Let’s get our noses out of house porn for a minute to wander through an up and coming neighborhood. DCAD calls it Lovedale 2 (or unappetizingly Slaughters Brookdale), but as far as I know, it has no fancy name to woo buyers to its hipness. It’s pre-hip. If other hip locales cool, maybe this area becomes a hip replacement (boooo, bad pun, bad Jon).
I’ll call it West Love Field or West Love … hmmm, I like that … West Love … and homes are selling FAST! In the hours it took to write this, two of the properties featured below went under contract.
East of Love Field has been in full-on gentrification mode for a while now, only pausing for the recession (as did we all), but West Love hasn’t really gotten any lovin’. It’s loosely bounded by Denton Drive, Harry Hines and Inwood. There are plenty of warehouses on Denton Drive, but there are also a lot of smaller cute starter homes that are a hop from downtown, UTSW and the monkeyshines of the Gayborhood … oh, and Love Field. Perfect for medical folks or air mattresses, trolley dollies in-flight personnel.
Speaking of the airport … I said, SPEAKING OF THE AIRPORT … Oaklawnians have lived cheek by jowl with Love Field since the beginning (well, since 1917 when it opened as an army pilot training facility). The “Oaklawn Pause” is what happens when a plane flies over during a conversation; it pauses. Homes east and west of Love Field are somewhat better off. Planes take-off and land from the north-south, meaning these east and west areas are not being directly flown over – but what a cool place for a roof deck.
For many years when homes hit the market, they were in somewhat calamitous condition. That’s changing, but things are still wonderfully affordable here and sure to rise. How wonderfully affordable? Try $125,000 to $135,000 for 1,100 to 2,031 square feet, many on pretty sizeable lots 50-foot lots!
Here’s a smattering of what’s available and going gone fast.
7210 Mohawk Drive
This white stone cottage is already under contract, so you missed the boat, but have a look anyway. It’s a refreshed 1,160 square feet with three bedrooms and two baths – for $125,000! That’s $108 per square foot! Do you realize your house payment with a full-price offer and 20 percent down would be $470 for a 30-year mortgage or (more smartly) $691 for a 15-year. Toss in about $239/month for your taxes and you’re laughing all the way to the bank in your own home. Someone figured it out and put it under contract but quick!
Like I said, take off your porn-goggles and see this (gently-flipped, I suspect) home with hardwoods, fresh paint, new lighting. The kitchen isn’t stainless steel, but you’ve got new flooring, new counters, good natural light and freshly-painted cabinets. Yeah, I might spend a few bucks here, but not a ton.
The bathrooms have also been freshened with new tile, fixtures and paint. Throw up a shower curtain and presto, you’re singin’ in the rain! Like I said, already under contract, but for $125,000 list, someone else scored a great house for under a grand a month.
7402 Thurston Street
Thurston is a street of nifty, well-kept, mostly single-story ranches. This home, hidden by shade trees, is a two-bedroom, one-bath, 1,232-square-foot with equally nifty original metal awnings. Like its neighbors, it looks like it’s in good shape. It even has a fireplace on the side of the house, at a right angle to the front foot where it belongs.
A Mini-Rant on Fireplace Placement
Peeve: Until I’d moved to Dallas, I’d never seen homes with a fireplace on the same wall as the front door, inches away. What’s up with that? All your living room furniture pretty much faces the front door. As all necks crane to the door, anyone entering feels like the new kid in class or an American Idol contestant (obligated to perform a dramatic reading or to burst into song for judgment). The front door as a secondary focal point in the living room is just weird to me. End of tirade … I feel better … how about you?
2326 Gilford Street
I left the biggest and the best for last. It’s the best to me because it’s 2,031 square feet, it’s been gutted with some reconstruction begun. It also sits on a nifty 50 x 125 lot, next to a Jewish temple church of some sort and is listed for $58.44 per square foot ($135,000)! From what I can piece together, it seems a Houston investor picked it up in bankruptcy in 2005, sat on it, and may have gotten in over their head with a remote-control flip. So as the lingo goes it was (until this morning), “just waiting for your finishing touches.”
The exterior is freshly painted with a newer roof and windows. I’d shimmy the columns so they bracket the front door and toss up a railing. The interior could be configured for as a four bedroom, three bathroom, or if you’re a Scott McGillivray fan, the upper level could be converted to a self-contained 1-bedroom rental unit to reduce your monthly mortgage/tax nut. (The buyer even got the renovation blueprints with the purchase)
I called the listing agent on this on Friday and by Saturday it was under contract (explaining the lack of a call back).
West Love is a neighborhood hotter than a Dallas August!
Remember: Do you have an HOA story to tell? A little high-rise history? Realtors, want to feature a listing in need of renovation or one that’s complete with flying colors? How about hosting a Candy’s Dirt Staff Meeting? Shoot Jon an email. Marriage proposals accepted (they’re legal)! [email protected]
