Dignowity Hill

Charm and History near Downtown San Antonio - $115,000

2012-02-10T12:43:00.002-08:00

Built between 1895 and 1903, recently renovated - $89,900

2011-12-05T11:39:00.000-08:00

More pictures coming soon!

New listing, fully renovated craftsman bungalow, next to the Friedrich Mansion.

2011-11-05T07:00:00.001-07:00

Amazing new listing in Dignowity Hill: 2,866 sqft for $199,900 / fully rehabbed

2011-11-03T08:05:00.000-07:00

Yet another Dignowity Hill house featured in the express-News

2011-09-25T09:24:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to the article; enjoy! I had the house listed last summer and the buyers closed almost a year ago. I promise you it didn't look like this before and the new owners are doing amazing work thanks to their incredible talent. Dignowity Hill homes are receiving the care they need, one at a time, with wonderful results.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/real_estate/article/Spaces-A-work-in-progress-in-Dignowity-Hill-2185899.php

Dignowity Hill Real Estate Prices

2011-09-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

I spent a little time this morning taking a look at selling prices in Dignowity Hill for properties that have been fully rehabbed and were move-in ready - plumbing, electricity, central HVAC, foundation leveled, new sheet rock, paint inside and out, etc.)

Here's what we have:

2009 $58.33/sqft

2010 $88.67/sqft

2011 $96.37/sqft (if I take out a housethat is so different from the others; if I add it back in we end up somewhere closer to $105/sqft).

As people continue to discover our historic neighborhood, prices continue to increase. Recent newspaper articles have given us a lot of good publicity and of course our active neighborhood association has been working hard to make great improvements.

Come and check out the results! Dignowity Hill has some of the most beautiful houses in San Antonio, our view of downtown is the best, and our prices are very attractive.

Another wonderful house featured in the Express-News

2011-08-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

This Dignowity Hill house is right next to Tyler Tully's house,which was featured a few Sundays ago:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/real_estate/article/Spaces-A-Dignowity-Hill-home-gets-rehabbed-back-2133096.php

Sounds like there's a brewery brewing in Dignowity Hill

2011-08-06T06:19:00.000-07:00

Councilwoman Ivy Taylor in support of the brewery. Read the article here:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/article/East-Side-brewery-gains-another-endorsement-1747003.php

Houses Sylvie and Joe Shurgot sold in Dignowity Hill

2011-08-01T13:46:00.000-07:00

We are always interested in listing homes in Dignowity Hill regardless of the condition or price. If you’ve been thinking about selling, contact us today for a free market analysis.

2011

2010

2009

A brewery in Dignowity Hill?

2011-07-20T07:42:00.001-07:00

Here's the Express-News article:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/article/East-Side-brewery-closer-1472399.php

Dignowity Hill News

2011-07-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

Since our friend and neighbor Sonya did such a much better job than I ever would have, here's a link to her latest post on Dignowity Hill:

http://tscastro.blogspot.com/2011/07/we-dignowity-hill.html

Brewery coming to Dignowity Hill?

2011-07-13T15:30:00.000-07:00

Click on this LINK to find out more about Alamo Beer Brewery and their plans to move to our neighborhood.

Folk Victorian charm - built in 1900

2011-07-13T09:36:00.001-07:00

This house is located just outside Dignowity Hill.

Multi Open house next weekend in Dignowity Hill

2011-07-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

Three REALTORS will be HAVING open houses in the neighborhood, list prices range from $89,900 to $199,000 and square footage from 1,843 to 2,866.

Times: 11:00 to 2:00 Saturday 7/16 and Sunday 7/17

Locations:

1015 Nolan
824 Nolan
1219 N. Olive

Graphical representations of sales to 07/10/2011

2011-07-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

Dignowity Hill Real Estate in the Express-News

2011-05-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

Look for the article in tomorrow's paper, real estate section. We're misquoted, most notably with regard to prices: a fully rehabbed house goes for about $100 per square foot not necessarily $100,000. Still, the best deals are to be found in Dignowity Hill.

Click here to read the article and see pictures.

Dignowity Hill house featured in the Express-News

2011-05-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

Click HERE for the full article and pictures.

2010-2011 Real Estate Statistics for Dignowity Hill

2011-05-10T12:28:00.000-07:00

Let's take a look at properties that have sold first. A graph will follow to provide a visual of some of these numbers.

For all of 2010, there were 18 single family houses sold with prices ranging from $10,100 to $165,000. The average (mean) selling price was $46,950 (the median was $26,250).

From January 1st, 2010 to May 10th, 2010: 6 single family houses sold with prices ranging from$10,100 to $37,000. The average (mean) selling price was $22,766.67 (the median was $22,000).

By comparison, from January 1st, 2011 to May 10th, 2011: 5 single family houses sold with prices ranging from$16,290 to $325,000. The average (mean) selling price was $97,613 (with a median of $51,777).

The large differences in price are come from the fact that a house that hasn't been rehabbed will sell for just a few dollars per square foot, but once it's fully renovated it'll fetch closer to $100/sqft or even surpass that.

Here's a graph showing the fluctuations in average selling price.

UTSA Architecture students in Dignowity Hill

2011-04-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

For the last two weekends a huge group of architecture students participated the the S.T.A.R. program and helped homeowners in our neighborhood do some work on their houses. I had the opportunity to work with them and I must say I had a lot of fun. What a nice group of hard-working bright young people!

Here are a coupe of pictures of the house we were working on.

Big changes on Hays Street

2011-04-04T11:29:00.000-07:00

Two beautiful old houses regaining their former beauty.

For Sale: 2BR/1BA Single Family House in San Antonio, TX, $249,900

2011-03-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

Great view from Dignowity Park

2011-03-01T16:39:00.000-08:00

This is the only up-close view of downtown from a hill that I can think of. I took this picture from N. Olive, looking over Dignowity Park toward downtown. This is less than a mile from the Riverwalk...the perfect location.

Map of our listings

2011-02-12T14:40:00.000-08:00

We do work all over San Antonio and surrounding counties. Call us today! Sellers are listing and there are many great properties coming on the market.

SNOW!

2011-02-04T07:35:00.000-08:00

Dignowity Hill on TV

2011-01-27T15:17:00.001-08:00

Winter harvest in Dignowity Hill gardens

2011-01-01T14:15:00.000-08:00

We're so lucky in Dignowity Hill to have such wonderful soil. The orange crop was huge, the greens have been beautiful (we've been eating them for about 6 weeks now); we love the nutty flavor of the spinach, the hot serrano peppers (which we're having to share with friends and neighbors), the endless salads... I can't wait to start new seeds for the spring harvest!

Homes for Sale in Dignowity Hill

2010-12-02T06:01:00.000-08:00

There are 15 houses currently on the market in Dignowity Hill, ranging in price from $29,900 to $395,000 for the magnificent Friedrich House (shown on the left) overlooking the park and downtown, at the corner of N Olive and Nolan.

Appraisals in the neighborhood have varied this year with about $48 per square foot for homes that need to be rehabbed (foundation work, air conditioning/heating, electrical, plumbing, and cosmetic work). Homes that need very little or no repairs are selling for $78 to $103 per square foot, so the comps are there for appraisers to use.

Dignowity Hill xeriscape project great success

2010-09-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

Once again, neighbors of the Hill come together to make a great project a reality. Here are a few (very few) of the volunteers who came to help plant drought-tolerant trees, shrubs, and flowers in Dignowity Park.

Dignowity Real Estate Market Update

2010-09-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

Twenty-four houses have been sold in Dignowity Hill in the last 12 months with a mean (average) selling price of $41,471. (MEDIAN: $21,000)

The maximum selling price was $165,000 for a 1,635sqft house.

Eleven houses are currently for sale through MLS and at least 4 more are not on MLS. For those listed on MLS the mean (average) asking price is $89,245. (MEDIAN: $54,000)

Three are under contract. The best data available indicate that the av-erage selling price will be approximately $76,300.

The Friedrich House is on the Market!

2010-08-18T12:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, the Friedrich House is for sale. And I got to take a tour to see the interior. I only have one comment to make: it's gorgeous beyond your dreams. I wasn't crazy about the very green walls in the downstairs bathroom...way too green. Also disappointing was the new wood on the kitchen floor and other rooms in the back.

The bedrooms were gorgeous, as were the living areas downstairs. I fell in love with the upstairs circular room; it would definitely be my reading nook.

The lot is just over 1/2 an acre and fully fenced, right on Dignowity Park. With a view of downtown and such proximity to everything that defines San Antonio (Riverwalk, Alamo, etc.), this property is really special.

The price tag? $429,000.

Homes sold so far this year

2010-07-24T08:21:00.000-07:00

Sixteen homes have sold so far in Dignowity Hill this year for an average (mean) selling price of $30,971. The lowest price was $7,000 and the highest $163,000. As I mention these numbers to people, they often give me a frown and a puzzled look. Here's the explanation: for $20,000 you get a real fixer-upper. After all the work is done, it could look like what you see in these two pictures and sell for the higher price.

Before the work is done, usually you're looking at doing foundation repair, electrical and plumbing work, installing central air conditioning and heat, possibly a new roof, sheet rock, kitchen and bathroom cabinets, paint inside and outside. If you're really looking for adventure, you might even add a bathroom. Of course, the costs add up but you have a choice. Keep in mind that Dignowity Hill is the last neighborhood in San Antonio where you'll find that fixer-upper for such a low price and still be so close to downtown that you can be there in less than 5 minutes...riding your bicycle.

Dignowity Park chosen for TPR xeriscape project

2010-07-24T06:22:00.000-07:00

Dignowity Park has been selected as the site for this year’s Texas Public Radio xeriscape project. On September 25, in celebration of National Public Lands Day, TPR will bring in over 100 volunteers to install the xeriscape. If you know of anyone interested in volunteering, they can do so through TPR. (They will be advertising soon.)

Restoration on Nolan

2010-06-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

The contractors have been working for a while now; after removing the fallen porches and installing a very red roof, they coated the brick with white primer then painted the walls with a beige paint. I was puzzled a few days ago when, walking down Nolan, I noticed that stone is being installed over the brick on the side entry (N. Olive). It looks nice; I was quite surprised first by the redness of the roof and then by the stone. I can’t wait to see what the next step is!

The colors of Dignowity Hill

2010-04-20T13:54:00.000-07:00

Revitalization

2010-03-01T14:44:00.001-08:00

Walking leisurely through the streets, passers by will notice that beautiful old homes are being restored. The city of San Antonio is moving along with its plans to revitalize the east side, so homeowners and investors have purchased houses, and are bringing them back to the splendor of days gone by. New residents have come in and either bought restored homes or decided to buy a house for a very low price (the median for 2009 was $26,500) and spend the necessary money to work through the project themselves.

One of the city’s projects, currently under construction, is the restoration of the Hays Street Bridge, which will be open as a walking and bicycling path connecting Dignowity Hill with beautiful downtown San Antonio.

Diversity and Sense of Community

2010-02-25T06:26:00.000-08:00

Residents of Dignowity Hill form an eclectic group of people from every walk of life who come together for “meet your neighbors” events in the park, Christmas parties, community gardening, volunteer projects, or simply for a chat on the front porch. They work actively to continue building a sense of community. In 2010, the 6th annual Pushcart Derby will return bringing with it another burst of activity, fun and bonding.

Among the people who are attracted to the area are those who are tired of the cookie-cutter life of new subdivisions. They want to live in homes that have character and excellent craftsmanship, in a vibrant neighborhood. They’re independent and adventurous. They want to live near downtown and be close to the activity that comes with living near the center of a city. Dignowity Hill has the charm of a neighborhood where some residents have lived for over 40 years and can tell stories of times gone by. Dignowity Hill has the charm of a European neighborhood, wherehistory, culture, and people come together.

Living close to downtown and close to everything

2010-02-22T11:40:00.001-08:00

Dr. Anthony M. Dignowity was a Czechoslovakian immigrant and a physician, as well as an abolitionist, who became actively involved with the real estate of what would later become Dignowity Hill beginning in 1847. Until the early 20th century, the neighborhood was an upper-class residential area where notable families found breezes on a hill overlooking San Antonio. The historical character of Dignowity Hill makes it an ideal community for those who love old houses, and take an interest in their restoration and preservation. Dignowity Hill is on one of the highest hills inside Loop 410 and offers beautiful views of downtown.

Thanks to its proximity to downtown San Antonio (about two miles), Dignowity Hill offers easy access to attractions for every taste: bicycle your way to the Alamo or the Pearl Brewery Farmers’ Market, visit historical sights and museums, walk along the Riverwalk, meander through King William and Southtown taking in the atmosphere and perhaps tasting the food too, or catch some entertainment at the Alamodome or SBC Center.

For less leisurely purposes, Dignowity Hill is also located near Fort Sam Houston and BAMC; Brooks City-Base and Lackland AFB are right down the road. Excellent private schools, UTSA downtown campus, community colleges, medical facilities, county and city offices are all close by. Need to hop on a highway? No problem: HWY 281, IH-35, IH-10, and HWY 90 are located less than 5 minutes away from the neighborhood.

Today's Express-News article

2010-02-21T07:06:00.000-08:00

Hyperlink:
Express-News article

Sales Statistics

2010-02-10T09:28:00.000-08:00

Today there are 17 active listings in Dignowity Hill; they have been on the market an average of 149 days. Three-bedroom homes have been on the market the longest. Fifteen homes have three bedrooms or less. Two homes had sold by February 10th this year compared with none in 2005, 2007, 2008 and one in 2004, 2006, 2009. So far in 2010 Dignowity Hill is doing better than ever in terms of number of homes sold.

A few facts:

- For all properties sold, 2005 brought the highest average (median) selling price and 2009 brought the lowest;

- For properties selling above $120,000, 2005 brought the highest average (median) selling price with 2008 as a close second and 2007 brought the lowest;

- Homes sold fastest in 2007 and slowest in 2008;

- The number of homes sold was lowest in 2004 and highest in 2006;

- In terms of volume, 2005 and 2006 brought over $1,200,000 in sales (more than doubling the 2004 volume)

Trends (based on 2009 numbers):

-Down: selling prices

number of days on the market

number of homes sold

- Up: volume

With the exception of 2008, the ratio of selling to listing price is highest for 4 and 5 bedroom homes. There's no pattern in quickness of sale or selling price based on the number of bedrooms.

Graphs (click on image to enlarge):

Before and After

2010-02-07T11:42:00.000-08:00

Does renovating an old house seem like an overwhelming project? Not to Geno Aguirre! Here are a few before-and-after pics from one of his restoration projects:

Gardening at home

2010-02-07T11:23:00.000-08:00

Most of the homes in our neighborhood are blessed with big yards. Mine also has deep soil, which we tilled back in January. (You can rent a tiller for less than 60 bucks and save yourself some back-breaking work.) Yesterday, I planted a blackberry and a raspberry bush; they're joining a fig tree, some herbs, cauliflower and spinach. Today I planted red onions, cilantro, and radishes. I barely made a dent in the available space. I also have citrus trees waiting for warmer weather before finding a home in the ground; they are already producing, in their pots. The lemons and oranges are delicious and juicy. As soon as Fanick's nursery has lime trees available, I'll be picking one up.

Community Garden

2010-01-23T09:39:00.001-08:00

On Friday, with some help from a group of Cornell University students and perfect weather, our community garden made serious progress! The students prepared the land and planted fruit trees: peaches, plums, figs, and four types of pears!

And we're ready to build our raised beds!

Sunday afternoon in the Park

2010-01-19T13:50:00.001-08:00

Work in Progress

2010-01-19T07:48:00.001-08:00

Two grand old ladies are receiving a great deal of TLC in Dignowity Hill: this 4,536 square foot house, built in 1902

and this 3,839 square foot house, built in 1895.

I walk by both of them when I walk my dogs and am looking forward to seeing some work done outside. I hope more of our beautiful historic homes will receive this kind of attention as more and more people rediscover our neighborhood.

Brochure

2010-01-14T14:01:00.000-08:00

You can now download an informational brochure on Dignowity Hill by clicking here.

Home Prices for 2009

2009-12-15T13:34:00.000-08:00

Dignowity Hill is special to me because that's where my home and my office are located. If you look at an earlier posts, you'll see pictures of some of the homes in the area, some in serious need of TLC and some already renovated. Here's the good news - look at this graph:

That's right, the median selling price for 2009 is right around $29,000. Residents of Dignowity Hill believe that they live in the only area of San Antonio where one can buy a house with so little money and end up with beautiful home once the renovations are completed. And these homes have character!

So what types of homes can you find? The answer is: quite a variety. Most of the houses were built out of wood. Many have either two or three bedrooms and one bathroom, but I know of homes that have 5 or 6 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. Size varies from less than 1,000 square feet to over 3,000 square feet.

Casanova House

2009-11-25T15:28:00.000-08:00

Built in 1918.

Community garden coming to Dignowity Hill

2009-11-22T19:18:00.001-08:00

An exciting new project is coming to our neighborhood: the Dignowity Hill Community Garden. It will be located on Nolan, behind the Day House. So far, there are eight plots planned - four on each side of a beautiful path. Several neighbors are already involved in this adventure; I can't wait to eat the food we produce!

Homes sold in Dignowity

2009-11-22T19:13:00.001-08:00

Here are a couple of examples of what you can buy in the Dignowity Hill Historical District...without breaking the bank. I was the buyer's agent in both of these transactions.

The first home is over 3,000 sqft, built in the early 1900's. It sold for $140,000 in April 2009.

Now you might expect the house to have been the kind no human could possibly move into. But here are a few pictures of the inside. (The seller wasn't very tidy, so I'm not posting all the pictures I took.)

The kitchen

The dining area, coming out of the kitchen.

From the dining area (which opens into another sitting area) to this living-room which extends to a small office.

Upstairs, the house has 5 bedrooms (2 used for storage) and more living space to match the downstairs. There's a total of 3.5 bathrooms and plenty of porch space. There's also a secret room the buyer discovered during inspection; imagine the excitement. And one more thing - in 2004, the house belonged to actor Peter Gonzales Falcon, who played Frederico Fellini in Fellini's 1972 movie, Roma.

The second home featured in this post is within walking distance from the first. Built in 1921, the craftsman's bungalow has been completely renovated - plumbing, electricity, walls, you name it. With over 2,300 sqft, there's space for 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. The master suite extends into a small 'reading room" and a large walk-in closet. With solid wood floors throughout, a big backyard, three living areas, it's easy to impress and entertain. The sales price: $130,000 in September 2009. OK, enough waiting...here's a taste with the pictures:

Moving to Dignowity Hill

2009-11-22T17:11:00.000-08:00

Within the next couple of weeks, my husband and I (along with our 3 dogs and our cat) will be living in Dignowity Hill. Meanwhile, I've been spending a lot of time exploring the neighborhood. I'm so excited to be moving so close to everything we enjoy doing.

Yesterday morning, I stopped by the Pearl Brewery Farmers Market, after having avoided it because I was told it wasn't worth it. Well, I was very pleasantly surprised. First of all, the market is a short 2 miles from my house and there are no steep hills so I can ride my bicycle and come back loaded with vegetables, cheeses, perhaps even some meat on a cool day.

Numerous stalls attracted hungry customers with their alluring produce, cheeses, meats, nuts, and herbs. The vendors were friendly and inviting; there was an area where children could play, right next to a band playing live music.

As if the market itself weren't wonderful enough, it happens to be located right on the San Antonio River, where shoppers can take a stroll before they indulge in the best looking vegetables I've seen in a long time. There's plenty of sampling to do!

Houses in the Dignowity Hill Historic District

2009-11-12T15:08:00.000-08:00

One of the original Dignowity houses, built for Dr. Anthony Dignwity's son, Colonel Edward Dignowity.