It’s tough out there. How Tough? Two hours of searching before turning up a listing worthy of a Fort Worth Friday reader’s attention.
“It’s tough out there,” echoes Reside Real Estate professional Stephanie Gutierrez. I met her at an open house in December.
“You have rising interest rates, which have yet to settle, and a still low inventory. Forty percent of homeowners own their homes outright, so they aren’t eager to sell,” she informs me.
In fact, if you’ve owned a house in Fort Worth for more than 10 years, a lateral move would be a bad business decision since you would likely double your property tax bill.
Still, if you look hard, there is some good news for buyers such as this terrific Midcentury Modern in Tanglewood which has been awaiting the right buyer for 76 days. Compare that to the year-ago average days on market of 37 days. And this classic Tanglewood Midcentury Modern at 2601 Hartwood Lane has had a 13 percent price cut since it was listed in November.
Tanglewood Midcentury Modern
Much of Tanglewood’s housing is comprised of solid, unassuming, ranch-style houses. But sprinkled in you’ll find a sizable quantity of “nifty ’50s” vintage houses that dared to be modern.
Behind a brick pony wall, a covered terracotta walkway leads to the cadet blue front door of this Tanglewood Midcentury Modern. Bookmark the blue — we’ll see it reappear inside. Ivy crawls along one side of the walkway, with more vines climbing up the wall ahead, creating an atrium-like atmosphere.
The original terracotta brick flooring is retained for the public spaces inside and has aged beautifully since its installation in 1956, acquiring the patina of carefully oiled leather. Almost everything in the 2,600-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath house is of the period. The layout is an open concept, demonstrating the longevity of this floor plan solution.
The living room is open to the vestibule, its area demarcated by a higher ceiling height. The fireplace is simply an unadorned opening in a brick wall. The perpendicular brick wall will be carried into the dining room.
The owner’s furniture is so suited to the residence it’s difficult to imagine it finding a more suitable location. Like the sweeping curvaceous blue sofa that wraps the room and embraces a Noguchi table. The floating club chairs are exquisite. Kudos to the homeowner’s impeccably good taste.
The dining room is placed under what at the time was billed as a “cathedral ceiling.” Rooms are beautifully illuminated with natural light, generally emanating from windows on two sides of the room.
Note the rug. These people love their blues.
The triumphant kitchen renovation is undoubtedly a recent update that captures the spirit of the dwelling and takes things up a notch or two. I’m liking the trend of tiling in or using a slab to cover a bar wall.
And there’s that thrilling blue again! The kitchen possesses not one, but two islands with waterfall quartz countertops, ingeniously placed. The glass tile backsplash is a final design tour de force. To the side is a banquette and table for morning coffee. Beyond is a homey library/den.
The library appears untouched with period built-in bookcases and paneling. Above, another cathedral ceiling.
Blue rug.
The primary bedroom suite is comprised of a bedroom with lovely views of the back patio, an attached bath, and an office with a skylight.
The house is sited on a larger-than-usual, near-half-acre Tanglewood lot graced with mature shade trees. At the side of the house is a covered carport for two cars.
Chase Akin with Interhomes Realty has priced 2601 Hartwood Drive at $1 million.
