When a Realtor says his listing is “unique,” it could mean there’s something truly special about the house, or that it took a long time to sell.
In the case of a traditional brick estate home in the 500 block of Longmeadow Drive in Celebration, both were true, broker Jimmy Tate told GrowthSpotter on Thursday.
Tate, owner of Waypoint Real Estate Group, had the listing for more than a year before finding a buyer on Tuesday at $1.125 million for the five-bedroom, Georgian Colonial home. It’s a style of architecture most buyers associate with northern states.
“It’s a beautiful house and very well maintained,” Tate said. “But it was hard for people to accept it. People move to Florida and they’re thinking coastal lifestyle.”
The original owners, John and the late Mary Jeanne Geroux, were originally from Wisconsin. They worked closely with Nasrallah Architecture Group to design a vacation home with a very specific inspiration.
“They spent 30 years planning three different homes, and this was their third home,” Tate said. “It was the culmination of everything they had learned and experienced. It was modeled after the president’s house at the College of William and Mary.”
Built in 1998 by Jones Clayton Construction, the main house has four bedrooms and three bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen, formal dining room and library. There’s also a fully equipped in-law suite above the three-car garage and a large pool in the backyard.
“Every time I walked into the home I could appreciate the level of detail,” Tate said. “It was their passion project — they really wanted a colonial-style home.”
Even though the sellers never intended for the Celebration house to be their forever home, they had hoped the next owner would share their appreciation for the traditional aesthetic.
“We had a lot of activity,” Tate said. “It was really a case of trying to pair the right buyer with this home. We had a lot of people who wanted to gut it.”
Celebration residents Gary and Myrna Brown, who own a local internet marketing company, didn’t want to change a thing. They were looking for a larger home within the community, and are now already planning their first party.
“The buyers probably only looked at four or five homes,” Tate said. “And the second they walked into this one, they knew this was it. They were in love, it was a match made in heaven. The buyer and seller really hit it off. They spent a lot time together before the closing.”
Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at lkinsler@GrowthSpotter.com or (407)420-6261, or tweet me at @LKinslerOGrowth. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
