When Elvis Presley superfan Claire Starring heard musicians Dale Watson and Celine Lee were selling a Graceland-inspired home in Memphis, TN, it was only a matter of hours before she would find herself visiting the property and placing an offer.
At the time, the Woodstock, GA, resident was enjoying a trip to the real Graceland—the historic estate of the late legendary musician, a destination she frequents often.
“I have to have this place. I don’t care how I do it, I have to have this place,” Starring recalls thinking in conversation with Realtor.com®.
“The minute I stepped foot on the shag green carpet, I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh. I love it. We have to have this house.'”
Starring “immediately” put an offer on the property, despite her husband’s advice.
“My husband just rolled his eyes and said, ‘You know, when you’re buying something, Claire, you’re supposed to act as if you’re not interested, so you can get a better price,’” she says with a laugh. “I’m like, ‘No, you pay asking price, because I want this place.’ And he was like, ‘I’m going to go wait in the car.’”
According to property records, Starring snapped up the three-bedroom, 1.5-bathroom home for $150,000, a dip from the original asking price of $175,000. Watson and Lee purchased the property from the original owners in 2017 for $55,000.
Considering she’s a former set designer turned home renovator, Starring surprisingly plans to leave “Lil’ Graceland” largely untouched.
While she wasted no time painting the exterior of the brick-red home a bright turquoise on the day she closed on the property, the retro-themed abode came fully furnished, and Starring’s “doing absolutely nothing to the inside.”
There are two caravans located in the backyard, and the superfan will “glamp them out” to serve as an additional source of income.
In the right hands, Lil’ Graceland can be a…
Read More: Elvis Superfan Snaps Up Graceland-Inspired Home for $150K
