1158 W Minnesota AvenueDeland, FL 32720Price: $260,000

Virtually Staged. For those who believe a home should have a story, not just square footage, 1158 W Minnesota Ave is well worth discovering. There is something rather refreshing about a house that hasn't been designed to look like every other one. This DeLand home is rooted with genuine character, solid construction, and a layout that reveals rather more than one might expect at first glance. The home features two bedrooms and one bathroom, although the floor plan extends well beyond those numbers. There are two additional flex rooms, neither demanding a particular purpose. They are simply useful extra spaces, leaving the next owner to decide how they should become part of the house. Much of the home's character already possesses true wood flooring bringing the warmth and natural variation that newer materials so often try to imitate. In the living room, a decorative fireplace provides an attractive focal point and another reminder of the home's earlier character. Then there is the kitchen. It is a proper room in its own right-large, substantial and distinctly separate from the rest of the house. Cabinetry and kitchen appliances surround the room, making excellent use of the available wall space while leaving a surprisingly generous amount of room within. In an age when kitchens are so often merged into everything around them, there is something quite appealing about one that still has a room-and a presence-of its own. A separate mudroom leads through to the garage, one of those unassuming features that proves its worth in everyday life. The house itself is constructed with a cinder-block exterior, adding another layer to the story of a home built in a different era. Outside, the backyard offers practical flexibility, with space for additional parking, gardening and outdoor sitting areas. It is not surrounded by water, making it a straightforward, usable outdoor space. The location deserves mention as well. Set within an established part of DeLand, the property is conveniently placed for Historic Downtown DeLand, Stetson University, local shops and restaurants, with straightforward connections to the wider Central Florida area. This is not a house that needs to pretend to be new. Its appeal lies elsewhere-in the real wood beneath your feet, the decorative fireplace in the living room, its substantial kitchen, solid construction and the unexpected spaces that make you reconsider what a two-bedroom home can be. 1158 W Minnesota Ave is a home to walk through slowly. There is rather more to it than first meets the eye.