Key West Real Estate Horror Story No. 18

I was driving around Key West yesterday afternoon taking photos for my real estate blog when I passed a house that my buyers made an offer on a decade ago. Every time I see that house I think about my buyers and the tragedy that enfolded there.

My buyers were seeking a second home in Key West - a retreat from the cold of New England. We initially looked at houses in the Old Town area then priced around $500,000. They quickly learned that housing prices here even during the Recession were very high. They decided to look in other neighborhoods including the Casa Marina Area, The Meadows, and Mid Town. That gave them more houses to consider, but they learned that pricing was still higher than they had hoped to pay.

I drove them by a house I was familiar with. The male owner had hanged himself from the rear balcony a couple years earlier. I had shown the house before and suggested they look. I warned them of the suicide. They decided to look beyond that. They loved the house. They went back for a second look. They made al cash offer which was below asking price but within the range of good faith compromise by both seller and buyer. Or so I thought.

The seller had a real estate license and listed the property herself. She had a full time job in another field.  I submitted my buyers offer which I recall was rejected and not countered. I think my buyers did the unthinkable and bid up the property. Still no acceptance or rejection. So I set up an appointment to meet with the owner/seller at her place of business. We were alone in her office when she exploded at me about what her husband had done to her. Her face was red. Her voice loud. She looked like she might explode. He had ruined her life and that of her children by killing himself. She was not to blame.

I suggested that she ask another agent in the firm where she had her license help her work through this offer. She rejected my suggestion. My buyers ended up buying something else which is absolutely stunning. They paid more than they wanted but the ended up being big time winners and did not have to live in a place visited by so much evil.