It’s hard enough to find a home to purchase in Lake Highlands Estates. Locating one for lease is akin to discovering the proverbial needle in a haystack. But we’ve done it, and it’s quite the find.
Lake Highland Estates is one of those neighborhoods that has long been sought after because of its proximity to White Rock Lake. A quick dive into The Dallas Morning News archives revealed that pre-development sales for the neighborhood began in the summer of 1946 with advertisements touting “the quiet dignity, natural beauty, and rural atmosphere of this planned community.” J.M Tuttle, Jr. purchased the land, developed it, and was also the Realtor for the homes constructed here. He was a smart businessman who realized all those young soldiers returning home from World War II would be looking for a great neighborhood where they could begin their family life.
When Katie Thome spotted this 1958 Lake Highlands Estates minimal ranch, her heart skipped a beat. She has a keen eye for property and is a gifted designer with both technical and creative skillsets. The Dallas native started her career working with Neimans.com, Fossil, eBay, and Amazon. Then Katie turned her creative talents to real estate.
“I met my husband and started having kids,” Katie said. “I needed something flexible, so we started buying real estate in Dallas in 2015. We bought a four-story townhome in the Farmers Market. I decorated it, and did short-term rentals for a while but found my niche in longer-term rentals. Clients would ask who designed the home, where a sofa came from, and I noticed people were gravitating towards the spaces I was designing. So I built up our portfolio of rental homes and have sold a couple completely furnished. It’s been gratifying.”
“This is my favorite remodel so far,” Katie said. We call it the Classy Casa. It was initially a red brick ranch with white columns and huge overgrown bushes. We ripped those out and added xeriscaping, painted the brick, added cedar columns, and painted the front door aqua. The house was in great shape inside in general, but we remodeled the main bathroom.”
The real challenge was the pool house and the backyard. “It was a ramshackle artist studio,” Katie said. We blew out a wall, added new patio doors, created a shiplap wall, and used Italian tile in the bathroom. I found custom bar shelves on Etsy and did the beautiful quartz waterfall island.”
The backyard was gutted, and a pool complete with seven water features added. Weekly lawn and pool maintenance are included in the rental, as are utilities, Wifi, biweekly housekeeping, and get this, it comes completely furnished.
The 2,203 square foot, four-bedroom, three-bathroom house was finished just as a massive power grid failure hit Texas. Fortunately, Katie has a great team that includes Olascoaga Remodeling. They, along with Sunshine Cleaning and Property Management, ensured a smooth real estate delivery while Katie had a delivery of her own, a third bundle of joy just a few weeks ago!
This is a perfect lease for a family located within walking distance of White Rock Lake, Norbuck Park, and Hexter Elementary school. Katie is handling the rental, so fill out the form, and 603 Classen Drive can be yours for $8,500 a month. And if you want Katie’s design expertise for residential or commercial properties you can find her at txandneb.com.
