This SC lakeside estate was built to help children in need. Now it’s for sale for $1.4M

Donna and David Holmes had been fostering children in their Spartanburg home for some time when they saw a piece of land in the tiny Laurens County town of Waterloo.

David Holmes would drive by often and think what a great place it would be for kids.

They bought the land and built a 5,600 square-foot Southern Living designed house in 1997.

Over the decades, they fostered 141 children — some for a few days, others for longer — had two biological sons and adopted three more children. They also welcomed a special needs adult.

They fished in a private lake, played among the fruit trees and just generally acted like the children they were.

Now in their late 60s and no longer fostering or raising children, the Holmes have decided to move to north Georgia and let someone else take over the 21-acre property. They also own about 40 additional acres and it is available if a buyer is interested, Christy Ross, the Realtor handling the sale for Herlong Sotheby’s International Realty.

The asking price for the three-story house at 402 Nanaloo Avenue is $1,450,384.

There are seven bedrooms and six bathrooms, including a primary with a jet tub, walk in closet and fireplace.

There is also a guest suite and another fireplace in the living room.

The kitchen has gas cooking, double ovens, granite countertops, stainless appliances and large windows.

Every room overlooks the lake, which is fed by a natural spring. It has a dock, 1,200 feet of cleared shoreline and is stocked with bass, catfish, bream and crappie.

There is plenty of room to spread out with a balcony, patio and porch and lots of pastureland and gardens.

An outdoor pool overlooks the lake.

Ross said the house would be great for anyone who wants to do as the Holmes’ did and foster children as well as a place for family gatherings or someone looking to work from home in a tranquil area.

Waterloo with a population of less than 200 is 12 miles south of Laurens and was incorporated in 1885. It is about 75 miles northwest of Columbia.

The owners replaced the roof and installed a tankless water heater. It also has a 26 kW Generac generator and high-speed internet.

The Holmes began fostering children in 1985 after their Sunday school class painted rooms at a children’s shelter, Ross said.

The children were starved for affection, Donna Holmes told Ross in a report she wrote about the house and its history.

“They decided their lives should be purpose driven,” Ross said.

Donna Holmes worked at Sears in Spartanburg then Hodge Carpet. Her husband had several jobs while they were fostering children. They moved to Laurens in 1990 and bought a flooring store, which they operated until they retired in 2012.

“We were able to keep the children that needed extra care with us at work so DSS liked to place them with us,“ Donna Holmes said in an email. “We were licensed for five children at a time and typically had that many.”

They didn’t renew their license because they would have had to replace HVAC and other gas appliances that falsely set off carbon monoxide monitors.

“I would love to still be fostering,” she said.