Yahoo Lifestyle Erin Napier Shares “Bittersweet” News with ‘Home Town’ Fans
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A house featured on HGTV’s Home Town is for sale in Laurel, Mississippi, and though it’s not the first time a home from the show has hit the market (here’s a look back at one that went on sale in 2020), Erin and Ben Napier hold this latest listing particularly dear.
The charming early-20th century cottage, listed by Red Fox Realty for $275,000, belongs to Ben’s little brother Jesse and his wife Lauren. In the 2021 episode that highlighted its renovation, fans learned that the newlyweds were expecting their first child and that Ben and Erin were expecting their second daughter, who turned three last year. (Sweet cousins!) Suffice it to say every one of its 1,764 square feet is packed with Napier family memories, which makes its sale bittersweet for the HGTV stars.
Erin shared on Instagram: “An extremely special #hgtvhometown house is on the market. This was the one where we told y’all the news that Mae was on the way and @ltnapier and @napierframes told us Nell was too. So many family dinners and play dates. They’re ready for life in the country with lots of land to grow a garden and watch their babies grow up roaming the woods. I won’t be able to look at this one vacant. 💔 Praying a great family who will love it like we all have finds the link in my stories!”
In Home Town season 5, episode 12 (you can revisit the episode on Max), Ben and Erin brought the home back to its former glory.
The “crusty” white exterior was refreshed with a coat of mallard green paint and darker trim. Inside, Erin brought in rich wall colors aligned with the couple’s preferences and decorated with a mix of older heirlooms, handmade pieces from Ben’s woodshop, and elements of 1970s and 1990s style to seamlessly integrate Lauren and Jesse’s eclectic taste into the historic home. The renovation also included essential upgrades like a new roof and kitchen. And, of course, a nursery was in order!
In her Instagram stories, Erin shared additional pics of the house with commentary that revealed slices of Napier family life in the home after the Home Town production crew left. On a photo of the combined kitchen and dining area, she wrote, “We had so many good meals at that window.”
In the living room, she noted that the corner just left of the fireplace is “where the Christmas tree” went.
Perhaps the sweetest memory? On the wall behind the living room couch, she pointed out the piano, which we know from the show is an heirloom from Lauren’s side of the family. “How our babies loved playing that piano!” Erin noted.
Finally, on the last image shared in her story, one of the two bathrooms, she took a moment to love on the timeless bathroom lighting choice: “Still love that Moroccan star light!”
As their HGTV-famous sister-in-law’s memories attest, Jesse and Lauren have been served very well by the home, but now this branch of the Napier family is ready for more space and the kind of garden that only a few country acres can provide.
“Gonna miss them being in town so much,” Erin said in her stories. “I’m sad for us, but happy for them. Heirloom rooms and whatnot.” (The home, along with the memories attached to it, is also featured in Erin’s bestselling book, Heirloom Rooms.)
In the comments, fans echoed Erin’s sentiments: “Awww, bittersweet.❤️❤️” said one, while another chimed in, “An expanding family needs more room!”
With the show being so popular, the post understandably generated lots of buzz from those asking how to inquire about the listing as well as expressing that they wish they could move there: “I was in Laurel in November and fell in love with the town. I would buy this in a heartbeat if I had a job there!” and “Oh man if my commute was a little less that’d be a DREAM 👏 ”.
Though Erin expressed that she hoped a family would move in, at least one fan had another idea in mind: “A vacation home! Hmmmm.” With Laurel being such a fun place to visit, we can’t say we blame fans for entertaining the notion.
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