Selling Tombstones Lead to Selling 3 Waterfront Properties, Land and a House.
How Selling the highest number of tombstones of any real estate agent in New Hampshire turned into selling three waterfront properties, a vacant lot, and a very nice brand new home for the sellers.
Yes I did say tombstones.
No I’m not in the business of peddling tombstones, headstones, gravestones—new or old. However there was a perfect home for about 25-30 tombstones that had typos or other errors used as curbing, landscaping, or patios at a Wakefield waterfront home. It happened to be a home I sold 5 or so years earlier.
As part of undertaking the tombstone listing I was faced with buyers wondering what the story was with all these headstones. Was it a family compound burial site for all to perpetually be near each other on earth as in heaven. It was a family home for the many dearly beloved to enjoy I know.
What I didn’t know was that the house had been listed by others for over 565 days with no photos of the lakefront and very dark photos of the property inside and out. With some new beautiful lake photos and bright interiors I did manage to sell it in short order for only 5K less than previously advertised in the middle of winter after putting up my own sign with no typos on it.
The person who took notice was the next door neighbor who stated that anybody who could sell that house after being on the market for over 4 years, he would need to remember my number so he etched my name on a tablet of paper (not stone-no typos).
Though where I hung my license at the time had changed, fortunately my phone number and website www.WaterfrontAgent.com remained the same. My Real Estate Marketing for lake homes always alive and well. Even my car license plate BuySell remained the same—though the car went away with 200,000 real estate miles on it with a newer one.
So I get this call from the waterfront neighbor of the tombstone house who decided it was time to move. His father of 93 and his next door neighbor had already moved and decided to rent in a community of peers instead of having to maintain his meticulously maintained house on 2 waterfront lots.
In 2 days I sold his father’s house with two waterfront lots and sold his house and vacant land across the street in a couple of weeks later. Then the happy sellers purchased a beautiful brand new house for their next chapter in life to enjoy. The angels were on everyone’s side in these few weeks.
Sellers home on Belleau Lake (Click Here for Electronic Book). |. (Click Here for Video)
Sellers Father's House next door (Click Here for Electronic Book). |. (Click Here for Video)
On a personal note, real estate agents are so lucky when the sellers are simply the most generous, thoughtful and prepared. The type of people who you could show up unannounced and the property and it was show ready. Immaculately maintained with nothing an inspector could find wrong. Impeccable taste and decades of pride of ownership appreciated by the buyers immediately. The setting on Belleau Lake could not be more perfect and serene with mature and low maintenance grounds ideal for the lake life the sellers had enjoyed for decades and the new owners will hopefully enjoy for generations to come.
In this business it isn’t always about digging 6 feet under a pile of contacts for leads. Sometimes heaven just happens.
Thank you to all involved. Michael Travis
The Happy Sellers as Buyers in the new home in Barrington NH.
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