Tag: Zillow

Our friends at Zillow cannot get the prices of Texas homes right, but they sure can analyze data. Because when it comes to data, they have a whole lot!

For Presidents Day, Zillow analyzed home values nation-wide located on streets named after presidents. The point was to see if home values increased at all on certain presidents’ streets, and then which ones (if any) had higher values. I am not familiar with any streets in Dallas or specific subdivisions named after presidents outside of a few down in Oak Cliff/Kessler – -are you? If so, please send over asap.

Here is what Zillow found:

• The most popular presidential street nationwide — by far — is named after George Washington. Among homes nationwide located on presidential streets, 12.2 percent are on a street or road named after our first president, the nation’s founder, the guy who could never tell a lie:

• While General Washington is the most popular president to name a street after, the most expensive homes have addresses on a street named after President Calvin Coolidge — who led the nation through the Roaring ’20s and oversaw perhaps the largest economic expansion in the country’s history. The median value of the more than 17,000 U.S. homes located on a Coolidge street is $176,330, the only presidential street with national median home values higher than the December 2013 national median of $169,100.

• Zillow also examined popularity and home prices on presidential streets for the country’s 35 largest metro areas. In 14 of these metros, the most homes were located on a street named after George Washington, including in Cleveland. We wonder if poor Grover is rolling over in his grave about that. The most expensive presidential street at the metro level — with a median home value of more than $2.4 million — is named after Martin Van Buren in San Jose.

I wish they would have analyzed whether homes on those streets were more red brick or white. Interesting to note that both former President Bush and current president Obama have red brick homes.

 Photo above courtesy of Rachel Freundt. Copyright 2012.Daria Drive, Dallas. Of course.

North Clinton Avenue: I found a darling house on 1106 North Clinton Avenue,  updated Kessler Park Tudor, three bedrooms, two baths, 2900 plus square feet full of character, charm & (broker babble) architectural details. Arched entry to a formal living room with fireplace and double doors, and nice porch. Kitchen remodeled with premium stainless kitchen appliances, island & breakfast area. Upstairs is the master suite, a second bedroom, another living area, a large walk-in closet and luxurious bath. If everyone shares that bath, former President Clinton would be mighty happy. So it’s three bedroom but the second living area on the first floor could be a fourth bedroom with a little effort. There are separate guest quarters with kitchen, bath, perfect for Chelsea and hubby, and an outdoor entertaining pergola. This pup has been reduced to $550,000 from $565,000.

Obviously, anything with the Clinton name attached has to be reduced.

Washington Street in Dallas — not a whole lot of inventory, sad to say. And the very sad place here needs some major love. Our “most popular presidential street” is in Munger Place and has one listing, 1910 N. Washington: $325,000 for a 3168 square foot commercial prop. ‘Course you could always tear down, get a loan and built a new home here. Just tell the bank that you chose Washington Street because 12.2 percent of homes on presidential streets nationwide are on Washington Street.

Jefferson: not too much to choose from close in, but out in Republic Property Group’s Lantana, wowzers: here’s a $415,000 number on a wooded golf course lot at 8400 Jefferson Way. Huge third acre yard, room for pool, outdoor kitchen,  granite & stainless appliances in kitchen, extensive hardwood floors, staircase, stone fireplace in family room, master suite, upstairs game room with balcony and media room — Thomas Jefferson never had it so good!

Van Buren — here we have some NICE inventory, even inside the Loop! This is from an Austin developer I have been dying to tell you about, PSW Homes, who are building unbelieveable, energy efficient and friggin’ AFFORDABLE homes down in Bishop Arts at 1600 King Highway. Yes, this is new construction nestled into historic surroundings and you get solar and spray foam to boot. Open living spaces are paired with traditional front porches and private back yards. These single-family homes have three to four bedrooms, at about 1700 to 2700 square feet. Projected move-in: summer 2014. $362,000.

As for the more expensive homes being on streets named after Calvin Coolidge, might be true elsewhere but not in DFW.  All I could find locally was this neat little ranch in North Arlington: beautiful trees, convenient to I-30 (is that a plus?), three bedrooms including master, fourth bedroom could be a gameroom or media room, three and a half baths, granite and stainless in the kitchen, two living areas, more than 3,000 square feet. Will set you back only $200,000, reduced from $225,000. There goes THAT theory.

The presidential last name that pulls a lot of weight in Texas is, of course, LBJ — President Lyndon Baines Johnson. He has a whole dang town named after him near Fredericksburg and Llano, off 281, where his ranch was located. But I had to go up to Greenville to find a cute abode at 2104 Johnson Street, a new listing, and I think it would make a darling get-away home. The home was a four-plex restored to it’s original whatever, includes an outdoor garden area with extensive decks, landscaping, privacy fencing, gazebo and koi ponds. There are formals, a garden room with skylights, multiple kitchens, extensive stairways and upgrades. The master suite includes a sitting area, Lady Bird would have liked that. The home has four bedrooms, four and a half baths, three living areas, more than 4300 square feet of living space. $229,000. Under energy efficiency it says “ceiling fans” — well hell, LBJ would have loved those. I am curious about the multiple kitchens.

Maybe one for each mistress?