L iz Salituri and her husband were looking to start a new chapter in their lives. Anticipating in two years their 25th anniversary, they decided to put their Maplewood home of 23 years up for sale and look for a new place. It would be a clean slate – they wouldn't take any of their old furniture with them – and Liz’s mother, suffering from advancing Al- zheimer’s, would join them. They turned to realtor Doug Huebner who helped them find a beautifully restored Victorian at 580 Prospect Street. Having worked with Huebner on three house- flipping projects as well as hiring him to design her home in Asbury Park, Salituri admired his abilities. Not only does Huebner work as a realtor, but he also helps homeowners design their homes to sell. He calls his business The Habitatilist. Tragically, on March 13, three weeks before the Salituris were to move into their new home, Liz’s husband passed away. Amidst the sadness and shock, she and her mother and two daughters somehow summoned the strength to move. They also stayed true to their plan of selling their previous home, 9 Suffolk Avenue, with Huebner. Initially, Sali- turi had wanted to sell the house as is. She thought it was nicely ap- pointed, but Huebner recom- mended that she invest in updat- ing her home by rehabbing the kitchen and painting the inte- finding home / 27 she doesn’t have time to be making decisions on the lighting and drawer pulls. She laughs, “I have no idea what he’s doing. I trust him completely.” She also be- lieves he has the knowledge to properly market the house and the design sense to appeal to today’s buyers. Hu e b n e r says that most families lead very busy lives and want a house that’s move-in ready. They’ll pay a premium so they don’t have to deal with what he calls the A.F. – the aggravation factor. He's found that buyers would rather have someone else work through the upheaval of gutting a room including the decision making and inevitable glitches when renovating, say, a bathroom or kitchen. Further, Huebner explains that buyers don’t want to buy a home and then go through the process of finding the cash to do the renovations. He says, "They can pay more for a finished house and have that extra money rolled into a 30-year mortgage, especially with the low rates we’re experiencing right now." Salituri is looking forward to seeing Huebner’s handiwork at her Suffolk Avenue home. She says, “There’s a uniqueness about his design that sets him apart – he’s not cookie-cutter. He truly loves what he does and he’ll go out of his way to find really cool pieces.” That’s why you’ll find Huebner going to an- tique and salvage shops, storing pieces until he finds the perfect project for them. Salituri’s home will likely go on the market in June. Although letting go of the home is bittersweet, it’s an opportunity for a new family to create the kind of memories that made her families’ time there so meaningful. Finding Home Working with Doug Huebner BY ELLEN DONKER rior. This way, she’d be able to attract the younger buyers who are flocking to Maplewood. He didn’t so much tell her as show her, taking Salituri to open houses and pointing out the difference to the bot- tom line that certain upgrades made. As a data-driven person, the numbers were so compelling that Salituri turned the entire project over to Huebner. She told him, “Just call me when you put the sign in for the open house.” That’s how hands-off she’s been. Plus, she found it painful to keep returning to a house that holds so many memories. Working as a pharmaceutical consultant who also cares for her mother and two daughters, Salituri says Doug Huebner helped Liz Salituri find this renovated Victorian. Doug Huebner is renovating Liz Salituri's former home, designing it to attract today's buyers. Huebner gave Salituri's Suffolk Avenue dining room a facelift.