Tucked in the Plano neighborhood of Bent Tree West, our Saturday Six Hundred this week is a magnificently updated two-story home where seriously, no expense was spared to make it a gorgeous, family ready retreat.
Stager Karen Eubank was brought in by listing agent Susan Gentry of Ebby Halliday – Ebby’s Little White House prior to the sale to give advice on prospective updates, and said that the changes the owner. Thanks to her, we have an idea of how much the updates the owner chose transformed this home at 4411 Highlander Dr.
What we see in the before pictures is a well-built home, but a typical 1980s era home with a need for updates and designer touches that today’s buyers want.
“It’s the rare seller that not only realizes what is necessary, but also moves ahead with those updates,” Eubank said. “So, for me it was a delight to work with a seller that shared my vision.”
Updating prior to the sale is important, she said, because buyers are often gun-shy about spending the money after just buying a home.
“They also think it’s going to cost three times more than it actually does, mainly because they don’t have the resources and go overboard on materials,” Eubank added.
The entire house was repainted, and new carpet was installed. What was dated went, and built-ins and anything that was stained wood was painted a crisp white. New countertops went in, even in the bathrooms.
The fireplace facades were replaced with marble, and the living room fireplace was redesigned to be more of a showstopper and less of an afterthought.
In the family room, corner trim was removed, and painting and resurfacing the fireplace made the whole room feel 30 years younger.
Triple arched windows at the top of the staircase once had heavy shutters. Simply removing them showed off the design impact those repeating arches had throughout the formal rooms, and gave the whole area much more natural light.
“People were crazy about shutters in the 80s. We’re crazy about light now!,” Eubank said.
In the master, Eubank removed the tub in favor of a large shower.
Since the five-bedroom home has four full baths, she also swapped out the tub for a larger shower in another downstairs bathroom to create a guest suite that can cater to guests that can’t manage stairs — or who prefer to shower versus bathing.
Gentry said buyers will love the move-in ready home for its open floor plan, and for its many amenities.
“There are views of the sparkling pool from all living areas and master bedroom,” she said.
And that kitchen — can we talk about the kitchen? The updated gourmet kitchen is light and bright with white cabinets and white quartz counters, stainless steel appliances, a built-in refrigerator, and a huge walk-in pantry.
Upstairs, family movie night got a little cooler with a spectacular media room complete with great sound system — and the media room furniture and equipment can come with the house!
Outside, a glistening pool promises a summer of children becoming marine life, and parents have the comfort of knowing that the seller also resurfaced that pool, so they can enjoy it for years to come.
“You so seldom see a home that has been completely updated, in a great neighborhood, where you don’t have to worry about a house next door being torn down,” Eubank said. “This is an amazing value for a property of this size.”
The home is listed for $649,900.
