cocktails by firelight, brisk temps and a 5 minute walk to the delights of Canyon Road: Casas De Santa Fe will handle your weekend escape.

Highland Gates: Master Bath Rivals The Ritz

Separate shower, marble-ensconced tub, very similar to the Ritz Residence in San Francisco: stay tuned!

Highland Gates: No Need For Reservations

Cook up a storm in a Preston Hollow-sized kitchen.

Highland Gates: Come On Inside

Downsized king master bedroom: Highland Gates.

Townhome Living, Pomme Frites On Speed Dial

Ok, if you could pick the perfect place to downsize, and don’t want people living on top of you, what might you want? Yeah yeah yeah, smaller square footage but all the amenities of your primary home –large kitchen, master, closets. Solid construction with high energy efficients, check. Zero maintenance but some landscaping so you can breathe in plants and conifers, not concrete; low home association dues in a place where you can ditch the cars in the two-car garage and walk to some of the best dining and shopping in town not to mention hike, bike or jog the Katy Trail.

Try Highland Gates on Katy Trail. Buyers are flocking to the open town homes at 4608 Abbott Avenue at Knox Street, 2400 to 3200 perfect square feet priced from $850,000 to $995,000. And they are selling. I know they are selling. Each unit is a three-story town home with soundproof firewall in-between, 26 units planned for the corner property that backs right up to the Katy Trail and Toulouse, which will undoubtedly be happy to deliver a few orders of those famous fries toute suite! Run up the stairs, run on the Katy, and eat as many pomme frites as your heart desires: life at Highland Gates is healthy. Marketed by Kyle Crews & The Urban Team for Allie Beth Allman.

CEO Excess

Methinks more folks are paying attention to the insane amounts of money these Wall Street Robber Barons are making whether they create a great company or hammer it straight to hell. Housing always plays a vital role, in that they usually buy up mansions with their excess and then, of course, unload them. Few days ago Mama at the Realstalker told us about former Lehman COO Joe Gregory putting his Hampton summer pad on the market for $32,500,000. Today she finds out he bought it just last year for $19,000,000. Joe, what’s the deal, think home buyers are as dumb as your investors?

Contractor Shortage In Dallas?

Over on Frontburner, Tim Rogers speculates on the forthcoming gas shortage created by Ike. Phooey. What’s coming is a severe CONTRACTOR shortage. I was in San Antonio and then Johnson City over the weekend. All the San Antonio contractors are filling their trucks and heading to Houston to repair storm damaged buildings, giddy with delight that insurance companies will be writing the checks. A Houston evacuee who spent the week in Johnson City (her home has no power) told me that caravans of trucks have been heading to Houston from San Antonio and Austin:Convoy. It won’t be long before the Dallas subs catch the drift and venture south, leaving no one here to repair our roofs, commodes or finish framing.

Attention All Property Investors: Toilet Bowls and Knob and Tube Wiring

In case you wonder where fearless Real Estate reporter has been, I was up to my elbows in toilets, wiring, bush and tree trimming and general rental home maintenance the last few days. (Every time I heard the financial news about evaporating investments, I scrubbed those commodes just a wee bit harder!) And while I was working on San Antonio House II, the tenant in Dallas House I was calling to complain that the toilets are “noisy”. Question for you veteran property owners out there: how do you discourage tenants who call for every little bitty pesky item?

For Sale In The Hamptons, Former COO of Lehman Brother’s Vaca Pad

Gotta love the Realstalker: Mama’s already got one Wall Street ex-honcho’s place on her site and I bet more are to come… this the Hampton home of one Joseph Gregory, 9500 square feet on the market for only $32,500,000.

The Bachelor House On Market

The De La Vina Estate in The Santa Monica Mountains nestled on 10 acres is on the market for $11,500,000 …. but only 6 bedroom suites which means all those gals must have been really cozy. Look familiar?

Former President Bush Starter Home On Market

For $239,900 in Midland, according to my friends at Zillow. Does this home give us any indication of the type the Bushes will buy in Dallas?

Guess The ‘Hood

If I seem less prolific, it is because we are all working hard on the October issue of D Home. I am working on (surprise surprise) wonderful neighborhoods in our city where you can find great values from the lower $200K to $2 million: something for everyone. So I found this STEAL — brick house, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, with this back yard salt water pool for $245,000 and I ask you, where did I find it in Dallas County?????

Live At The Ritz Residences? Stock Up On Deodorant This Weekend

Life is never perfect, even in the most glammed up, glitzed out, $800 per square foot condo you can buy in downtown Dallas. But there, at least, the help is very helpful. Some folks at the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton Dallas have experienced ewwww water discoloration in their homes — that is, brown stuff running out of the faucets and into the kitchen sinks. Or jacuzzi bathtubs. Or Carrera marble showers. (Commodes, let’s not go there.) Not very appealing or conducive to the color scheme of the manicured decor.

But alas, Crescent Plaza Residential, L.P., has sprung to action. First they researched the problem — the water discoloration is a result of oxidation of iron in the lining of the galvanized steel piping in the building. Some level of oxidation in steel pipe is “normal and expected, but not to the degree you are experiencing” says Crescent.

And yippee, they have a solution: The pipe interiors will be flushed with a citric-base rinse approved for potable water systems. Then they will install a central water treatment system, which will treat Dallas’ higher PH level water and form a barrier against future oxidation. This has apparently been successful in similar situations across the country, and Ritz will keep on top of it monitoring the water scrupulously.

Bad news is that this process requires a two-day hot water shut off beginning September 2 to 4. I mean, you can stay in your condo, the commodes are fully function able. Just no hot water. Which means frigid showers and baths. Many residents who, like me, would rather take an Italian shower than plunge in water below 85 degrees, plan to find alternate accommodations for the two days. Or, at least, go shower with friends who have hot water.

I’m told the hotel is not affected by any of this as it is on a completely different water system. So I’m wondering how many residents might be checking into the Ritz Hotel for a couple nights.

Buy A Home For The College Kid?

My late father used to tell us how his stepmother only allowed him one pork chop per meal, made him walk five miles to school in the cold northern Illinois winter, and at age 18 gave him a hand-shake and said, “good luck out there, son.”

My hardship was that I lived in a dorm at college, shared a bathroom with umpteen other women with antiquated sinks that had cold water/hot water taps. (Doubt any of you know what I am talking about. Check an antique store.) I don’t drink beer today because the Dartmouth and Brown boys used to roll kegs in the halls. Those were the days of The Night Of The Seven Fires. 

So when my son started his freshman year at Trinity University in San Antonio, I was amazed to see he shared a bath with only his suitemates. He had his own toiletry drawer. (We had cubbies and the guys would put Everclear in our Listerine bottles.) He had a fridge and microwave in his room. This was sheer luxury. Kids today are so spoiled.

Still, he moved off campus to a house I bought as an investment and am trying to sell this minute. Thus I found this article very interesting amid reports that many SMU parents are doing the same thing, especially over at the Palomar. What have you heard?  

All Rich People Have Multiple Homes

And cannot keep track of them. So why get all over poor John McCain? Glenn Close has three, Cindy Brinkley has 18, Ed McMahon has — zero. And are you talking investment properties or vacation homes? Family timeshares? I imagine that this news will endear Mr. McCain to the Real Estate industry…. ya think?

UpDate: How can I forget our Dave Perry-Miller who is up to five home now…or is it six?