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My client Annie, who I have known for over 20 years, needed to sell her little house in Columbia City, as it was just getting too much for her in terms of upkeep and expense. As a professional and still-working gardener, you can imagine that her yard was fabulous and huge, almost two lots.
The new zoning of RSL (M) in her area potentially added a lot of value. If you have a 4,000 square foot + lot, you can build additional dwellings. In the case of Annie’s lot, another two, 2,000 square foot houses could be built while retaining the existing house. Or four units if her sweet 1900 craftsman was knocked down.
We are all seeing houses being built around existing structures and everyone has mixed feelings about this kind of development, with the ‘NIMBY” (not in my back yard) folks on one side and the others saying we need more high density housing to deal with our growing population and affordability issues. I have to say, I can see both sides and have mixed feelings.
I discussed the zoning info with the family, and the potential added value of the lot. It was a dilemma, as they wanted to make as much money from the sale of the property for their mother and her good friend who had helped Annie buy the house. However, Annie’s daughter lived next door and really did not want to see her mom’s house and the beautiful gardens destroyed, or lose her own privacy.
I pointed out to the family that they got to choose who they sold the house and as developers/builders are not included in the Fair Housing laws, they are not a protected class.
Getting the house ready for sale was an amazing family effort and took several months of helping Annie purge 20 years of accumulated stuff; it was also, of course, incredibly emotional for Annie as she loved her house and would have preferred to stay, but it was just not feasible.
We all realized it would be best for her to have moved out by the time of the sale for her own emotional well- being, plus the house needed refreshing. Luckily one of her daughters had a rental house that Annie could move into temporarily.
The house needed an interior and part exterior paint job and again several of Annie’s family members took on the job and finished it in record time.
I had the house staged and it looked super cute; it was only 750 square feet, but it is amazing how furniture can make a place look bigger!
We received seven offers, just one from a developer, and it was not even the best offer so that made it easier. Annie and her family felt really good about the offer they accepted as the buyers seemed like they would be a good fit as neighbors and community members, and the house sold for almost $100,000 over the list price.
Annie really wanted to stay in the neighborhood and have a place with a garden. Her friends set up a Go Fund me, to help her with extra income, and an earnest search was made. Annie found an apartment with a lovely garden in our area that is more manageable and I am so happy for her and so grateful to her family and friends for really being there for their mom in such a hard time
Transitions are never easy but, when you are 88, especially hard, although Annie, with her inimitable spirit, did say she was ready for a change!
