Bismarck Tribune

If you're looking for something in the $800,000 range, you might be too late to buy the Dale and Claudia Anderson home at 1905 Harbor Drive in Bismarck.

This house, the first one built in the Southport area by developer-contractor Kevin Turnbow 13 years ago, went on the market Tuesday. At noon, a buyer came to look at the property, and returned that night with an offer that the owners say they are happy with.

Realtor Kathy Feist, with Bianco Realty, said she had developed a marketing plan based on a six-month to one-year time frame, but was pleased to get an offer for the property so quickly.

She said the buyers had been admiring the home for several years, and contacted the sellers as soon as they saw that it was on the market.

"The house sold itself," says Dale Anderson, retired president of the Greater North Dakota Association. "This says a lot for the area, for the product and for the realtor."

Claudia Anderson, a retired school teacher, says living in Bismarck between the Missouri River and Southport Bay has been like having her own resort.

"We like living in an area close to nature with a lot of trees," she says. "The birds singing and the sound of the geese is beautiful."

She said the morning sun coming into the large kitchen windows from the rear (bay side) of the house, and the frontal view of the sun setting beyond the river to the west, are among the most spectacular aspects of the property, but she also enjoys just looking at the water.

"It's so peaceful to look at the water," she said. "It's a fulfilling experience."

Feist says the attraction the eye has for the water during the summer is aesthetically similar to the tendency to stare at a fireplace in the winter.

The Andersons are moving to Fargo to be closer to their children and grandchildren in Minnesota and eastern North Dakota. Although they are happy to be moving closer to their family, they say they will miss the area, their friends, and the house.

The 4,257-square-foot house sits on a one-acre lot. One of the more striking interior features is the way Turnbow integrated natural light into its open floor plan. The sun streams through skylights, illuminating the great room, which is open all the way to the second story ceiling. From the walkway over the great room, which connects bedroom suites located on each side of the second story, the skylights provide a perfectly positioned view of the bay.

"If we could pick up the house and the waterways and move it, we would take it with us," said Claudia Anderson.

On the first floor, the kitchen is furnished with custom cabinets and a tile-surfaced island, as well as a walk-in pantry. The Andersons say they spend a good deal of their time in the kitchen, due to its view of the bay and the adjoining hearth room, which includes a wet bar and a two-sided fireplace, also visible from the great room.

The formal dining room is well designed, and large enough to accommodate a good-sized gathering of family and guests. Among the Andersons' list of guests during the past 13 years are two North Dakota governors and an assistant U.S. secretary of the interior.

The main floor master bedroom suite has a large walk-in closet, a good-sized bathroom, and an adjoining hot tub room that also is accessible from the back patio. The hot tub room features a custom tub and views of the back yard and the bay.

Also on the main floor is a large office with a huge circle-top window and cathedral ceilings, as well as a well-equipped laundry room.

Upstairs, there are three mini-suite bedrooms with walk-in cedar closets. Part of the walkway that connects the bedrooms was designed to be wide enough to serve as a loft area, perfect for watching TV, playing video games or reading.

The Andersons say the Southport neighborhood, which has grown up around them during the past 13 years, also is a big plus. With a private road leading into the development, each house has a unique design, and the area is close to a golf course and walking paths. Built above the 100-year flood plain, the area is home to many members of the local business community.

Dale Anderson said that Turnbow, owner of Nodak Construction, did an excellent job in designing and developing the community.

"He's a real visionary," Anderson said. "Bismarck is lucky to have him around. A lot of people have vision, but Turnbow is one of those that can actualize vision."

Turnbow said he has built 30 houses in the Southport area, as well as 140 condos. Some of those homes have variations of features that he created for the Anderson home.

Turnbow draws and designs 99 percent of the homes he builds.

Anderson also has a lot of positive things to say about Bismarck.

"This is a great community with a growing economy," he said. "The success here is due to a good combination of the public and private sectors working together to grow the community."

Feist said there are more homes in the upper end of the local real estate market being listed each year. There are currently six homes on the market listed at over $500,000. Seven homes in this category have been sold during the past year.

She said homes in the area are appreciating at annual rates between 5 percent and 10 percent, depending on the area they are located in, and how well they have been kept up. Lots in the Southport area that sold for $50,000 in 1994, for example, are now going for over $250,000.

The most expensive house sold in Bismarck last year, listed by Century 21 Morrison Realty, went for $925,000.