Real Estate Investing :Selling My Aunt?s House

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Mostly I list houses for sale with a sense of detachment. I’m selling the future - what the next owner will be able to do in their home, its potential, or its future value. It’s intangible, really.

But listing my aunt’s house reminds me that every home has a story - a past, a present and a future.  I usually can’t tell you the past. Sometimes I don’t know and neither do the sellers.

Listing agents also have to be cautious in describing a home in a way that would exclude potential buyers - like “great family home,” just because the last owners had 6 kids and every single neighbor has kids. So, we come up with really boring copy that doesn’t interest or draw in any buyers.

Buyers, though, always want to know about the owners - who they are, why are they selling, etc. So it’s not just about the physical house. It’s also about the buyers relating to the owners and having some kind of connection.

So allow me to give 32 Rustic Lane some past, at least through my eyes. It’s by no means a complete picture - I am but one person who’s spent holidays at 32 Rustic Lane. But they’re my memories. My anecdotes to share. And maybe through the home’s past, a buyer will see their future…

32 Rustic Lane, East Hartford




My aunt (really my first cousin, once removed, but aunt is a lot easier) and her husband built the home in 1967 and have lived there ever since, raising three children. They hosted family Thanksgiving dinners, backyard barbecues and a family reunion or two.





I especially remember how the men in the family sat in front of the TV to watch football while the women gossiped in the kitchen. Before Thanksgiving dinner, we came together in a circle in the living room to say grace. My Grampy, known to the family as Tio George, used to lead grace while my Dad or cousins tried to make me laugh.





After dinner we’d play dominoes, Pokeno or Trivial Pursuit. Sometimes the conversation turned political or into a family spat. The guest list changed but it was always crowded - one relative or another had moved into a spare bedroom and there was always an out-of-town guest.





But recently, my aunt could no longer manage family events. Her kids had their own families. The relatives who used to visit had either passed or moved away. She called me a few months ago to tell me it was time to sell.  The home I remembered as a child looked so different through the eyes of an adult - especially a Realtor.

I gave her a list of things we needed to do and little by little, with the help of family, everything was packed up. Repairs were made, walls were painted and the floors were sanded. The exterior went from green to a light beige. I hired a home stager.

When discussing what furniture would stay for the staging, my aunt told me the story of how I bumped my head as a toddler on her dining room table (see above for the dining room table). As the only grandchild of overly cautious grandparents, with out-of-town relatives who were also of the same ilk,  I was immediately rushed to the emergency room. I suffered no permanent damage but my aunt thought for sure my grandparents would never let me visit her house again. I did, year after year.
























 

Click here for more information on 32 Rustic Lane in East Hartford.

 

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