Lans-Merrick flip revives house, improves neighborhood

Lexington Realtor Sari Larson understands what most families are looking for in a new home.

She included all of that and more in the renovation of 3421 Gingertree Circle in the Lansdowne-Merrick neighborhood.

The four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom residence has 2,176 square feet and sits on a third of an acre. It had suffered from years of neglect when Sari and business partners Sharon McGuire and Jenny Talbott bought it to flip in September.

“It smelled. It was dirty. The wood trim had yellowed. It was bad — but fixable,” Sari recalled.

“It needed a lot of work, but we weren’t afraid of that,” Sharon added. “We love a challenge.”

The women, who’ve been flipping houses in the 40502 zip code for about 20 years, knew the two-story home had a lot going for it. Top of the list: its location on a quiet cul-de-sac with million-dollar homes one street away. “It’s prime,” Sari said.

For example, the University of Kentucky Arboretum, Lansdowne Shoppes and Merrick Park are within walking distance. “This house needed to be brought up to the same quality as other renovated houses in the neighborhood,” she added.

Built in 1974, it had hardwood floors everywhere but the kitchen. “I felt really good about there being real hardwood both upstairs and downstairs. And the floors were in good shape. They just needed to be refinished,” Sari said.

It didn’t have an open-concept kitchen and family room—popular among many buyers, especially those with children — so Sari created one by removing most of a wall separating the two.

She gutted the kitchen. “It was very dated,” Sari said. “The cabinets were shabby. It was dirty. It was used up.”

She chose new white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and matching hardwood for the floor to bring the kitchen to life. The updates brightened the space and opened up views of the covered porch and back yard.

The home’s flexible floor plan also appealed to the trio. Located between the kitchen and entryway, the dining room can be used as a flex space—think office, play room, fifth bedroom-- by closing the pocket door leading to the kitchen, another door leading to the entry way or both. While the living room offers a quiet retreat for reading and conversation, it also could also be used as a formal dining room.

Finally, the fenced, flat back yard offers plenty of space for children and pets to romp and play, to add on to the house, plant a garden, install a swimming pool—or all four.

Business partners have close relationship

Sari and Sharon know each other from decades ago when Sari and Sharon’s daughter Tisa Kline grew up together as best friends in Winchester.

“She’s like my other mother,” Sari recalls. “I stayed at her house more than my own house. She was the ‘fun’ mother.”

Sharon, a Realtor for 45 years, bought a house on Bellefonte Drive and moved to Lexington in the 70s. Sari relocated to Lexington in 1985.

“We started flipping houses around 2000,” Sharon said. “We’d do one or two a year and still do. It’s hard to find something you can buy, fix up, and still make some money on. We feel lucky to find a couple a year.”

Sharon’s primary role is to search out those ‘diamonds in the rough.’ “That’s her forte,” Sari said. “She’ll get out and be driving around and see something and tell me. I take it from there.”

Since both live nearby, it’s esasy to keep an eye out for prospective flips. Sari does the heavy lifting. She negotiates the sale, handles the paperwork and plans and oversees the renovation. “I can see what to do and how to do it, but we have contractors, painters, and electricians who do the actual work.”

“We have a passion for the Landsdowne-Merrick, Shadeland, and Brookhaven,” she continued. “We’re helping to improve the neighborhood we live in. It’s personal to us.”

This story was originally published January 12, 2020 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Lans-Merrick flip revives house, improves neighborhood."