The beautiful real estate stories
First, it's the story of a piece of land purchased 45 years ago that ended up being forgotten. Then it's the story of a beautiful collaboration between a client and her real estate broker. This is the story of 87-year-old Hélène.
THE SURPRISE
The story takes place in 2020, in the middle of the second wave of the pandemic. Hélène, who has multiple sclerosis, lives alone in her Montreal apartment. One morning, while all of Quebec is on pause, the former full professor of mathematics at the Université du Québec à Montréal receives a surprising message.
A man, who introduced himself as the owner of a lot next to hers, offered to buy her land in Bromont. "A lot? What land?" she was surprised at the time.
"This man offered me $30,000 for a piece of land I had forgotten existed. But he was right. I did own a piece of land in Bromont." - Hélène
THE MYSTERIOUS LAND
Almost 45 years earlier, Hélène was newly married. On November 2, 1976, the couple purchased a piece of land for $5,000 through General Trust of Canada, which sells lots in the town of Bromont.
"We had planned to move there later, but our plans changed. When we divorced, I inherited the land. I wanted to leave it to my children, but they weren't interested," recalls Hélène.
Over time, she eventually forgot about the 10,000-square-foot wooded lot on the south side of Brome Mountain. "I paid the taxes every year, so I would think about it from time to time, but otherwise it completely slipped my mind," says Hélène.
PROPERTY VALUE
After the call, Hélène tells her family the good news. How could they not be thrilled with an offer of $30,000 that fell from the sky? "It was the land value of the property. Since I don't know anything about real estate, I thought it was logical. I was actually quite pleased," Hélène admits candidly.
Suspecting that the market value of the land was higher than its real estate value, Barbara, Hélène's daughter-in-law, called upon Sonia, a real estate broker in the greater Montreal area and member of the Association professionnelle des courtiers immobiliers du Québec (APCIQ).
A former colleague of Barbara's, she had just made a career change. "Sonia was waiting for her OACIQ [Organisme d'autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec] exam results in order to obtain her real estate broker's license, so I simply decided to wait for her.
I was happy that someone with real estate training was willing to take on this file. I called the buyer back and told him I wasn't ready," says Hélène.
MORE SUPPORT, MORE SUCCESS
The rest of the story is about countless hours of work and a succession of promises to buy. It must be said that the choice location for a small family residence in the mountains attracts a large number of people with varied profiles. To help Hélène make an informed decision, Sonia even took the time to tell her about the life plans of the nine potential buyers.
Hélène's choice finally came down to Jennifer and Jérémie's project. The little family, composed of two young children and a third on the way, dreamed of an ecological self-build project in the mountains to live in full time. "Together, Sonia and I told them the news over the phone. Everyone was moved. It was very touching," says Hélène.
"To my surprise, I got $100,000 for my land. I didn't expect to get that much money." - Hélène
AND MORE WELL-BEING!
Thanks to this unexpected amount of money, Hélène can now afford home physiotherapy and massage therapy sessions to help maintain her mobility and independence. "I had stopped these treatments, which did me an incredible amount of good, because they are not covered by the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec," explains Hélène.
"I am 87 years old, I live with multiple sclerosis and I use a wheelchair. I'm not interested in taking a trip to Cuba. With the money from the land, I decided to treat myself at home twice a week. For me, these sessions are like a trip to Cuba." - Helene
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Link : https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2021/10/16/vente-dun-terrain--laccompagnement-un-choix-payant
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