Listings With Beautiful Adjacent Land Have Become a Trademark of Douglas Newby
It has dawned on me that almost every home I offer for sale has extraordinary views, not just of the home’s own property, but of beautiful adjacent public or private property. Occasionally a real estate agent will have such a listing. However, the high percentage of great sites for modern homes and estate homes that I offer for sale is unheard of in the real estate industry.
There is an Ocean Front Effect With Even Some Dallas, Texas, Properties
A specific site is more important than a general location. Malibu or Palm Beach are great locations, and still it is their beach front properties that provide the most value. Similarly, Preston Hollow in Dallas is a great location, and the properties here that have great views of additional land, creeks or trees create additional value and enjoyment. A great site is the reason I was able to sell one acre of land for $2.5 million, the highest priced acre of land in Preston Hollow, while some lots in Preston Hollow sold for $1 million an acre. Modern home buyers and estate home buyers enjoy living by greenbelts, nature areas, forests, lakes and other owners’ gardens so they are able to visually enjoy them but do not have to maintain them. These large neighboring properties enhance the views and buffer the homeowner from annoying development, dense concentrations of concrete and tile roofs, and undesired city lights.
Douglas Newby is Associated With Architecturally Significant Homes and the Best Sites
Architecturally Significant homes are my formal trademark and they make up the body of my real estate work. A great site is my informal trademark. When I see a home, I notice first how it relates to its site, along with the amount of land and the quality of the site. Often the site is more important than the structure.
The meaningful and attractive context of a home to the land around it will also bring greater enjoyment to the home owner.
Architecture, Preservation, and Context Were Early Priorities
From the very beginning of my real estate career, I was passionate about the preservation of the city’s finest architect-designed homes and their context within the neighborhood I was helping to revitalize.
Creating historic districts preserved the architectural context of Dallas’s first deed restricted neighborhood. The modestly sized homes on Swiss Avenue appeared as mansions because of their uniform setbacks, the landscaped boulevard and, like the rest of Munger Place, a ribbon of green space in the front of the homes as fences and hedgerows were not allowed.
Some of My Favorite Homes Are On Smaller Lots But Great Sites
A lot can be very small but have inspiring views of creeks, forests or gardens. One can find some real gems tucked into Turtle Creek Park and Northern Hills. This Texas modern home designed by architect O’Neil Ford is on one half acre looking down Rock Creek as it descends toward Turtle Creek.
My Current Listings Are Best Examples of Homes With Beautiful Sites
I am offering homes that are on sites that range from .5 acres to 25.25 acres. Each one of these homes is on an extraordinary site with its own delightful characteristics and they benefit from what is around them.
Even the Crespi/Hicks Estate on 25.25 Acres Benefits From Being Next to a 15-Acre Estate Property
The Crespi/Hicks Estate is the largest estate property in Dallas with 25.25 acres. There is enough land that the Maurice Fatio-designed home captures full views of a landscape of creeks, meadows, gardens and ponds. Even an estate property of this size benefits from the 15-acre estate property next door.
The mature trees, small lake and creek of this adjacent property provide an even greater platform for migrating birds and wildlife and amplify the cooling effect from trees in the summer.
Preston Hollow 6.5 Acre Estate Property Wraps Around Estate Home on 1.5 Acres
On Chatham Hill is a 10,000 square foot 1950 estate home on a beautiful 1.5 acre site offered for sale at $3 million. The lot is wide and allows for a tennis court in the side yard that is framed by magnolia trees. The deep back yard slopes towards a creek. What really distinguishes the property is the neighboring $30 million estate home sited on 6.5 acres across the creek. Two acres of this estate property make up a side garden on the opposite side of the creek of the $3 million home I have for sale, and another two acres of this estate property is the front garden that is on one side of the $3 million home. To only see trees and gardens on two sides of the property is a great benefit. The tennis court and landscaping are between the home and Douglas Avenue, so this Chatham Hill home is free of views of any other homes.
White Rock Lake
Unless one has visited one of the eight estate homes on the estate cove of White Rock Lake, it is hard to imagine how majestic and serene this Lake is from high on a hill. This Howard Meyer-designed estate home is on three acres overlooking the sailboats on White Rock Lake. What is even more amazing is that the property extends all the way back to Fisher Road, across from a deep greenbelt and park. Whether one looks out this home’s front windows or stands on the rear balcony, all one sees is a lake in one direction and greenbelt in another direction. I cannot recall another property in Dallas that has parks in front of it and behind it.
Turtle Creek Drive Is a Private Drive Overlooking Turtle Creek
The modern home at 3840 Turtle Creek Drive is perched on top of a hill with the Katy Trail located behind the home and views of Turtle Creek in front of the home. Turtle Creek Park has always been one of my very favorite neighborhoods because of its topography, winding streets and because it only has 38 homes, framed by Rock Creek, Turtle Creek and the Katy Trail. This site’s elevation gives the effect of being on the fifth floor of a Turtle Creek high-rise and the peacefulness of living in a forested neighborhood of creeks and trails.
Four Acres on White Rock Lake
Only a few estate homes are on lots that have as many as four acres. This four-acre site is 356 feet wide, encouraging the best views of White Rock Lake, with the Arboretum on the distant shore.
Increasingly, people are coming to White Rock Lake daily or weekly from Highland Park, Preston Hollow or Uptown. When living at the Lake, to be able to just walk out your front door and down the hill to the lake and a bicycle path that connects across the city is a real luxury.
The Greatest Surprise is a Glen Abbey Site Overlooking a Bluff,
Creek and Forest
From the street the Oglesby•Greene-designed modern home is sited on what appears to be a conventional one-acre lot in this gated neighborhood. However, once you enter the home you see a vista that makes one feel they are in the mountains of North Carolina. From this modern home you are looking down a bluff, taking in the views of White Rock Creek and the seemingly endless expanse of trees of the private nature preserve on the other side of the creek. There are no visible lights from the city or other homes as you sit on the terraces or balconies and enjoy nature.
The homes on the great sites with beautiful land around them bring the greatest economic value and enjoyment to the home owner. Please let me know if I may help you find the best site for your next home.
