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This sweet home near historic McKinney Square invites a charmed cottage life

There's a sweet cottage with a coveted address just blocks from McKinney Square — and it's remodeled and move-in ready. The adorable home, at 504 N. Bradley St., is in the McKinney Historic District, a rejuvenated area that draws people from all over that city and DFW.

“The whole square of downtown is what people come up to see — it's the true old downtown, charming atmosphere,” said listing agent Marilyn Iness with Coldwell Banker Apex, Realtors. “This area is attracting a lot of millennials and would also make a great vacation rental since there’s not a lot of hotel availability [nearby].”

The house itself is beautifully redone, yet maintains its character in three bedrooms, three bathrooms, two living areas, and 1,522 square feet on one story, built in 1950.

Darling curb appeal will woo potential buyers with fresh paint and mature trees. Love that color on the house.

Inside, find beautifully redone wood floors throughout the home, shiplap, rustic wood accents, and two fireplaces. A front living area flows easily into the dining room and kitchen.

The kitchen earns an A with its quartz counters, farm sink, arabesque blue tile backsplash, white cabinets, and stainless steel appliances, including a gas range. Behind the kitchen is the second living area with a fireplace, vaulted ceiling, and French doors leading to the patio.

In the updated master, the fireplace is a nice surprise, as is the barn door on the closet and the en suite bath with a jetted tub, dual sinks, and a walk-in shower with dual showerheads, bench seat, and a great tile treatment, including a shower nook.

In back, there is a wood deck and large tree, as well a flex structure that could be a she-shed, playhouse, or storage space.

The home was listed recently by Iness for $380,500 — an incredible price for its location.

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A version of this story originally was published on CandysDirt.com.

The home is in a popular historic area that's become trendy with millennials.

Photo courtesy of Coldwell Banker

The home is in a popular historic area that's become trendy with millennials.

home-for-sale preservation

Royal Flip

Chip and Joanna Gaines find buyer for $2.7M Fixer Upper castle in Waco

Photo courtesy of Magnolia

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Texas' king and queen of home renovations, Chip and Joanna Gaines, are done lording over their 136-year-old castle in Waco. The stars of TV’s Fixer Upper have found a buyer for Cottonland Castle, Mansion Global reported. The sale is pending.

The Gaineses listed the 6,176-square-foot castle, in Waco's historic and affluent Castle Heights neighborhood, at nearly $2.7 million. They bought the property in 2019, when it carried a $425,000 price tag.

The castle, with a sandstone and limestone facade, is modeled after a German castle along the Rhine River.

Chip and Joanna Gaines, Fixer Upper Chip and Joanna Gaines are preparing to hand over the keys to their castle. Facebook Magnolia Network

The duo spent several years restoring the castle to revive its original character. That work became the foundation for their six-part 2022 series Fixer Upper: Welcome Home – The Castle. They opened it to the public for guided tours and introduced Magnolia brand tie-ins, like a “Colors of the Castle” paint collection.

“People love things that are nostalgic. They love things that are antique-looking, and I want this place to feel like it did in 1915,” Joanna said during an episode of Fixer Upper. “Whether you walked into the space in 1915 or today, it has that same feeling of history and love and beauty and castle-ship.”

A year after the series aired, the castle failed to sell at auction, according to Mansion Global. It went on the market in June. Amanda Nesbitt of Magnolia Realty, the real estate brokerage founded by the Gaineses, has the listing.

The three-story castle offers “a seamless blend of historic grandeur and modern functionality,” according to the listing.

That grandeur includes millwork, antique tile floors, diamond-paned windows and seven ornate fireplaces. The four-bedroom property features three-and-a-half bathrooms, a formal dining room, a great room, a card room, a library and a conservatory.

All furnishings, accessories and decor “have been thoughtfully curated to complement the home’s design,” the listing says, and are included in the sale.

The castle has a rocky modern history.

Jack Schwan bought the property in 1969 for $50,000, according to the Waco Welcome Center.

Over the years, the Schwan family made many repairs and renovations. The family tried to sell the castle in 1982; they thought it was worth close to $1.25 million following the overhaul. In 1991, the property sold only after a drastic price cut.

“Over the next two decades, the home passed through various owners’ hands and fell into disrepair. Many owners found the castle too large and in need of too much maintenance to be a financially feasible home,” according to the Waco Welcome Center.

The castle sold again in 2014, and a group led by Oxford scholar Dirk Obbink tackled renovation work. The Gaineses bought it five years later, after it had been neglected and abandoned.

castle celebrities chip and joanna fixer upper gaines home for sale waco luxury