The home at 7745 La Manga Dr. was built in 1969, but you’d never know it after a recent facelift turned the pier-and-beam rambler into a must-have for today’s buyer. It was so well done, in fact, that it was under contract (list price $360,000) before it was completed.
The credit goes to Jessica and Jason McMurtrey, who originally bought the four-bedroom, three-bath house in Far North Dallas’ Richardson Heights Estates West as a rental. But upon further inspection of the home — and the fact that it sits in a desirable neighborhood close to Bowie Elementary in Richardson ISD — they decided to embark on a good old-fashioned flip.
They began with the fundamentals — nail-down wood floors, new windows and lighting, updated plumbing, and fresh paint throughout — and then went to work on the pretty stuff. For starters, there are new cabinets, marble countertops and a high-end backsplash in the kitchen. Jessica, who also serves as the property’s listing agent, says they went the extra mile to make this home feel special by incorporating touches like the dressers-turned-vanities in all three fully renovated bathrooms.
“I love the way we opened up the floorplan and added a study to the back of the front formal room,” Jessica says. “It made a 2,300-square-foot house feel much larger and modernized it for the way today’s buyer wants to use a space.”
Because Jessica is a full-time Realtor with Ebby Halliday, she has lots of experience working with various trades, so she served as general contractor on the remodel. In fact, she knows one of her most valuable resources very well: her husband, Jason, who got to put his degree in mechanical engineering to good use.
“I like to daydream that we are similar to HGTV’s Chip and Joanna from the show Fixer Upper,” Jessica says. “We share that same hobby and passion for old houses and making them beautiful again.”
Living Room after, with hardwood floors and a fresh, neutral paint job.
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