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Buyers Race to Purchase Key West Home Dale Earnhardt Jr. Renovated on TV

Anyone who’s into surf, sand, and tropical drinks year-round will love this new listing in Key West, FL.

In addition to the enviable setting, the home has two claims to fame. It belongs to NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt Jr., and its renovation was featured on HGTV sister station DIY, in a four-part series called “Renovation Realities: Dale Jr. & Amy.”

The TV exposure let potential buyers know exactly what they were getting in this 150-year-old historical home, and offers raced in. After less than two weeks on the market, the $2.6 million home has a sale pending.

The Earnhardts made the place totally turnkey. Dale enjoys tinkering with home renovations when he’s not tinkering with race cars, and Amy is an accomplished interior designer. Put them together to renovate a home they purchased several years ago and add a network willing to shoot a four-episode series—and you have TV gold.

When the Earnhardts bought the home in 2015 for $1.2 miliion, it was dilapidated. They had toyed with the idea of renovating it, but the time, expense, and complications of dealing with the local historical society were intimidating.

But after Dale retired from racing and DIY offered a series, the project became more appealing. The couple also realized they could hire experts to handle tasks outside of their areas of expertise.

So what did the photogenic couple do to the place? Everything!

First they shored up the foundation and flooring, then they reconfigured the ground floor to add more open space and a full bath and guest bedroom. The home now has three bedrooms and 3.5 baths and measures 1,980 square feet.

Next they tackled the kitchen, living room, and dining room and added gorgeous wood floors, French doors, state-of-the-art appliances, and beach-chic design details.

They then moved upstairs and created two bedroom suites.

Finally, they turned their attention to the backyard, where they put in a pool and spa, added a wood deck, and built a covered dining pavilion and kitchen. They even put their initials on a concrete slab to commemorate their work.

Now that it’s finished, why are the couple zooming away?

The home was never intended to be their long-term homestead.

“It was something they could do together,” says listing agent Deborah Cardenas of Sotheby’s International Realty. “If you watched any of the episodes, you could see how much fun and hard work Dale and Amy put into lovingly restoring this home.”

“Our goal was to restore part of our favorite getaway (Key West), and we thoroughly enjoyed bringing the home back to its glory,” the couple told us. “In addition, we received an offer we just couldn’t refuse!”

Now that they’ve got a taste of the joys of renovation, will they do it again?

It’s doubtful. “We don’t have any plans to do this again,” Dale told ET. “You never say never, but this basically was the perfect situation where we had the property, we were interested in physically being involved in the renovation, and HGTV was interested in filming it and putting it out to the public. This was kind of a unique, one-off.”

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