Thursday, February 28, 2019

42,000-Square-Foot ‘Majestic’ Florida Mansion Lands on Market for $22M

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With a population below 20,000, the small town of Thonotosassa, FL, isn’t exactly where you’d picture a sprawling storybook mansion.

The bite-size city is located in Hillsborough County, which means a resident who desired a small-town feel with the nearby amenities of a big, waterfront metro (Tampa, anyone?) would find the place appealing.

With that backdrop, Don Wallace, founder of Lazydays RV, and his wife, Erika, decided to go all-in on the tiny town’s massive potential and build big.

The couple’s staggering estate, measuring 42,000 square feet, is now on sale for $22 million, and the amenities are amazing.

“I know this sounds a little cliche,” says co-listing agent Dina Sierra Smith, “but this house is just majestic.”

Backyard at dusk

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Backyard during the day

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Judging from the listing photos, Smith isn’t wrong. From the outside, the mansion is picture-perfect. The 36-acre estate, called The Oaks, features immaculate landscaping and is dotted with hundreds of oak trees. There’s also a lakeside view.

Air-conditioned collector’s garage

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Living space

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Though a house this size would not be described as intimate, Smith says the mansion is actually quite cozy.

“It’s actually the perfect combination of majesty and family,” she says.

Bedroom with seating area

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The main house has six bedrooms and eight bathrooms. The main floor is the central living space with a sprawling living room, kitchen, and dining room.

The upper floor is dedicated to the bedrooms and bathrooms. The bottom floor is all about recreation and features a gym, bowling alley, steam room, sauna, and heated pool.

Bowling alley

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The home includes a seven-car garage, but that structure pales in comparison to the 11,000-square-foot, air-conditioned collector’s garage built to fulfill any car enthusiast’s dreams.

The collector’s garage has glossy flooring and a vaulted ceiling, designed to display the best of the best when it comes to automobiles.

Game room

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The fun doesn’t end there, though. There’s an outdoor pool—it is Florida, after all—pool house, two-story guesthouse, gatehouse, horse stables, game room, and workshop. With all of these amenities, is there any reason to ever leave home?

It’s at night though, says Smith, that the estate truly comes to life.

“There are over 1,000 lights that illuminate the property at night. It’s really something else to see in person.”

All this only a 25-minute drive to downtown Tampa? Plus proximity to St. Petersburg and the white-sand beaches of Clearwater? Yes, please. Someone wire us $22 million, pronto.

The post 42,000-Square-Foot ‘Majestic’ Florida Mansion Lands on Market for $22M appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.



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$57M NYC Penthouse With Private Rooftop Pool Is This Week’s Most Expensive New Listing

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A luxe penthouse in New York City‘s Tribeca neighborhood with a terrace and private pool is this week’s most expensive new listing on realtor.com®. The $57 million triplex is being billed as in “pristine brand-new never-lived-in condition.”

The 8,908-square-foot unit with an additional 3,426 square feet of outdoor space last changed hands in 2017 for $44 million. While the owner isn’t known—the property is shielded behind an LLC—the Real Deal speculates it’s Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton

While he may be reportedly speeding away from the loft condo, it doesn’t seem like he’d parked there much. (Although he could have: The listing comes with two parking spaces.) 

Dining room

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Eat-in kitchen

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Family room, which opens to the terrace

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Master suite

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Rooftop plunge pool

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The three-level home has five bedrooms and seven baths. On the main floor are the light-filled great room with 20-foot ceiling, open dining room, library with gas fireplace, and custom-designed chef’s kitchen with island. 

The master suite includes a cozy gas fireplace, en suite spa bath, and separate dressing and sitting room.

The top level features a glass-walled sitting room with gas fireplace, wet bar, and powder room, and opens to the outdoor terrace that comes with a plunge pool, kitchen, and city and river views.

Other perks include an internal elevator that services all three floors, and a main key-lock building elevator.

The building, 443 Greenwich, has been a popular destination for celebrity buyers, including Jake Gyllenhaal, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, and Meg Ryan.

The 1905 building was originally designed as a bookbindery by architect Charles Haight, and is located in the popular Tribeca neighborhood on a cobblestone street.

The building, with 45 loft-style condos and eight penthouses, features a restored facade and remodeled interiors by CetraRuddy Architects. Perks include a drive-in, drive-out garage with valet service, as well as a second lobby for residents to take private elevators. There’s a residents-only landscaped courtyard, gym, 75-foot indoor lap pool, and 24/7 door attendants and concierge service.  

Mara Papasoff of Brown Harris Stevens holds the listing.

The post $57M NYC Penthouse With Private Rooftop Pool Is This Week’s Most Expensive New Listing appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.



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Former Pacers Star Austin Croshere Looks to Bounce From Malibu Manse

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It must be tough to leave such a gorgeous home in such a stellar location, but Austin Croshere‘s move to list his unique Malibu, CA, mansion for $6.2 million is understandable. The retired power forward has SoCal roots, but is currently employed as a TV broadcaster for the Indiana Pacers.

In fact, the former Pacers player may be a bit ambivalent about letting the exceptional place go, because he’s also making it available for rent for $25,000 per month.

Croshere ended his playing career in 2009. It wasn’t a huge surprise that he returned to the West Coast, purchasing this 5,800-square-foot residence in his home state in 2012 for $3,050,000.

Built in in 2009 by architect Steve Kent, the home is set in the hills overlooking Malibu. Floor-to-ceiling walls of glass and sliding doors, as well as the wraparound decks, allow spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, from the “Queen’s necklace” to Catalina Island.

Austin Croshere’s Malibu, CA, home

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Street view

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Walls of glass and sliding doors show off the ocean views.

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Set on almost an acre of land, the home has five bedrooms and 4.5 baths. The sleek and modern living space features a double-sided fireplace dividing the dining room from the living room.

Double-sided fireplace

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The open kitchen features Boffi design in gleaming white, with Miele appliances, a Sub-Zero refrigerator and freezer, and a wine cooler.

Kitchen

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Design features are as slick and clean as an ocean breeze. The floors are made of ash wood and basalt stone. A floating staircase near the entry leads you up to the bedrooms.

Bedroom with ash wood floor

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Floating staircase over basalt stone floor

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A guesthouse with a separate entrance is set beneath a deck, but it also has stunning ocean views.

Guesthouse beneath the deck

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Guest house interior

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And the cherry on top is a rooftop deck with a stainless-steel fireplace and plenty of lounging space.

Rooftop deck with fireplace

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Croshere played in the NBA for 12 seasons after being drafted in the first round by the Pacers in 1997. The highlight of his basketball career came in the 2000 NBA Finals, when the Pacers lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. He was rewarded with a seven-year, $51 million contract. He now works as an analyst and broadcaster for Fox Sports.

View from on high

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The post Former Pacers Star Austin Croshere Looks to Bounce From Malibu Manse appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.



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These neighborhoods have the most expensive homes in Maryland

Homes for sale in Montgomery County have the highest median list price of any county in the state. Specifically, the 20854 ZIP in Potomac, and two ZIP codes in Bethesda top the list in a new ranking by Realtor.com. In the tony Potomac suburb, the median list price for homes in 2018 was $1.34 million, and on average the area had a monthly inventory of 241 properties. While many of the most expensive ZIP codes in Maryland are located in Montgomery County, there are two in Greater Baltimore. Clarksville…

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These were the most expensive home sales in Jefferson County in January (PHOTOS)

The residential market in Louisville remained cool in January. The Greater Louisville Association of Realtors reports that 646 homes were sold by its members in January, down 8.4 percent from a year earlier. But the average selling price rose to $220,805 from $203,539, an 8.5 percent increase. Inventory increased during the month, with 2,216 active listings as of Jan.15, up from 1,990 a year earlier. GLAR President Karen Story noted that the absorption rate remained relatively low in January,…

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Wednesday, February 27, 2019

The No. 1 Sign That We May See a Cooler Spring Home-Buying Market

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This year’s spring home-buying season, when the frenzy typically kicks off for the year, appears to be off to a slow start—particularly in and around some of the nation’s most expensive, coastal cities.

That’s because for the fifth month in a row, the number of homes on the market surged 6% in February compared with the same time the year before, according to realtor.com®’s recent inventory report. Until last year, the nation had seen several years of housing shortages.

“It suggests that the housing market is starting on a cooler footing this spring than last spring,” says realtor.com’s chief economist, Danielle Hale. That’s partly a result of the long-term housing shortage that pushed prices up so high, fewer people were able to actually buy a home. “Sales have slowed. … Affordability is a challenge.”

The national median home price is now $294,800, up nearly 2% from last month and up 7.2% from February of last year.

Which markets are seeing the biggest boost in homes on the market?

The big, pricey, tech-fueled cities on the West Coast saw the greatest influx of homes on the market. The nation’s most expensive market, Silicon Valley’s San Jose, CA, experienced a 125% jump in the metro area in February compared with a year earlier. (The metropolitan area includes the main city and the surrounding suburbs.) The median home price in the metro is a whopping $1,079,800—and that’s down 10% from the previous year!

That sky-high price tag is one of several reasons buyers suddenly have more choices in Silicon Valley—if they have the means.

“Prices are so high there that even with a high-paying job, it’s difficult to afford homes,” says Hale. Therefore, residences are taking a little longer to sell.

“Builders are definitely trying to build in that area. Buyers are being a bit more hesitant [to purchase properties], while existing residents who are thinking about downsizing or retiring or moving somewhere else think now is a good time to put their home on the market, while home prices are still high.”

The metro was followed by Seattle, at 85%; San Francisco, at 53%; San Diego, at 39%; and Portland, OR, at 36%.

Overall, the most selection is on the high end. The number of homes priced at $750,000 and above shot up 11% year over year in February.

That’s because cheaper properties are most in demand, so they sell fast. And there simply aren’t as many buyers with large-enough bank accounts to snap up the pricey homes.

Where are list price reductions on the rise?

Sellers hoping for big paydays across the nation have been forced to lower their expectations, and their asking prices, over the past few months. Home price appreciation had a good run after rebounding from the recession, but eventually rising mortgage rates boosted buyers’ costs to a point where too many folks were simply priced out of the market.

Las Vegas saw the biggest bump in price cuts, up 19% in February compared with a year earlier. That’s likely because list prices in Sin City rose 7% year over year in the metro, hitting $310,348 in February. But the annual rate of appreciation there is slowing down a bit, down from a 12% rise the previous year.

“The market is slowing there, and sellers are being a bit slow to adjust,” says Hale. “Just because a market is seeing price cuts doesn’t mean prices are actually falling. It could just be a sign that sellers got a little too ambitious in their initial price.”

Next up was San Jose, at 9%; Phoenix, at 7%; San Francisco, at 5%; and Dallas, at 4%.

The post The No. 1 Sign That We May See a Cooler Spring Home-Buying Market appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.



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Why Hasn’t Anyone Bought Eleanor Roosevelt’s Former Townhouse in NYC?

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Eleanor Roosevelt‘s most famous residence was the White House, but she also called a stately New York City townhouse home from 1953 to 1958. Located in a historic district of Manhattan, the 5,225-square-foot mansion boasts classic Victorian architecture that is indeed fit for a first lady.

Although the building was constructed in 1873, the current owner has spent over $2 million to have the structure restored and the interior reimagined by prominent interior designer Maria Masi.

Yet this trophy property has been on and off the real estate market since 2015, with nary a buyer in sight. We wondered why no one had scooped this place up—despite a series of price cuts—and as we looked into it, we discovered some fascinating tidbits about this historic home.

Eleanor Roosevelt townhouseEleanor Roosevelt’s one-time townhouse

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Why hasn’t the townhouse sold?

The current owner bought the property for $9.5 million in 2011 and listed it for the first time in 2015 for $16 million. After dropping the price several times and relisting it between 2016 and 2017, the home was listed again in February for its current price of $13.5 million.

So why hasn’t a buyer come around yet? Listing agent Barbara Evans-Butler of Stribling & Associates believes that the townhouse’s elegant interiors, reminiscent of the type of stately Victorian home that Roosevelt would have lived in, might have been a liability. Over the past few years, she says, wealthy buyers have been drawn to the new high-rises with in-house luxury amenities like gyms and screening rooms that have been popping up all over Manhattan.

“But because of the law of scarcity, properties like this one have become more and more rare, and more and more valuable,” Evans-Butler says. Ultimately, she believes that buyers will soon come back around to historic townhouses.

Like many other luxury properties, it seems as though Roosevelt’s former townhouse is just waiting for the right buyer.

Inside Eleanor Roosevelt’s former townhouse Eleanor Roosevelt townhouseThose stained-glass windows hark back to the house’s Victorian roots.

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While studying up on the real estate history of the former first lady’s Manhattan abode, we uncovered some fun facts.

Her rent was less than $500 a month Eleanor Roosevelt townhouseAll the bedrooms have been reimagined, while retaining their vintage appeal.

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After President Franklin D. Roosevelt died, Eleanor returned to her native New York in 1953 and inhabited the first two levels of this building as one apartment. The rent she paid on this elegant pad: a mere $452 per month.

She hosted many high-profile friends Eleanor Roosevelt townhousePolitical power players dined here.

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Eleanor entertained such luminaries as Indira Gandhi and Adlai Stevenson, as well as like-minded Democratic power players of the day, including John F. Kennedy.

The neighborhood has some rare perks Eleanor Roosevelt townhouseRooftop terrace

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The townhouse is located in Treadwell Farms, a residential historic district where no commercial buildings are allowed and the architectural integrity of the townhouses is protected. That means a giant skyscraper will never be built next door or in back, and the lovely rooftop terrace view will never be overshadowed. Many celebrities have appreciated the unique features of this district, including Martin Scorsese, Montgomery Clift, and Kim Novak.

The home’s outdoor twofer Eleanor Roosevelt townhouseA private yet elegant backyard

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There are 1,770 square feet of outdoor entertaining space, divided between a backyard with a fountain and a roof terrace. In NYC, there are few places remaining where you get both.

Eleanor Roosevelt townhouseThe kitchen has updated appliances but retains the character of a historic home.

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Eleanor Roosevelt townhouseWe consider this the definition of bathroom goals.

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Eleanor Roosevelt townhouseAn ornate wooden staircase and mural

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Eleanor Roosevelt townhouseOne of two master suites

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The post Why Hasn’t Anyone Bought Eleanor Roosevelt’s Former Townhouse in NYC? appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.



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Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Please Clap! Jeb Bush Selling $1.8M Coral Gables Home

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One-time GOP presidential hopeful and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is selling in South Florida. Bush and his wife, Columba, recently listed their immaculate townhome in the Almeria Row development in Coral Gables for $1.8 million.

It’s a perfect location for a politician (or anyone else, really) who desires a little privacy but also likes to be close to the action. The small town of about 50,000 is close to downtown Miami and South Beach, but removed just enough to create a comfortable distance.

Almeria Row is an exclusive grouping of 10 luxury townhouses that “combine the amenities of urban living with the convenience of a single-family home.”

The Bush condo is pristine and bright, with white shades and walls, and marble accents throughout the kitchen and bathrooms. There’s a guesthouse in the back to accommodate staff or visiting family and friends.

The main house features two en suite master bedrooms. Both floors of the townhouse are open and airy, allowing for an abundance of sunshine.

The kitchen is appointed with top-of-the-line appliances, and oak wood flooring runs throughout the house.

Exterior

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Kitchen

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Entryway

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The two-bedroom guesthouse with a separate entrance is situated above a two-car garage. A buyer could potentially convert the area into an office or exercise studio.

Given the Bush family ties and Jeb’s run for the presidency in 2016, it’s likely the Secret Service used the guesthouse at some point.

Bathroom

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Ready for the inevitable thunderstorm or, worse, hurricane, the townhome is equipped with impact windows and doors as well—a must-have in Florida.

Courtyard with fountain

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And in true Florida style, a private courtyard with a fountain separates the main home from the guesthouse and garage.

The Bushes purchased the townhome in 2011 for $1.3 million. For a comparable, the townhouse next door has been on the market for over 90 days with a $1.85 million price tag.

The post Please Clap! Jeb Bush Selling $1.8M Coral Gables Home appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.



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Meet the luxury Realtors that made the Elite 25 Austin 2019 class

The 2019 Elite 25 Austin is the best-selling one ever. Each Realtor on the list sold at least eight homes at $1 million or above in 2018.

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U.S. Housing Starts End 2018 on Soft Note

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U.S. housing starts tumbled in December, capping a weak year for construction of new single-family homes due to factors such as rising construction material and labor costs.

Housing starts dropped 11.2% in December from the prior month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.078 million, the lowest level in more than two years, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. Residential building permits, which can signal how much construction is in the pipeline, edged up 0.3% from November to an annual pace of 1.326 million.

Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected a 1.3% decrease for starts and a 2.9% decrease for permits.

Housing-starts data are volatile from month to month and can be subject to large revisions. December’s 11.2% decline for starts came with a margin of error of 14.0 percentage points.

Single-family home building stagnated in 2018, after steadily climbing throughout the expansion. Construction of multifamily buildings continued to ease as the market for new condominiums and apartments has cooled.

The Commerce Department’s report on housing starts in December was delayed by more than a month due to the partial government shutdown.

The broader trend shows starts rose by 3.6% in 2018 compared with 2017.

Starts were down 6.7% in December from the prior month for single-family construction and down 20.4% for buildings with two or more units compared with November. Permits in December were down 2.2% for single-family homes and up 4.9% for multifamily construction.

Despite strong economic growth and a historically low unemployment rate, factors that should support home-buyer demand, a shortage of inventory and rising borrowing costs have locked out many would-be buyers.

While affordability remains a key concern, home-builder sentiment picked up in the first two months of this year after pulling back in much of 2018. The National Association of Home Builders attributed strengthening home-builder confidence to lower mortgage rates.

The post U.S. Housing Starts End 2018 on Soft Note appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.



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Midwest Real Estate Data Welcomes Livingston County Board of Realtors® Into MLS's Expanding Service Area - GlobeNewswire

Midwest Real Estate Data Welcomes Livingston County Board of Realtors® Into MLS's Expanding Service Area  GlobeNewswire

LCBR goes live as MRED's fifteenth association partner ahead of schedule.



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Carrie Underwood Selling Tennessee Mansion Where She Had a Terrible Fall

Carrie Underwood

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Country music superstar Carrie Underwood has placed her Brentwood, TN, home on the market for $1.45 million, according to Variety.

The musician purchased the “Italian-style villa” for $1.35 million in 2007, before her marriage to NHL player Mike Fisher in 2010.

And although the home hits a high note inside and out, buyers need to be careful. The 35-year-old singer had a freak accident on the property in 2017, which reportedly left her needing 40 to 50 stitches on her face and surgery for a broken wrist. After the accident, fans began popping up in the neighborhood hoping to catch a glimpse of the celeb couple.

Built in 2000, the 7,083-square-foot, four-bedroom home is located in a gated golf course community.

The home features a two-story entry with a curved staircase, a formal dining room, and living room. The kitchen has a breakfast nook and stainless-steel appliances (including a wine fridge), and opens to a family room with access to the back patio.

Carrie Underwood’s home in Brentwood, TN

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Two-story foyer with curved staircase

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Formal living room

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Formal dining room

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Open kitchen and family room

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“Glam room” with a vanity and displays for shoes and handbags

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Patio with fire pit

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The master suite comes with a fireplace and a large bathroom with dual vanities. The highlight of the suite is the luxe dressing room with a spiral staircase leading to a “glam room” the size of many NYC apartments. The dressing room features marble flooring as well as displays for handbags and shoes.

The home also features wet bars in the den, a gym, and a game room.

Underwood and Fisher appear to have left in October, when Fisher posted a photo of a moving truck on Instagram. They reportedly now live in a more remote spot in a custom-built home with tons of acreage in Franklin, TN.

Underwood shot to stardom after winning the fourth season of “American Idol” in 2005, and she’s sold over 65 million records worldwide. Fisher, 38, played with the Ottawa Senators and the Nashville Predators before his retirement last year. 

The post Carrie Underwood Selling Tennessee Mansion Where She Had a Terrible Fall appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.



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