Daily Demolition Report: Demount McKinley

3432 Overbrook Ln., River Oaks, Houston

We must rid ourselves of distractions, for the interfere with what is truly important.

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Commercial Structures

Residences

Photo of 3432 Overbrook Ln.: HAR

7 Comment

  • A $1 mil + home in unlivable condition? How does that happen?

  • The listing on the Overbrook house was plain that the home was in unlivable condition and it was being sold for land value in the $1.2 million range (offering a neighborhood of “interesting grownups.”) Since the exterior appears well-kept, I wonder if the realtor insisted on a fresh coat of paint and landscaping before she listed it. And I wonder what constituted “unlivable.”

  • “Unlivable” in River Oaks realtorspeak means insufficient square footage. I would venture to say that 95% of Houstonians would find living in that house to be quite comfortable if not luxurious.

  • @Old School: exactly right, HAR had it at 3296 sqft. Sadly they didn’t post any interior photos, but I’m sure it was a lovely house. I would love the privilege of owning and rehabbing a house like this rather than throwing up another generic monster, but by the time I can afford it all of these will have been torn down.

  • According to HCAD, the selling realtor has owned this house since 2001, when it was bought from a woman who was 94 at the time (there’s an obit where she died in 2007 at age 100). The owner lives in another house in RO that she’s and her husband bought in 1972. From the 1942 City Directory, the house was bought from the original owners, assuming HCAD’s 1940 construction date is correct. It is entirely likely that the house is in bad shape and unlivable. HCAD assigned a value of less than $20,000 to the improvement, and the grade is shown as very poor. Could be a property bought to renovate that was never completed, or was far more involved than originally thought.

    When we were looking at houses one time, we saw several that looked fine on the outside, but were termite eaten (including floors), had had no maintenance for decades, etc. Not every structure can be saved.

  • sounds like it was an investment, not a house

  • I’m surprised nobody went for the “these structures Argonne” pun in the title…