3203 White Oak Rd, Raleigh, NC 27609

In the recently released film ''Here,'' director Robert Zemeckis invites us to experience a story from a surprising vantage point - a plot of land. Over generations and centuries, the people who inhabit this specific place (''here'') become authors and actors in its unfolding story, poignantly reminding us how our homes inextricably connect us to history and humanity. This heirloom property's history reads like a love story—six adoring families cherish a beautiful, pre-war colonial estate over the span of 85 years. After being passed the torch in 2018, the present owners embarked on several substantive improvement projects, the most transformational of which involved partnering with the talented John C. Sanders to reimagine the first floor. That project alone yielded a more effulgent interior, head-turning kitchen, cozy library, hidden owner's entry, and a bone-dry basement. As lovely and inviting as the home is, the piece de resistance is the two-acre property itself. Shielded by ancient hardwoods, the grounds are manicured just so, peppered with enchanting vistas at every turn—cobbled steps and grassy cloisters, a vine-wrapped trellis beckoning passage along stone pathways, open play spaces hemmed by tamed ivy and thick hedges, and a shaded patio tucked behind low masonry walls. And yet, there are two things the photography can't convey: its profound whisper-quietness, and the elation evoked by this special plot of land.©