Mission: Impossible? Mission: Accomplished!

Oscar & Mike might be the only clients that ever hired me because I said a cuss word upon our first meeting. Lucky for me, I said it, and as a result I met two of the most decent men I have ever met.

Oscar & Mike had a pretty tall order. Sell two condos and help them find their perfect home…all in the worst market in decades. “Oh, yeah and if we can do all of this before we leave for our European vacation in 3 months, that would be great.”

I couldn’t have asked for better partners in this task. They whipped their condos into shape and readied them for sale. They maintained a respectful and open dialogue with me throughout the stressful process & made their beds every single day. (Thanks, Guys!)

This is not to say the process was without incident. There was the time I brought 14 agents from my office to introduce them to Oscar’s product. Due to a minor miscommunication, we were greeted at the door by Oscar, sopping wet and wearing nothing but a towel. (Talk about introducing agents to Oscar’s “product!”) ;) Then there was the time Mike’s incredibly cantankerous Cat scratched a potential buyer so aggressively that she actually drew blood! Bad Kitty. Bad, bad kitty….

The good news? We did it! And, at least we can say we did it in style.

For their purchase, we explored almost all of our options in North Oak Cliff. One of the most wonderful attributes of North Oak Cliff is the spectrum and variety of architectural styles and neighborhoods. We toured everything from small and impeccably updated Tudors to larger Post-War Traditional fixer-uppers. After careful consideration, they decided on a classic Prairie Four Square in Winnetka Heights.

Their home features distinctive box-beam ceilings, expansive rooms with abundant windows and of course, an inviting and romantic front porch. It is absolutely perfect for them and I love watching them patiently and lovingly restore it to its original grandeur.

Few clients have reminded me that houses are more than just bricks and mortar quite as much as these guys. They reminded me that homes become a part of who we are. They provide shelter to more than just our physical selves.
From the beginning, I understood how important this purchase would be. And, should be. This would signal the end of two important chapters in their lives and begin the chapter that would mark their journey into homeownership as one.

And, as one- they are perfect.

:)

All the best- Dori

Kessler Neighbors United- To Make Cake!

My partner, Debra harbors secret fantasies of becoming a 50’s housewife. As a result, she is convinced she needs to finally learn how to cook. Her efforts started out innocent enough. A little pasta here, a fancy salad there. No big deal. But, things got out of hand last week when she told me she was determined to bake a cake. From scratch.

Lucky for us, we have the world’s best neighbors. No really. They really are the best neighbors in the world. And, some of the best people we know.

The Bishkin’s are an over-achieving bunch. When on a tour of their home, they nonchalantly pointed out all of the elements of their home that they either designed themselves or built themselves. This included cabinetry that they milled in the backyard and perfectly proportioned furniture they designed and built by hand. Needless to say, Type A is an understatement when it comes to the Bishkin family.

So, clearly we should have known better than to share with them Deb’s desire to bake a cake. Marylin leapt at the chance to help and invited us over for an evening of baking and friendship. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, but honestly, had a wonderful time.

Did I mention this was from scratch? There was a lot of sifting and measuring and mixing. We were completely lost, but Marylin, Steve & 11 year old Zach guided us through the entire process flawlessly. I’ll admit, it was sort of embarrassing that Zach had to explain the process of zesting a lemon to two grown women, but we pushed through and accomplished an amazing feat. After 3 ½ hours of neighborly fellowship and lots of laughter, we marveled at the most beautiful cake I have ever seen. And, thanked our lucky stars that we have the best neighbors in the world.

Dori