Wade M. Berlin

The road ends here. That's the first thing you notice. No through traffic, no hum of a highway in the distance, just a gravel drive that opens onto more than an acre of Florida the way Florida used to be. There's a pond out front with lily pads on it. An orange grove where the road runs out. Two highland cows graze the pasture behind you. And a Kent Custom Homes farmhouse that delivers on every promise its exterior makes. Walk in through the wood front door and the house pulls you into a room that does what good homes do. It brings people together without crowding them. The kitchen anchors it. White quartz, a walnut island, a custom wood hood, subway tile to the ceiling, a farmhouse sink under a window that looks out over the pasture. The primary suite is split off the main level for privacy, with a tray ceiling and windows facing open land. A walk in closet sized for a real wardrobe sits just off the bedroom, and the private ensuite carries dual vanities under round wood mirrors and a walk in shower. Three more bedrooms share the main floor, plenty of space for an office, a studio, or a place to keep the guitars. Upstairs is its own quiet country. A fifth bedroom with a walk in closet and full bath. A window is already framed behind the drywall, waiting for the next owner to let the light in. Out back, the screened lanai runs the length of the home and opens onto lawn that stretches to the tree line. Morning coffee with the sun rising and birds chirping. Evenings under stars you forgot existed. Egg hunts around the pond. Parties in the yard. Holidays where everyone actually fits. This house has hosted all of it. This is the Saint Cloud part of Saint Cloud, not the version you get from a subdivision. The lakefront is minutes away. Lake Nona is a straightforward drive. Wild Florida is ten minutes down the road, with its drive through safari and airboat rides. Pumpkin patches and U pick farms in the fall. Rural without feeling remote. But it really isn't about all of that. It's about what happens when you turn off the road and the noise stops and you realize, somewhere between the pond and the porch, that you've been looking for this place for a long time. Some places you have to feel. This is one of them.