Buy a reinvented 1972 ranch-style home for just under $500K

Combined with its formerly cheap housing market, Austin’s hippie-ish, New Age leanings (extant even today) had an unintended and often overlooked consequence for a not insubstantial chunk of its housing stock: Homes of all ages suffered bad remodels with vaguely Asian themes.

This 1972 home, on the other hand, is an example of that kind of thing done well—an accomplishment achieved mostly by connecting midcentury-modern-style references to Japanese architecture that influenced American homes ever after that period.

Located in the Far South Austin neighborhood of Castlewood Forest and on the market for $495,000, the home also has the advantage a large, suburban-style lot that features lots of live oaks: A gift of sprawl, maybe, but a perk for homeowners.

It’s also a pretty nice example of 1970s, ranch-style design, with a front walkway and private front courtyard and a raised, tiled foyer that steps down to semi-sunken living areas on each side.

The main front living area features a large brick fireplace that serves as a divider and opens to both front and back yards.

A galley kitchen granite/marble counters is flanked by a breakfast bar and eating area and a more formal dining room.

A second living area shows features vaulted ceilings and large windows looking on to the front yard.

The home has four bedrooms and two bathrooms.

The 2,184-square-foot, one-story home is on a large corner with fenced backyard and patio.

• 9104 Heatherwood Drive [Realty Austin]