Aretha Franklin's Detroit Home Is Back on the Market with a Respectable Price Increase

listed at $800,000

in October and was removed from the MLS about six weeks later. Now it's

back on the market

with a new look and a new price tag: $1.2 million.

"The home wasn't lived in for 15 years and was in disrepair," says listing agent Michael Hermiz, of RE/MAX New Trend in Farmington Hills, Michigan. "Sabrina Owens [Franklin's niece and estate executor] took it off market and fixed it up. The remodel was very tastefully done."

Indeed. The impressive 4,148-square-foot five-bedroom Colonial, which Franklin bought in 1997, is located in a gated community in upscale Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Its circular drive delivers you and your guests to the home's courtyard entrance. An expansive two-story foyer greets you, featuring elegant marble flooring and a crystal chandelier. It opens to the two-story great room, which currently holds Franklin's own red grand piano, to be auctioned off at a later date.

Franklin loved to cook, and the new owner will enjoy her gourmet kitchen, which has white cabinets, black granite counters and an oversized island. The space has all of Franklin's original appliances.

"Whoever is so lucky to get this space will be cooking in the Queen of Soul's kitchen," Rodney Howell, a Detroit-area stylist who staged the home, said in an interview with a local Fox news station.

The formal dining room includes a stunning custom-made chandelier that Franklin owned and loved. It formerly hung in another of her residences, and was brought here to add more of her personal style.

A stately master suite is also on the first floor, featuring the original floors and marble bathroom. Another special touch is the floral etched shower surround, custom made for Franklin. Imagine the bragging rights to sing in the shower where Franklin readied herself for the day?

The home has a total of five bedrooms, five and a half bathrooms, library and a finished walkout lower level, with plenty of space for a family or for entertaining. Two oversized cedar closets were installed in the home, with plenty of room for your evening gowns and wardrobe changes.

The home backs up to the community amenities, including a pool, tennis court, clubhouse, pond, and walking trail, and has elevated decks from which to take in the view. The renovation also included plenty of practical improvements, including a new roof, furnace and hot water heater, and a restained deck.

While the price of this property increased 50% from the last time it was listed, Hermiz says it's in line with similar listings in the area. Zillow lists the home's value at $1.16 million. Another home on the same street is listed for $1.05 million-of course it doesn't have the provenance that Franklin's home does. Previously, the listing was a fixer upper, but the renovations make it move in ready.

"Some parts were kept original to how she lived, and some things were made newer," says Hermiz. "Remodeling the home preserves Aretha Franklin's legacy. It's a turn key property and a once in a lifetime opportunity."