If you think it’s hard to sell a house in Dallas in the summer, you are wrong. I hear that refrain all day long, and it’s simply not true. Not if you have a house to sell like this completely reinvented Devonshire Cottage at 5635 Southwestern Boulevard. Our Inwood Home of the Week is a perfect example of what buyers are looking for today, and that may surprise you.
Sure, there are buyers looking for new construction that is bright, white, and ready for your imprint, but there are also plenty of buyers longing for a house that already has personality, charm, and style. And this 2,806-square-foot, three-bedroom, three-bathroom Devonshire cottage delivers big time.
That charm started in 1946 when this home was built. It’s pricey to build in character today, and that’s the reason you don’t see a lot with new builds. It also takes the right owner to enhance character, instead of destroying it, and to bring a home into this century.
One of the beautiful things about this home is the simplicity of the drive-up. It looks like the proverbial storybook cottage. That is until you get inside.
When the present owner purchased this sweet Devonshire cottage several years ago, it needed a lot of love and a lot of rehab. He gutted it down to the studs, redid the electrical and plumbing, put in custom trim, and installed extra-thick Calacatta marble. Then he layered in the fun stuff — Philip Jeffries wallpapers, Circa lighting, Walker Zanger tile, and Waterworks fixtures.
“His attention for detail and his style is incredible,” Compass Real Estate listing agent Jeremy Whiteker said. “He has the eye.” This instinct for design is no doubt because the apple does not fall far from the tree. The owner’s mother and sisters own The Loveliest Company, purveyors of fine linens, and the best custom monogramming you will find anywhere, hence the gorgeous linens in every room.
“The owner is also a technophile,” Whiteker said. “The house is a smart home in the truest sense of the word. Each room is independently zoned. Every light is individually controlled, and it’s all app driven.
Moving this Devonshire cottage into modern times meant not just installing necessities but also instilling some fun.
“The owner created this super cool, luxe media room,” Whiteker said. It is acoustically treated and has an amazing screen and audio system. You cannot hear it anywhere else in the house.”
This house has it all — the charm of a 1940s cottage, and sophisticated updates. That’s why this $1.15 million Devonshire cottage, which has been on the market only a week, has already received multiple offers. Don’t worry, you may have missed out on this sweet deal, but we’re sure Whiteker can find you the home of your dreams!
Karen Eubank is the owner of Eubank Staging and Design. She has been an award-winning professional home stager and writer for over 25 years. She teaches the popular Staging to Sell class and is the creator of the online course, The Beginners Guide to Buying Wholesale. She loves dogs, international travel, history, white paint, champagne, artificial turf, and homes with personality. Her father was a spy, and she keeps secrets very well. Find Karen at www.eubankstaging.com
