When a couple from New York saw the virtual 3D home tour of the house at 13337 Kirby Smith Road in Orlando’s Lake Nona area, they fell in love with it.
So much so that they flew to Central Florida, looked at the home, bought it and flew back the same day, listing agent Peter Luu told Orlando Business Journal. They paid $6 million for the 9,609-square-foot lakeside estate on June 14, marking the most expensive single-family home sales in the 32827 ZIP code, which includes Lake Nona and Orlando International Airport, since 2009.
In fact, Rosa Metz, who bought the home with her husband Albert, said walking into the home took her breath away. “Nothing else compared to it… It was love at first sight.”
The home along Lake Hart was advertised as offering the experience of “living in a five-star resort.” The 5-bedroom, 7.5-bathroom abode is outfitted with luxurious features such as 22-karat chandeliers, marble floors and columns, an elevator and a smart home system that controls lighting, speakers and other electronics. Plus, the spacious kitchen is a former Parade of Homes Grand Award winner, featuring a coffee station, griddle, double sinks and a walk-in pantry.
To see inside the home, check out the gallery above.
The house sits on a sprawling property that includes an infinity-edge pool, tennis court and basketball court.
The home’s combination of an elegant yet inviting atmosphere, thanks to features such as marble columns complimented by an abundance of natural light, appealed to Albert Metz, he said. “It seems like a home that a family could enjoy, not just a museum piece to look at.”
Chris Ostarello and Natalie Cordone, Realtors with Orlando-based Righthouse Realty LLC, represented the buyers. Even as mortgage rates climb and there are national signs of a market slow-down, inventory is still tight and homebuyer demand is healthy in relocation destination Orlando, Ostarello said.
Meanwhile, luxury home sales in metro Orlando between Feb. 1 and April 30 slipped 21% compared to the same time in 2021, according to a June 10 report by Redfin Corp. The Seattle-based national real estate brokerage reports luxury sales in Central Florida are declining faster than the 7% drop seen in local home sales across price points.
Kissimmee-based Armel Real Estate Inc. CEO Deanna Armel, who was not involved in the Kirby Smith Road sale, told OBJ she’s witnessing increasingly frequent price cuts in Central Florida, a sign the market is softening. “It’s kind of a culture shock. You’re seeing price reductions. There were no price reductions last year.”
