An experienced real estate agent knew a unicorn when he saw it, and he jumped at his chance.
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He closed on a stately home in Celebration’s West Village for $3.05 million. It’s a home he had been keeping an eye on.
“I love Celebration. I’ve been a resident here. I love selling here. Over the years, in my marketing, I’ve identified and targeted specific homes in Celebration that are extraordinarily unique for a number of reasons,” Keith Renner with Nectar Real Estate, told GrowthSpotter. Renner is not only the buyer’s agent, but also the buyer of the home on Westpark Dr.
“I probably sent [the sellers] 15 letters over the years saying I’d like to list and sell it [if they wanted to], but then I had this opportunity when it came on market to be able to buy it.”
He acted quickly.
“I think I saw it the first day that it came on market and we negotiated, I think probably for about five or six days, and I think it went pending on the seventh day.”
But it wasn’t the home itself that really attracted Renner to the property; it is the size of the .82 acre double lot, different from many others in Celebration where homes are very close together.
“A lot of times in our sale market people are like, well, I’m paying $3 million for a house, and you know my neighbor can hand me coffee,” he said with a laugh. “With this, it’s a wonderful opportunity because of the way the home is positioned on the lot. The only neighbor is on the right-hand side — behind is conservation — and on the left-hand side is the golf course. So the way the home is sited on the lot, it offers an extreme amount of privacy and space.”
The home was built in 2001 and has had the same owners ever since, which public records say are Henry and Marie Hanff.
“What you have in Celebration estate home wise is, it is what it is. A lot of these homes were built a while ago, so if they haven’t been updated over time, and it’s time for a lot of them [to be updated,” he said. “That’s what was nice about this opportunity is the home was in nice condition, but it hadn’t been updated since it was built. If it had been, then it probably would have been significantly more expensive.”
The bones of the 6,750-square-foot home built by Derrick Builders are good, but Renner has plans for the place.
“The layout is great, but it needs to be updated. The home is original, but the layout is fantastic and I like a lot of the details in the home,” he said.
There are six bedrooms with a primary bedroom downstairs and four upstairs, as well as a one-bedroom and one-bath apartment over the garage.
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“Upstairs, there are four really large bedrooms that are Jack and Jill. In today’s day and age and especially with a home like this, the expectation and the way that people live, [the bedrooms] need to be all ensuite, and so that’s one of the big changes we’re making is adding two bathrooms upstairs, so each bedroom is ensuite,” he explained.
Renner said his background in design, landscaping, and real estate will help him choose new, high-end finishes for everything in the house.
“I have obviously extremely high design standards in terms of materials and finishes and appliances, and everything going in is going to be of the highest quality, representative of what we see being built in other high-end communities today.”
Renovation plans also include adding a pool, which most of the estate homes in Celebration already have.
“Even if you add a swimming pool, there’s still space for kids to run around or other amenities that you’d like to do back there,” Renner said. “[There is] nice mature landscaping and some nice trees that’ll stay.”
Renner told GrowthSpotter he isn’t sure what he will do with the home once it is finished. He might stay or sell.
“We closed on it, and I’ve already had offers well over what I paid for it without doing anything, so I’m evaluating options right now,” he said, adding he knows this is a great opportunity. “I’m not going modern with it or anything; it’s going to be contemporary in terms of what we’re seeing done in homes now, but the interior will be in line with the exterior.”
All of the changes will take time and must go through the permitting and architectural review process.
“In Celebration, everything on the exterior has to be approved by the association to maintain the standards in the community,” he said. “There are some changes being done to the exterior, but those beautiful columns and the red brick are very stately, and all that’s going to be accentuated. The shutters will be changed and some other improvements, landscaping of course, but it’s going to be beautiful.”
Dana Hall-Bradley with Better Homes & Gardens Lifestyles Realty represented the sellers.
Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at [email protected] or (407) 420-6261. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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