Why you should buy their house in Franklin Square
Maria Stavropoulos with her children -- James, 8, Anna, 4 months, and Giovanni, 6, in the kitchen of the Franklin Square house she owns with her husband, Dean. The house is on the market for $470,000. (Feb. 10, 2013) Credit: Jeremy Bales
The Stavropouloses have lived in their three-bedroom, two-bathroom expanded ranch since 2008. The house, built in 1951, is on a 60-by-100-foot lot and has 1,372 square feet of living space on the main floor. Amenities include a 900-square-foot finished basement, central air-conditioning, in-ground sprinklers and a detached 1½-car garage. Maria explains the home’s appeal:
“The kitchen is huge. A previous owner expanded the back of the house. The kitchen was originally a living room and a kitchen and we made it one big kitchen .?.?. It has high ceilings and granite counters. We did everything new because we weren't planning on moving .?.?. We’ve had 30 to 40 people for sit-down dinners at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s a pleasure to do the holidays. It’s so open and spacious .?.?. The living room and dining room are open and we have high ceilings there, too .?.?. We have a 13-by-20-foot Trex deck out back .?.?. and French doors that open onto it. We entertain there .?.?. The kids’ birthday parties and Easter holiday. We changed all the [interior] doors to solid wood, put in new closet systems. We did new [ceiling] moldings and baseboard throughout the house .?.?. We finished the basement ... [it] has tiled flooring ... an office, a laundry room .?.?. a full bathroom .?.?. a playroom .?.?. and three storage closets .?.?."
