Practically each merchandise on this California home is an vintage that is been collected or refurbished, and it is listed for $639,000. Have a look inside.

The exterior of the house.Lynn studied photography

• A fairytale home with a red brick facade in Visalia, California is on the market for $639,000.

• The 3,400 square foot property features three bedrooms and four bathrooms.

• The eclectic interior features elements such as a fireman’s pole and a breakfast nook made from old church pews.

A home in Visalia, California with a striking red brick exterior is on the market for $639,000, and its interiors will transport you to the “era of Gatsby,” according to the listing.

The exterior of the house.Lynn studied photography

The 3,400-square-foot home — also known as Laurelwood — was built in 1931, according to the listing.

In the ’60s, a prominent local businessman named Don Douglas bought the home and expanded the property’s footprint with architectural salvage from around the world, listing agent Ruben Olguin told Insider. Olguin holds the listing with his Melson Realty colleague Chris Jolly.

“It was originally just a Tudor style house – built on the same half acre it now stands on – but when Don Douglas bought it he decided he wanted a Victorian mansion,” Olguin said. “He’s been building it for 30 years, and it’s grown from 1,400 square feet to 3,400 square feet.”

Douglas lived in the home for over four decades, from 1960 until his death in 2003, Olguin added.

Each space Douglas added was designed around a single object — like the spiral staircase and fireman’s pole he bought at auction in London, Olguin said.

The spiral staircase and a fireman’s pole.Lynn studied photography

The property has changed hands several times since Douglas’ death.

When Douglas died, another family bought it with the intention of turning it into a wedding venue, Olguin said.

“They could never get the deviation from the city to turn it into a wedding venue because it’s in the middle of an apartment block.

Another family then bought it when it was a foreclosure property and used it to house all their antiques, Olguin said.

One of the living areas in the house.Lynn studied photography

“They never really lived in it. They just held parties and gatherings there,” Olguin said.

The story goes on

That family then sold the house to Olguin and another investor a few years ago, Olguin said. The two bought it in January 2021 for $525,000 per listing.

Olguin resold the property months later in August 2021 but eventually got the home back when the buyer defaulted on payment according to the listing documents.

“We sold it on our own, so we took over the financing. But then the buyer basically defaulted on it, and we got it back through foreclosure,” he added.

Although updates have been made to modernize the house, many of the furnishings are original to Douglas’ time.

The kitchen has an intricately carved stove.Lynn studied photography

“We restored it and brought it up to where it is today,” Olguin said. “We changed a lot of the electrical, a lot of the plumbing and the floors and we brought it all back to life.”

Olguin listed the property in August 2022 for $749,900, listing documents show. It has traded at $639,000 since January.

Homes in Visalia have an average listing price of $375,000, according to data from real estate platform Realtor.com. There are currently 389 single family homes for sale in the area ranging in price from $107,000 to $2 million.

Laurelwood is in the mid-range at $639,000.

Olguin describes the interior of the house as “eclectic Victorian”, although he says it contains a mixture of other architectural styles.

The sunken conversation pit in the living room.Lynn learned photography

“Don Douglas built it for himself based on his wishes. So there’s Victorian, French Normandy, early American, and there’s also Gothic,” Olguin said.

Douglas was also a big fan of Disney and Playboy, and there are touches inspired by both in the house, Olguin said.

“Out on the front is a large dome designed after buildings on Main Street Disney. The exterior of the house was also made out of brick, and it’s very similar to the Haunted Mansion ride,” he said.

The conversation pit in one of the common areas of the home is also inspired by the Playboy mansion, he added.

Douglas loved to entertain and frequently had guests at his home, Olguin said.

The second floor used to be the master bedroom, but the space has since been converted into a playroom.Lynn learned photography

“He loved people and would allow any school or anyone who had married to come and take pictures in his garden,” Olguin said.

Douglas used to have photo albums with pictures of people coming up to him for photoshoots, Olguin said.

“He would never blame anyone, but he would ask for a copy of one of the pictures they took,” Olguin added. “So he had stacks of photo albums with these high school pics, prom pics, wedding pics and graduation pics, all taken in the yard of the house.”

Almost all of the items in the house are antiques that Douglas collected and renovated for use in his home.

A breakfast nook made from old church pews.Lynn studied photography.

The seats in the breakfast nook are refurbished pews, while the kitchen range was originally an 1880s saloon range modified with a gas hob, Olguin said.

The property has three bedrooms and four bathrooms.

One of the bedrooms in the house.Lynn learned photography

Olguin met Douglas and his son after moving to Visalia around 30 years ago.

“I bought a house about a block from this property and I’ve always been intrigued by it because it’s such a beautiful place,” Olguin said.

A few years later, Olguin started working at the same real estate company as Douglas’ son.

“I got to know his son really well and we’re still friends. And so he used to tell me all the crazy stories about this house,” he said. “When the opportunity to buy it came up, I spoke to my investors and just felt like we couldn’t pass it up.”

An ideal buyer would be someone with an interest in antiques or someone planning to convert it into an Airbnb, Olguin said.

One of the bathrooms in the house.Lynn learned photography

The house is almost equidistant from Los Angeles and San Francisco; According to Google Maps, it takes about three hours to get to Los Angeles and a little under four hours to San Francisco.

The property is also about 36 miles from Sequoia National Park, known for its giant sequoias – the tallest trees in the world.

No additional permits are required to convert the space into a short-term rental, Olguin said.

“It is probably the most famous house in Visalia. People come by and just ask for it – I feel like I’ve been a tour guide for this house for the past three years,” he added.

Read the original article on Insider