It is a second home — or lot — for now. Remember when I told you that Troy Aikman sold off the Potashnik lot next to his home over there on Highland Drive? The one listed for $11,500,000? I heard that he sold it to the Pratts: Brian and Barbara Pratt. Word on the street was they paid just about tax value ($5,493,000) and as I may have mentioned the lot was never ever in MLS.

Read more on Who Bought Troy Aikman’s Lot in Dallas? And Is It A Second Home?…

By Joanna England

If you’re auction savvy, you know that when it comes to getting the price you want can be a gamble. You’ve got to know when to hold them, and know when to fold them …

Read more on The Deal is Going Down in Georgia: The Gambler’s Estate Hits The Auction Block June 26…

My Dearest Husband: I am leaving you for a house!

This home, 1175 Los Robles Dr, Palm Springs, CA, has done me some serious harm. Like any relationship, you never know when it’s going to just hit you — whomp! And this home has got to me. I was writing it up for Ebby’s Grand Vie magazine and I just fell in love. Like, I might be leaving my house for this new, zesty stud. Built in 1979, the 3054 square foot home is virtually new and rebuilt from the ground up, in a classic, contemporary design with an open floor plan with captivating mountain views. I mean glorious views from every room! Talk about plastic surgery, this home has practically had vaginal rejuvenation: new stucco, roof, plumbing, electrical, windows, fixtures, irrigated landscaping, new walkways and driveway, custom stainless steel garage door, soaring ceilings, two stainless steel fireplaces, custom carpets, commercial style windows and oversized custom kitchen with Sub-Zero, Wolfe, dual dishwashers, wine captain, custom cabinetry and counters. It WAS re-built. Every one of the three and a half baths is hotel quality, and go splish-splash in a new resort style spa and pool. The home is on one-quarter of an acre on a private, gated street with only 11 other homes. Easy I-10 access and Palm Springs International Airport access. Perfect for locking her up, turning off the A/C, and saying adios until the next tumultuous meeting. It’s Palm Springs; I was there as a kid in the 1960′s and loved it; I will have trouble staying way. $1,299,000 P.S. Buy this for me, I will even cook!

Read more on Pining for Palm Springs: Perfection and the Perfect West Coast Vacation Home…

You know that feeling when you sink into a wonderfully padded (and warmed) massage table, the scent of Hill Country lavender in the air, relaxing soft music that takes you away from life as you know it for 50 blissful minutes? Wonderful, isn’t it? Recently, we stayed at the Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin and I had just such an experience: a fantastic massage (one of the best I’ve ever had, in fact) after a serious morning work-out in the 11,000 square foot fitness center while my husband golfed on one of the four golf courses. Have no idea which one, I was in heaven. His choices: two by Fazio, one by Arnold Palmer, one by Ben Crenshaw. And then, upon leaving the property after check-out, gazing across the soft hills of Austin, I realized that you could have this life 24/7. You could either check into the resort and just live there, or buy one of the many gorgeous homes surrounding the resort in Barton Creek. I mean, this is Austin: why NOT a second home retreat in the Lone Star capital circling one of the nation’s most beautiful spas and golf clubs?

Read more on How About a Spa 24/7 for a Vacation Home? Living at Austin’s Barton Creek Resort & Spa Is Life Just Like That…

Even Forbes called this penthouse out as one very special place. Why not make this your second home getaway in Big D? Who needs a resort when your home is a vacation retreat? I first wrote about this penthouse-to-end-all-penthouses last summer, when Greg Brady, former president of i-2 Technology once (and probably still) the Mark Zuckerberg of supply-chain management, was offering not just a BMW Z8 in at closing but a week on his yacht, the Noble House, to whoever would hand over eight million dolla — actually, $7,999,000 big ones. Then listing agent Babs Holder reduced the price to $6,490,000, kept the cruise. Unfortunately, no bites, even for a big fish. Now it’s listed with Marilyn Hoffman as I may have mentioned a couple weeks ago, the list price has scooted up to $6,800,000. And I wonder if that STILL includes the cruise or car.  No mention of that on the Forbes slideshow, but sure am glad to see a Dallas condo up there on the bigscreen.

Read more on You Need a Penthouse With a Pool for Your Second Home in Dallas!…

Fernando M. Alva was a dear friend. I had not seen him for about nine months, but on  Wednesday afternoon, May 9, I had a fleeting vision of him in my mind as I worked on a blog post. Call him, I told myself, call him later on today and connect.

Read more on Fernando Alva, Dear Dallas Realtor Friend, R. I.P….

Meet Richard Soto, owner/broker of  VIP Realty here in Dallas. Richard has an interesting story: he is an agent who spends more time on marketing and SEO than he actually does selling. That’s because Richard is an extremely tech-savvy agent, and he knows where his business comes from: the web. Whether it’s Dallas homes for sale, Fort Worth real estate or Dallas Condos, Richard always tries to maximize his listings’ SEO, he says: that’s job one!  In fact, our interview was conducted via video shot at Richard’s desk when he was down in Houston, then emailed me. Love it!

Read more on Hot Dallas Agents: Richard Soto of VIP Realty is Kind of a VIP Himself!…

Thought you might enjoy seeing the national/international post I wrote for Concierge Auctions, on our illustrious Champ d’Or, they being the folks who spurred the sale of our most famous or infamous mansion to date.

Read more on Champ d’Or Sure Gets Around: National Exposure for the North Dallas Manse that Took Ten Years to Sell…

Real estate rules. But have I ever told you my story, why I am so obsessed with real estate and why I blog? It goes like this: I was a journalist, a magazine journalist, who covered real estate as a journalistic beat, then got hooked. I realized that blogging about homes and featuring them on the web is really the only and best way to market homes. If you disagree, I want to know. And I may challenge you to an ad dual. Agents in Silicon Valley don’t even bother with print any more: 89% of buyers search for homes on line, and internet buyers’ incomes are 25% higher than traditional print buyers. By the time a certain listing is printed, that home may have a price change or even be sold, if anyone ever reads it. In fact, the homes we feature are selling sell and when we write about a home, the open houses are overflowing. This one sold four days after our posting. From a reader in Plano: Continue reading →

As you know, there is a contest for everything, even, it seems, private residence clubs. The Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco has snagged the #1 ranking for Best Private Residence Club in North America from the 2012 Fractional Life Awards. The award is designed to recognize the best all around fractional residence based on location and amenities. What’s so great about Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square? Easy — Ghirardelli square and the restoration of a former chocolate factory. That’s right, the residences are in the once world-renowned chocolate factory where the dark magic was once created and packaged.

Read more on Fairmont Ghirardelli Square Voted Best Private Residence Club 2012…