A quirky, maritime-themed property tucked between busy roads and sprawling developments near The Villages is about to get national attention when Wissthaven appears on HGTV’s Zillow Gone Wild tomorrow.

Owned by Margot Brewer and her husband, retired Pan Am pilot Hank Kiefia, the 14-acre property in Lady Lake caught the attention of producers because of its over-the-top nautical personality, unusual features and one-of-a-kind atmosphere.

Hosted by actor and comedian Jack McBrayer, the HGTV series travels the country showcasing homes that are quirky, unexpected and unlike anything viewers have seen before. The show highlights properties that stand out for their creativity, unusual themes or what the show calls “wackadoo” appeal.

For Margot, the journey to Wissthaven started with a simple dream.

“There’s nothing wrong with The Villages at all, except that you have less than an acre of land and no chickens,” she says.

A self-described “classic city girl,” Margot says she wanted space, animals and a taste of country life without sacrificing convenience. After looking at several rural properties that felt too far removed from grocery stores and daily necessities, the couple nearly gave up. Then one day, while driving nearby, Margot spotted a listing box on the corner of the property.

“Just because I’m interested in real estate, I picked it up and I nearly fell over; if you were looking at the listing now, you’d see why,”  Margot says. “I thought, you cannot be serious, so  I definitely had to see it.”

“Turns out it was 14 acres and it’s right dead in the middle of the villages. We thought, ‘well we can certainly have chickens and goats,’ but also, it was kind of the romance of it.”

The couple purchased the property in July 2024.

“We see it as a unique and fun property,” Margot says. “I have huge props for the former owners who sold it to us for the years of love and creativity that they put into the place.”

Set near the corner of Cherry Lake and Lake Ella roads, the sprawling property includes a saltwater pool, tiki-style gathering areas, a beach volleyball pit, RV space, an aviary housing a blue-and-gold macaw named Boss Parrot and a large sailor’s memorial honoring those lost at sea.

That memorial carried personal meaning for Margot, whose grandfather died in a fishing boat accident off the coast of Nova Scotia in 1930.

“This sailor’s memorial actually has verbiage that says ‘In memory of those who were lost at sea,” and of course, it just tugged at my heartstrings,” she says. 

The property’s name, which they gave it, also carries a deeply personal story. Wissthaven is inspired by Wind, Sand and Stars, a classic aviation memoir by French writer and pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, best known for writing The Little Prince. The name serves as a tribute to Hank’s decades-long aviation career.

“He traveled all over the world,” Margot says of her husband, who flew for Pan Am during what she describes as the glamorous era of commercial aviation.

Before becoming homeowners of one of Florida’s most unusual properties, the couple met online more than a decade ago through eHarmony. Margot, a former journalist from Canada, says they bonded over travel, adventure and a willingness to take chances.

That same adventurous spirit helped drive the decision to buy Wissthaven.

“This is not a move that made our financial advisor very happy,” Margot says. “The logic was, you only live once, so you can either do it or don’t.”

The former owners transformed what was once simply “a patch of earth in the middle of nowhere” into a nautical retreat inspired by Florida fishing towns and deep-sea life. Margot says she and Hank never wanted to erase that legacy and neighbors were even happy about it.

“The only thing that would have put us off, is if you’d gone in and torn it down,” she says neighbors said to them after purchasing the property.

Going forward, the couple hopes to turn Wissthaven into a community gathering place and vacation destination, with plans for Airbnb-style guest rooms, family events and public gatherings.

HGTV producers discovered the property after a Realtor.com story featured the unique home. At first, Margot admits she thought the production call was a scam.

When she realized it was real, though, she says she felt over the moon. 

“I was very excited, very flattered, very happy and grateful that the fun of this place had received national recognition,” she says.

Production crews filmed at the property in February, with McBrayer touring the grounds and hearing the story behind the home.

“It was lovely to know that this (house) was going to be recognized for a wider audience,” she says.

The episode featuring Wissthaven airs Friday, May 22 (tomorrow) at 9:30pm on HGTV and will re-air twice on Saturday, though Margot is unsure of the times.

The couple is also planning a VIP launch event June 5, followed by a public open house June 6, where community members can tour the property and experience the unusual marine-inspired retreat for themselves.