A Special Place - A Remarkable Coincidence

A New Season For A Special Acreage

Sometimes circumstances bring people together, each helping the other.

Diana, the seller, reached out to me this spring about selling her 

little acreage outside of town. 

She was recovering from surgery and dealing with a renter who had left 

a huge mess in her long-time family home. 

Soon thereafter she was coping with the death of her daughter.

Through all of this, it took some time to have the house ready to list.

This 1886 property had been Diana's home for 55 years.  

It was in her husband's family for years before that.

She raised her children and lived happily with her husband there.

The photos are post-clean up after the renter left.

Eventually it was time for her to move to a home with less work and upkeep 

so she decided to rent out the house.  

Diana had great renters initially, but unfortunately not at the end, prompting her to sell.

She wanted to let the house have a new life.

Just west of the house, on the gravel road, is the  cemetery.  

The very one where Diana's husband Frank, a well-known local musician, 

was laid to rest nine years ago.  

While we were visiting in the kitchen, she and her daughter recollected how when the kids were little their Dad insisted they stay inside when there was a funeral, to be respectful, as the procession went right past the house and up the road.

There are people we encounter that we really connect with, and Diana is one of those for me.  She felt like a relative I had never met.  Selling the home, though emotional for her, 

was something she was ready to do.  I was looking forward to helping her through the process, thinking it may take a while to find just the right buyer

Old homes tug at me emotionally; they've witnessed so much living - joy, sadness, sickness. Real life. 

I always hope it's love that they've sheltered inside the most.  

People have come and gone - for 133 years - in this house.
Maybe that's another part of what made this special.

As fate would have it, just as she was ready to list

there was a buyer who was suddenly looking for a home.

Alaina, a young Mom, had just lost her husband in an accident. Her husband was laid to rest at the cemetery on a Friday - at the cemetery just past Diana's house.  

In so many ways, the timing was uncanny.  I put the yard sign out by the road on Thursday and the very next day, Alaina saw it driving to the cemetery following her husband's funeral.

Early Friday evening I received a call from Alaina's Dad, asking a few questions about the house.  We made an appointment so they could look the following week.
Alaina was interested from the start and wrote an offer the next day.  Two days later the offer was accepted, on the anniversary date of Diana's husband's death.

The seller, negotiating perhaps more than she might ordinarily have, wanted to have a family as happy to live in the house as she had been.  Diana also wanted to extend a kindness to this young woman, who not only was coping with the unexpected loss of her husband, but also is mother to a special-needs daughter.  Alaina has had an exceptionally difficult summer, losing her husband, then an uncle just 2 days after her husband's death, and her Grandfather recently.

As a Realtor, it's rare for me have both sides of a sale - representing both the seller and buyer.  I explained the process and how it works, that as a "dual agent" I was working with them both if that was acceptable to them.  We moved forward, walking through the process.  As is common, there were a couple of wrinkles to iron out but both Alaina and Diana graciously cooperated.  

Alaina closed on the house Tuesday.  It's a bittersweet celebration - I know it's something she dreamed to have shared with her husband.  She's planning the changes she'll make to the house to best suit her and her daughter, and to put their personal touch on this long-loved home.  

A new chapter for the house.

We've each mentioned as we've progressed through this that the sale seemed "meant to be" - 

the timing was so coincidental.

After the closing, when I asked Alaina if it was okay that I share their story, she let me 

in on some additional details that make it seem even more like fate.
Alaina explained that her sister's name is also Diana (like the seller).

Her uncle's nickname was essentially the same as the seller's last name.

Plus, Alaina's late Grandma and her mother-in-law, share the name of Judy.  

Somehow even I factored in.

Most all real estate sales are momentous - representing life changes for both the sellers and buyers.  I'm so blessed to work with great clients and friends.  This was extra special, however, and will stay with me for a long time.

Congratulations to both Diana and Alaina as they continue  down their new paths.

Along with a hydrangea bush to plant to commemorate their new home, 

I also found a lovely "Rose of Sharon" hibiscus that made me think of 

Alaina's daughter the moment I saw it.

If you're looking to buy or sell, I'd love to help you. 

Call, text or email me -

319.551.3170 or judyavenson@remax.net

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