If ever a home should be a movie location, it’s this gorgeous neoclassical estate in Tyler, Texas. Can’t you just see that façade on the big screen?
And it doesn’t stop there. The interior design aesthetic is straight out of the Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton award-winning film Something’s Gotta Give.
If this neoclassical estate feels familiar, it’s not just because it looks like a cinematic location. There is a substantial similarity between this classic beauty and the historic Cullen F. Thomas estate in Dallas that I wrote about in July.
I’m coming back to that, but first, let me tell you why I’m taking you on a trip to Tyler. With everyone rethinking how they want to live today and looking for more square footage, more, privacy and reasons to never leave home, buyers are going a bit farther afield in their searches.
That’s possible because the work from home concept has become the new normal, and we all want that super sanctuary lifestyle only estate properties can deliver. Tyler is only 106 miles from Dallas, an hour and a half down Interstate 20. It can take me that long to get to Plano in traffic!
When you consider it also takes the same amount of time to pop up to the Winstar in Oklahoma for a concert, and by plane, Tyler is a 38-minute gate-to-gate hop, you see why this beautiful city is very much in play for Dallas buyers. In fact, Nexthome Neighbor’s listing agent Amy Egaña told me she’s showing Tyler luxury homes to Houston and Dallas buyers daily.
A Nierman Weeks chandelier graces the entry.
If you still think of Tyler as a sleepy little East Texas town only known as The Rose Capital of America and home to the largest rose garden in the United States, let’s have a reality check. It is the major economic, financial, educational, cultural, and medical center of Northwest Texas and will soon be home to The University of Texas System’s newest medical school.
There are also three lakes you can get to in about 20 minutes. I’m not even going to get into the reasons golf lovers need to move here. You can get that insider information from Egaña! It’s clear to see Tyler has everything anyone could want in a smaller city and yet still retains that neighborly feel.
This neoclassical estate was a custom build for a couple from California who were already way ahead of trends when they began construction. For instance, who was doing frameless showers, Waterworks fixtures, and white Cararra marble in 2007? Only people with vision. Egaña told me they collected ideas and photos for years before embarking on construction, and it shows.
“They did an excellent job of choosing classic, timeless materials, and paid such attention to detail,” she said. “The home theater is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. It’s the only room in the home with carpet, and you really feel like you are walking into a theater. All the speakers are behind the wallcovering, so the aesthetic is intact.”
Now you may want or have to be in Dallas, and if so, you should definitely consider the Thomas estate because it’s drop-dead gorgeous, with a provenance that cannot be beaten. But if you can pick and choose where you hang your hat, compare these two exquisite properties, and do the math. At $2.75 million, this neoclassic estate in Tyler is almost a tenth of the price of the Thomas property in Dallas.
Located in the gated community of Saddle Estates, 211 Saddle Creek Drive is nestled on 2.8 acres with 11,322 square feet, six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a home theater, a game room, craft room, exercise room, library, tennis courts, and a resort-style pool. Without a doubt, it offers that super sanctuary lifestyle. With only 31 homes in the community, privacy and security are assured.
“This estate offers everything,” Egaña said. “You really never have to leave home!”
