Our smokin’ real estate market has inspired many people to buy dumpy houses, make them beautiful, and sell them for a tidy profit to buyers eager for move-in properties with all the bells and whistles.
Many of these renovations are beautifully executed—take our Thursday Three Hundred, a cottage in Northwest Dallas’ Sparkman Club Estates. As you’ll see from the “before” photos later in this post, this place was the pits.
Now, the home at 3544 Ainsworth Dr. feel spacious and modern with an open floorplan, refinished hardwoods, refaced stone fireplace, luxe kitchen, and a big master bedroom with a spa-like ensuite bathroom. It’s a 4-3 with 2,061 square feet, built in 1956, located near Royal and Marsh lanes in a desired neighborhood.
So why has this house been sitting on the market for 127 days? Is this flip flopping? Let’s take a look!
The “before” photos above are what the house looked like when it sold Sept. 10, 2015, for $269,000: dark, closed-off interior spaces; outdated kitchen; cramped bathrooms; and an overgrown backyard with an dilapidated fence. What charms the house did have, like original hardwoods, were obscured by terrible MLS photos with “date stamps” on each one. Not appealing.
The new owners took this hot mess and spent 56 days turning it into the home you see today. It was originally listed Nov. 4 for $399,000. After four price reductions, it is currently listed by Donna Gordon with VIP Realty for $382,000, or $185 per square foot.
Is that on the high end for the neighborhood? Yes. Nine recent comps range from $125 to $204 per square foot (median: $162; mean: $158), so this home is ambitiously priced, even with the reductions.
But it’s a turnkey property with amenities like new windows, granite counters, double ovens, stainless steel gas cooktop, split bedrooms, new electrical system, and new recessed lights. The look is cohesive and the home is staged in all areas except three bedrooms.
Take a look at these photos, or attend the open house this Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. , and tell us why you think this home hasn’t found a buyer yet. We’re not sure why!
