Sandra Lee Spotted Back at Beloved Former New York Home She Tearfully Sold in 2020 (Exclusive)

The Emmy-winning TV host was photographed with her real estate agent at the property, the sale of which she once described as "one of the saddest days of my life"

Sandra Lee may be looking to buy back her beloved New York home, Lily Pond, two and a half years after selling the property. She was spotted at the home on Thursday.

"Sandra has been shopping the Bedford and Newcastle area in anticipation of her move back to New York," a source tells PEOPLE. "She’s been searching for some time and hasn’t found anything that she likes more than her house, Lily Pond,"

After selling the home in 2020, Lee had been spending her time primarily in California, but now, the source says, work is bringing the Emmy-winning TV host back to the East Coast.

"Sandra has several new television projects, one of which will require her to spend much time in the New York area," the source says.

Related: See Inside Sandra Lee's New York Estate That 'Smells Like Cookies and Feels Like Heaven'

The move will also mean the international lifestyle icon can reconnect with her previous life in the region, where she was based for many years and served as first lady of New York during the administration of her former longtime partner, Governor Andrew Cuomo, from whom she split in 2019.

A friend and former neighbor of the star tells PEOPLE, “Sandy has many friends, and a great network of support here. She’s a New Yorker through and through. Everyone is thrilled Sandra’s coming back to the area.”

Greg Schriefer of Sotheby’s International Realty, a preeminent agent in the area, is representing Lee, who has been touring potential properties for two months, and shared a statement with PEOPLE about her decision to relocate.

Related: Sandra Lee Spends Final Day in Home She Once Shared With Andrew Cuomo: 'I Cried and Cried'

“At this stage of her life, she just wants to be settled and focus on her professional and personal priorities," he says. “Sandra always gives 100% to whatever she does whether her friendships, her personal relationships or her career objectives. She’s trying to do what’s best for her. I think after everything she’s done, been through and given up, she deserves that”.

Lee bid her roughly 4,000 sq. ft., six-bedroom house an emotional farewell in 2020, writing on Instagram at the time that her moving day was "one of the saddest days of my life."

"Today is the day that I do the final move out from Lily Pond," she shared. "I love that house and I have a personal relationship with every single room of that home. I hope the new owners take care of it as well as I did and I will love it forever. #thehousethatbuiltme"

In another Instagram post, Lee recounted her final moments before she left the house for what she thought was the last time.

"I stopped at the top of the hill where I planted one of 6 tree lines of evergreen trees and 200 daffodil bulbs — I just looked at the house, I prayed the next owners would be kind to it and love it as I did — I cried and cried," Lee wrote.

The estate went on the market in May 2019 for $2 million, PEOPLE reported at the time. It sold in October 2020 for $1.85 million, according to Page Six.

Lee moved west and purchased a beachfront house in Malibu for $3.38 million in February 2020. She put that home on the market last month, PEOPLE confirms.

Related: Sandra Lee Loads Up a U-Haul Van as She Moves Out of Home She Once Shared with Andrew Cuomo

She purchased the 1940 property in 2008, updating its design and incorporating her own family heirlooms over the years, while thoughtfully maintaining the home's history.

She opened the doors of Lily Pond to PEOPLE for a Hollywood at Home feature in 2019, sharing all of the details that made it so special to her, such as copies of letters from the Founding Fathers on display in the dining room and a collection of china passed down from her grandmother.

When she first bought the house, the same family had owned it for decades and as a result, featured some less-than-delightful decor, like ca. 1980 bunny-motif tiles in the kitchen and a powder room with a duck theme.

Related: Sandra Lee Celebrates Boyfriend Ben Youcef's Birthday and Valentine's Day: 'You Make Life Better'

Ten years later, Lily Pond, which is named for the body of water in the front yard, paints a very different picture. “We worked hard to make sure that we honored the home,” Lee said at the time. She kept the original brick floors, doorknobs and “bulky, beautiful” hardware while adding in what she calls “places to plop.”

Making the home feel warm and welcoming was her top priority. As she put it to PEOPLE, “This house smells like cookies and feels like heaven."

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