The end of 2013 was, apparently, a time to look back.
Several of the homes on this month's list are either old, designed to look old, celebrate the old, or are just rustic retreats that echo an older time. Perhaps the nostalgia the holidays bring and the stereotypical end-of-year retrospection inspired this month's clutch of buyers.
Among the notable purchasers: Glen Campbell; a new Vandy dean; relocating vintners; and relocating ranchers.
As always, these are the top 10 home sales in Davidson and surrounding counties for December, ranked by sale price.
1. 224 Ensworth Place, Nashville, 37205
Buyers: Craig P. and Trista M. Goguen
Sale price: $3.085 million
Seller: Charles Robert Pruett
Seller's agent: Jane McCracken, Keller Williams Realty
Buyers' agent: Steve G. Fridrich, Fridrich & Clark Realty
Though not built until 2006, this home has 100-year-old wood floors and an antique marble fireplace, one of five in the home (though the new buyers did not get the antique doors).
Included in its nearly 8,400 square feet is a wine cellar and a tasting room.
Craig Goguen is the president and CEO of DSI Renal, one of the nation's largest providers of dialysis services.
2. 425 Jackson Blvd., Belle Meade, 37205
Buyer: Kimberly W. Coakley
Sale price: $2.9 million
Seller: 425 Jackson Boulevard Trust, Steve G. Fridrich, trustee
Seller's agent: Steve G. Fridrich, Fridrich & Clark Realty
Buyers' agent: Joe K. Hach, Keller Williams Realty
This faux-chateau of 7,672 square feet sits on a single acre on Jackson Boulevard in Belle Meade. The listing promises "great flow" and "privacy," along with 10-foot ceilings.
Kim Coakley is the owner of SMS Holdings, founded by her late husband William, who died in 2004.
2 (tie). 5395 Old 96, Leipers Fork, 37064
Buyers: Eric & Samantha Coghlan
Sale price: $2.9 million
Sellers: William T. and Dale B. Powell
Sellers' agent: Jay Barron, Harpeth Company
Buyers' agent: Heidi Green, Synergy Realty Network
Built in 1997 from historic materials, Poplar Forest, as this home is known, mimics the antebellum vernacular style of Tennessee. The Greek Revival sits on 100 acres and is "faithful to the original style, down to the door hardware."
The Coghlans are the owners of a winery and jeweler in Los Olivos, Calif. Seller William Powell is a Franklin builder who specializes in restoring older homes and (surprise, surprise) building new homes faithful to old style.
4. 9306 Exton Lane, Brentwood, 37027
Buyer: Unknown
Sale price: $1,983,800
Sellers: Gary A. and Cynthia Garfield
Sellers' and buyer's agents: Susan Gregory and Lisa Culp Taylor, Bob Parks Realty
Wouldn't be Headline Homes without an entry from Annandale, would it? Brentwood's luxury subdivision comes through seemingly every month with a Top 10 entry.
This one includes a hobby room, wine room, two media rooms and an outdoor fireplace.
5. 4410 Honeywood Drive, Belle Meade, 37205
Buyer: Margaret Thompson Smith Trust
Sale price: $1.75 million
Seller: Amy Lucile Rich
Seller's and buyer's agent: Steve G. Fridrich, Fridrich & Clark Realty
A Belle Meade classic built in 1929, this home has "great bones," we're told. As befits a home of that locale and era, it includes spacious rooms for entertaining throughout its 5,600 square feet on little more than one acre.
Rich is the daughter of the late John Rich, the Delta Coals founder and Vanderbilt booster largely seen as responsible for funding much of the Commodores' athletic expansion.
6. 827 Battery Lane, Oak Hill, 37220
Buyer: House Cavalleri Trust, Stanley Schneider, trustee
Sale price: $1.725 million
Sellers: Mickie and Robert E. Marberry
Sellers' agent: Kathy P. Coleman, Fridrich & Clark Realty
Buyer's agent: Steve Fridrich, Fridrich & Clark Realty
Custom-built in 2009, the 8,586-square-foot home includes reclaimed hardwood floors (a running theme, it seems). It has a large basement suite and an unfinished 1,500 feet over its detached four-car garage.
The purchasing trust is the same as the trust that sold the California home of country music star Glen Campbell.
7. 2006 Farnsworth Drive, Nashville, 37205
Buyer: Martha J. Menkemeller
Sale price: $1.6 million
Sellers: Ronald G. and Renate H. McAbee
Sellers' agent: Richard B. French, French King Fine Properties
Buyer's agent: Sutton Lipman, The Lipman Group Sotheby's International Realty
We've run across all kinds of architectural style descriptors in the life of Headline Homes, but this one is new: "Charleston-inspired."
Indeed, the Hill Place home would not look out of place on the old-money streets of South Carolina's most charming city. It even has a walled courtyard with a water feature.
8. 919 Lynnwood Blvd., Belle Meade, 37205
Buyers: M. Eric & Nancy G. Johnson
Sale price: $1.55 million
Sellers: M. Rush and Joan R. Benton
Sellers' agent: Margaret H. Taylor, Fridrich & Clark Realty
Buyers' agent: Marcie Nash, Pilkerton Realty
Our Old South journey continues with this "Plantation-style" home on Lynnwood, which was sold, the listing says, despite having "no sign."
M. Eric Johnson was named Vanderbilt's dean of Business (a brilliant title, though, in effect, he's the dean of the Owen Graduate School of Management) in April.
9. 170 Scanty Branch Road, Dixon Springs, 37057
Buyers: Ted L. and Caroline L. Kjerstad
Sale price: $1.5 million
Sellers: Richard T. and Martha J. Jones
Sellers' agent: Chris Mannino, The Lipman Group Sotheby's International Realty
Buyers' agent: Ben Benjamin, Crye-Leike Inc.
Rare is the Headline Home in Trousdale County, though maybe more should come from there. This one might be a steal at twice the price.
First, there's 185 acres. Then there's the 8,500-square-foot main house and another structure that comes in at 7,500 square feet. What is this second massive building? No idea. (A stable? A barn? It could be anything!) The listing says it is a "Gatlinburg-like setting," which it indeed may be, and "close to Nashville Airport," which it only is if one considers a one-hour drive "close."
The Kjerstads run Git R Done Outfitters, a hunting ranch in northwestern Nebraska.
9 (tie). 5405 Waddell Hollow Road, Franklin, 37064
Buyers: Timothy and Lisa A. Unger
Sale price: $1.5 million
Seller: Joseph Neil Thrasher Jr.
Seller's and buyers' agent: Jane Hunter Hicks, Bob Parks Realty
The listing promises "rustic elegance" from this home in rural Williamson County. Sitting on 4.5 acres, it includes a saltwater pool (with waterfall!) and two woodburning fireplaces.
Tim Unger is the CEO of HCA's Parallon Technology Solutions unit, a title he received after his company, Vision Consulting, took a larger role within HCA's business and operational services unit.
Email editor@nashvillescene.com.
