Friday, July 24, 2009

Two Houses, One Low Price: $225,000!

In Sanford NC, on the north side of town, just off of Old U.S. Highway #1, in McCracken Heights, is a lovely vintage estate with lots of flora. It's the Annie Laurie Pomeranz Estate at both 526 Forrest Drive and 532 Forrest Drive. (The map says Fralick Road, but it's Forrest Drive. Zoom in for the right name.)

There you will find two houses...two homes...joined at the hip with lots of history and fun. There's a large back yard behind one and a beautiful swimming pool behind the other. The two homes are being listed for sale together but can be purchased individually. FOR SPECIAL COMBINED SALES PRICE, SEE END OF PAGE!
At 526 Forest Drive, the "main house" has six or seven bedrooms and five full baths. You enter the home through a very welcoming front door and into a large space which is extremely inviting. To the left, there's an expansive living room (photo left) that looks out on picturesque gardens in the front side and back of the house. And, through the living room or straight ahead and to the right from the welcoming area, you'll find the dining room also with a wide view of the back yard.

The dining room can seat up to 22 adults. Just ask any who have had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast there. The dining room also has lovely built-in cabinetry.



The large kitchen adjoins the dining room and also has a nice nook also with back yard viewing. Wooden cabinets abound in the kitchen.

Across the wood paneled hallway from the dining room and the kitchen are a den/library with shelving from floor-to-ceiling and an office for privacy of a work from home individual.
And, that's just on the first floor of a semi-split level home. And, speaking of the first floor, with the exception of the kitchen, you'll find beautiful wood floors throughout this level as well as the primary bedroom level up a flight of eight stairs at the end of the hall, way out of sight of the front door.

Three very large bedrooms and two large, full baths branch off from the wide upstairs hall which includes a huge linen closet. The master bedroom looks out over the front of the home and includes a nice size walk-in closet with more than ample hanging space and shelves. The master bath features two sinks, a shower and a tub.

The other two bedrooms offer nearly as much square footage as the master bedroom. And, from one, there's a pull-down ladder from a door in the wall to reach the attic that spans nearly the entire first floor of the house. Both bedrooms face the back yard. The common bath, accessed from the hall, has two sinks and a tub.

Back down the first set of stairs and then down another eight steps at the end of the hall is the lower level with its tile floor. This space is actually two in one. There's the original level, and there's the two bedroom/one bath area added about 10 years after the house was first built.

In the original space, there's an enormous "playroom" with lots of shelving for games and books. There's a large bedroom sort of out of sight around a corner and a full bath with one sink and a shower is just one step away from the bedroom door. There are two additional rooms in this lower level. One is a laundry room with the washer and dryer connections and a large sink. Walk through this room and you'll find another small room that has multiple purposes, especially since a full bath with one sink and a shower is connected to it. This could be a small bedroom, or a sewing room or an office.

Walk through the playroom and there's the newer section with two large bedrooms, a hall linen closet and one bath with a single sink and a shower. There's also a door to the outside in this area which could be set up as an suite for a parent or an older offspring living there.

The back yard is a kid's paradise! There's lots of room to run and roam. And for the active gardener, there's plenty of vegetation to cultivate with something bringing color to the view year-round. The back of the house has a wonderful patio for outside dining, cooking on the grill or simply enjoying the atmosphere with your friends and neighbors.

The fenced backyard has a mixture of pines and oaks and abundant beautiful azaleas and other flora. McCracken Heights is a wonderful family neighborhood. The house at 526 Forrest Drive was built in 1953 (the addition in 1963) and it has 4,288 square feet of living space on an approximate one-acre lot.

Sitting next door, to the left if facing the front door, is a much smaller home, usually referred to as the "pool" house because this one-story bungalow has a wonderful kidney shaped in-ground, heated (if desired) swimming pool out back, just a few steps up a walkway from the main house.

The pool house has just one large bedroom but two full baths, a large kitchen with an abundance of cabinets, shelving and kitchen storage space. The "L" shaped great room has ample space for a cozy entertainment (stereo, television) area, a dining area and still enough room for a full-size billiards table. Out back of this single-story house is the swimming pool, surrounded by a nice brick patio and a large back yard and more flora.

The house at 532 Forrest Drive is suitable for year-round living by elderly parents or older children who might want to move back home for some odd reason. It has been used as a "guest" house for visitors and relatives instead of sending them to a local hotel. The filtration system for the swimming pool is in a building of its own to block out sound of pumps, and this building is flanked by a tool shed and a green house. The backyard is completely fenced in with a tall wooden fence between the lot and the neighbors to the left and back just as the backyard at the other house is between the neighbors on the right and back. A chain link fence much hidden by flowering vines and shrubs separate the two backyards. Lights around the swimming pool are perfect for nighttime swimming and around-the-pool parties.

These two houses together offer a family plenty of space as well as built in summer activities. It has been and will become for a new owner the hub of activity for friends--adults and children alike.

FOR SPECIAL COMBINED SALES PRICE,
SEE END OF PAGE!

THE FACTS:
526 FORREST DRIVE, SANFORD NC
Price: $212,500
Bedrooms: 6 BR
Baths: 5 full BA
Approx. Lot Size: 1.00 Acres
4288 Sq. Ft.
Year Built: 1953
Property Type: Single Family Home
Architecture: Custom
Location: Sanford, NC

THE FACTS:
532 FORREST DRIVE
Price: $120,000
Bedrooms: 1 BR
Baths: 2 full BA
Approx. Lot Size: 0.50 Acres
1186 Sq. Ft.
Year Built: 1958
Property Type: Single Family Home
Architecture: Wood frame on slab
Location: Sanford, NC

Separately, these homes sell for $212,500 and $120,000
but can be purchased together for a substantial savings:
$225,000.00

Tax value is less than $300,000.

Send an email expressing your interest to view the homes to: annie.laurie@earthlink.net. Real Estate Brokers are welcomed!