A Modern Colquitt Townhome’s Gently Lowering Price Tag

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Overhangs, cutouts, and eyebrow arches shade the balconies and patios of a 2005 stucco contemporary in Lancaster Place. The townhome’s price in its relisting today by the same agent, $749,990, is $100K less than in its initial appearance back in April. Price reductions in the interim sought $799,900 in May and $775,000 in July before the previous listing terminated Tuesday. The corner unit differentiates its footprint from a not-so-identical twin next door with sprout-and-chrome accents — and more:

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The 3,315-sq.-ft. home’s staircase (above) lies across the living room from the double-door entry, which swings into the opened-up floor plan downstairs. Tile flooring and the lighter hues of the exterior’s accent colors tie it all together:

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Part of the cross traffic to the stairs passes a bump-out sitting area with street view:

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Upstairs, there’s an open-ended media room . . .

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and a study, though the latter is affiliated . . .

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with the carpeted master suite that occupies much of the second floor:

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The master suite also has a private balcony, facing west:

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Up on the 3rd level, another balcony faces north:

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Access appears to come from this room, one of 3 secondary bedrooms:

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The home has 3 full bathrooms and a powder room:

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This dogtrot between the kitchen and 2-car garage adds a covered patio peeking west:

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There’s also a slip of easement inside the fence fronting Dunlavy St. Go ahead and grill. The “patio-lot” of 4,079 sq. ft. is a block north of the fire station at the corner of Richmond Ave.

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Minty Fresh

28 Comment

  • I’m glad to see an increasing number of price reductions, it brings some sanity to a market that has gotten out of hand recently. The realtors have been listing unreasonably high just to see what they can get away with. The price reductions are a real estate equivalent of smacking an overly excited dog on it’s nose with a rolled up newspaper for trying to grab too many bacon bits.

  • What a hideous distopian Le Corbusier inspired mess. This is what they tear down historic bungalows to build. I weep for the future.

  • no smart car included with purchase? hard to believe these go as far as back as 2005, certainly didn’t seem that long ago.
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    but more on point, i welcome all price reductions with open arms in this part of town. we need a lot more sanity and reductions than the opposite moving forward at this point. like the layout and finishes here though as its a shame most anything above a 2-bd often comes with much more horrid layouts and finishes than the 2-bds in this part of town. it’s as if families aren’t allowed to have good taste,but then i guess every bedroom does come at an additional $100k cost here too.

  • I guess they got tired of their FedEx packages getting stolen?

  • And why is/are the bungalow(s) that was/ were torn down to create this tacky mess with a forgettable interior any more historic than a bunch of Perry Homes will be in 2050? If you look at pics of these bungalows, they mostly have identical floorplans (like a Perry Home), they all had the same tile color combos in the baths (like a Perry Home), a limited series of facades (like a Perry Home) and like a Perry Home, were mass production middle class housing stock of its day. Just because something is old does not automatically give it esteemed status.

  • Three quarter of a million bucks for that not so bright and shiny turd? And it’s on a pot holed city street you’ll need a 4wheel drive to navigate. What kind of people spend that kind of money to live in that kind of place, on one of Porker’s worstest maintained streets. The old neighborhood has truly gone to shit.

  • JT,

    Because, everything was perfect as it was yesterday, not today, not tomorrow, not 100 years ago, not 100 years from now, but yesterday and only yesterday. For yesterday was when all of Houston reached perfection and it can only be downhill from here on out. At least until tomorrow when yesterday will be today.

  • i know there are different views on how to price a house, but in my view if you get multiple offers over asking price then your realtor steered you wrong. you are almost certainly leaving money on the table if this happens. so i see nothing wrong with these home owners trying to maximize what they get, and slowly lowering the price until they reach the market price.

  • Come on, Shannon. I’m pretty hardcore when it comes to preserving old homes but these are homes that might end up being classics one day too. The style is eclectic/eccentric but that ends up becoming hip at some point. Who knows, they might even end up being part of their own Hysterical District one day too.

  • JT, sigh*, do you really think people in 2050 will give a shit about anyone tearing down these shit piles? I mean, seriously? That’s your argument? People love these old bungalows because they are quaint and signify a sort of faux hey day in America. They’re often lovingly restored, do you really think anyone will clamor to restore these pieces of shit? Lol, seriously?

  • Hmmm, I actually was going to comment that I thought it was a good deal and surprised it didn’t sell, just based on comps and the nice-ish finishes…that refrigerator alone is like $12,000 new. ANd the location is great, right by the HEB. Is it really that much uglier than any of the other many similar mcmoderns?

  • Chairs on a west facing balcony but none on a north facing balcony?? Sun lovers maybe but crap for enjoying a drink. Who wants to sweat while sipping an adult beverage?

  • Oh, my mistake. I’m reminded by my SO that new owner can put chairs wherever…………

  • I don’t think that this price reduction is a sign of the market cooling down. Rather, this place stands out because it’s right across the street from a fire station on a busy street. Lots of siren noise and traffic in that spot. It also backs up to an unattractive apartment complex.

    Apart from that, I think the sellers were overly optimistic in their original asking price for what is basically one half of a duplex.

  • Dana—Hysterical District Indeed

  • Shannon–My point is that when the bungalows were built they were just as ticky tacky as any moderately priced home of today. Can you honestly say that Sears catalog ordered houses would not have been considered “shit piles” of their day by those more affluent ? In 2050, all of these town homes, if they have not been bulldozed for the latest housing trend , will be considered “quaint” by people being born right about now because a series of owners will have lovingly restored them. And so the cycle will continue……..

  • i just don’t think many people have the money to burn, aside from aging nostalgics, to pay 300k for a lot and then live in a small bungalow with heavy upkeep/refurb costs. if you want to live in a nice home then just go to central texas where cotton was king and beautiful aging victorians can be had for a 100k, but living in a city is all about maximizing return on value.

  • Houston is a strange place for real estate, where a surprisingly large number of people want “new” homes, not “new” as in less than 10 years old, but “new” as in “never lived in, built just for me, uncontaminated by someone else’s use”. I don’t understand this freakish (to me) thinking, but I’ve heard people express that thought, and it shows in the pricing of “slightly used” houses. To me, a used house is one where the initial and inevitable builder snafus will have been fixed by a previous owner, and there might even be some mature trees.

  • I think @Houstonreader has it. It is RIGHT across the street not only from a fairly busy fire station, but also a pretty awful looking multi-family residence that constantly has a CoH citation/tag on display. It’s certainly convenient to many, many things (and they will have a TON of new neighbors once that monstrosity of the Susanne is completed), but it also has some pitfalls. I can guarantee that if this house were a few blocks away, or even better, in a part of Montrose with more newish construction, the price would not be so laughable.

  • I am the owner of the Colquitt residence that is the subject of the comments and posts and just a couple of quick comments.
    First, as to the listing price and its gradual decrease, please note that the best/correct listing price of this residence has been a difficult call for both my realtor and me. During this summer the comps have been all over the map for both new and used residences so to make a valid comparison has been hard. Also, at the time this residence was initially listed HCAD was proposing a $950,000 valuation and has only been willing to accept a $900,000 valuation in settlement/compromise. So, when one consults HCAD’s comps, it is hard to make a correct call on a fair listing price. Fortunately, I have not been in a rush to sell so we have had to let the market help determine the best price. Hence, the listing price drops.
    Second, on the design and layout of this residence, although the one comment considers this home “a hideous distopian Le Corbusier inspired mess,” in defense of my home I will have to say the layout and configuration has been outstanding over the six years that I have lived there with my children. I have enjoyed the first floor living for entertaining as well as the ability to have my kids on a separate floor from the master bedroom. So, I apologize for my taste but am thankful for the utility of the house, which has been outstanding.
    Thank you.

  • Shannon, why do you think everyone likes these bungalows? Many of them are so rustic that I feel like I have to escape to a newer house to be back in civilization.

  • It’s so futile to argue with most on this site. It’s futile to explain to the enormous value of bungalows in The Heights, Montrose, Eastwood, etc. and how people literally knock on their spire offering them well over market value to sell. These buyers are not looking to tear these houses down, the covet them. It happens in Dallas, in the M streets, in Austin in Terrytown, in S.A. in Monte Vista and Alamo Heights. I live in a bungalow near Rice and I could sell my house this afternoon for about as much as I wanted and believe me nobody would buy my house as a tear down. I’m amazed what people are willing to pay for a cute little bungalow on a small lot, but at the same time I totally understand. I fall in love with my house a little more everyone I look at it, how many people will ever say that about this house. As for JT, as ales ya I completely disagree with you and I’ll just leave it at that.

  • bwdance, you must be new here. Shannon’s the resident troll… Please don’t feed, especially to ask “why do you think”.

  • Sorry for all the typos as always spell check is horrid and I text really fast and going back and correcting on this awful server is a nightmare.

  • I like the layout and most of the finishes. If this house was on the market when we were buyers we would have certainly checked it out.

  • One point concerning bungalows, is that they appeal to single people, their smaller, less to take care of, and less expensive.

  • Arguing the architectural merits of bungalows vs. moderns is an exercise in futility — folks like what they like. To me, both should be able to coexist peacefully. Sadly, that’s not the case, as the moderns aren’t held to the same level of sensitivity that the bungalows were (setbacks, building lines, etc.) This has been the demise of most modest historic homes in Houston…left to rot in the shadows of their newborn neighbors. Shannon will be laughing out loud after our next big hurricane when her/his home is standing strong and proud and all that’s left of the mods is Tyvek in the trees.

  • Shannon, what you and your house do together is your business. Houston is a very open minded city.