When Winnetka Heights was still full of crumbling rentals and dilapidated structures, Diane Sherman saw the beauty in the North Oak Cliff neighborhood. A resident of Winnetka Heights since 1979, Sherman was one of the vocal proponents of the city measures that would make Winnetka Heights a verified, protected historic district.
Sherman’s not one to brag, so I’ll do the work for her: She’s a member of the city’s Landmark Commission, she was one of the first to receive Preservation Dallas’ Advanced Historic House Specialist designation, she authored the Historic District addendum for MLS listings in protected neighborhoods, and she teaches courses on preservation. It’s really quite impressive!
But Sherman was a preservationist long before she became a Realtor, and over time she found that preserving homes and marketing them go hand-in-hand.
“There were very few Realtors at the time that cared about preservation or wanted to do anything about it,” Sherman said. She decided to get her license in 1995 and has since then encouraged the kind of high-end renovations and restorations for which Winnetka Heights is now known. She has watched people pour into her little slice of historic heaven, fixing up rattle-trap homes and duplexes and restoring them to period-appropriate splendor.
Sometimes, though, a renovation goes above and beyond even Sherman’s high expectations for the district. That’s the case with this beautiful bungalow. All of the details, done by a master woodworker and expert craftsman, easily earns this home the title of High Caliber Home of the Week sponsored by Caliber Home Loans. In fact, this home is bound to make history when it closes, Sherman says.
While this house is under contract, you don’t want to miss the chance to put in your highest and best offer on the renovation of your dreams the moment it hits MLS. Call Lisa Peters with Caliber Home Loans to make sure you sail through closing without a single hiccup.
Yes, the historic Arts & Crafts bungalow at 307 N. Winnetka is beautiful. There’s no doubt about that. But what exactly is history-making about this house?
“This sale will set history in this market as the first single-story bungalow to ever sell for over half a million in the Winnetka Heights Historic District,” Sherman said. “I believe this reflects the strength of the historic Winnetka Heights market because it reflects the demand for and support of superlatively restored quality.”
And you can find quality and craftsmanship all over this 2,116-square-foot home. From the custom, handmade inlaid wood floors in the living room to the reclaimed wood island in the kitchen to the beautifully restored hall bath, everything was done with the highest attention to detail.
In fact, the seller was so committed to restoring the three-bedroom, two-bath bungalow that he went through the painstaking effort of salvaging every bit of the home’s hardware, cleaning it up and refurbishing it, and then re-installing it.
That care and loving touch shows in this home, with incredible details and vintage touches that incited a feeding frenzy of potential buyers. With this kind of craftsmanship that honors the history and details of the home, it’s no wonder that this Winnetka Heights bungalow is breaking records left and right after being listed for $510,000. That’s $241 per square foot!
“There is demand in the district for homes like this,” Sherman adds.
We can only hope for more of them!
