Under Contract, Apparently with the Blessings of John Trone Himself

Under Contract, Apparently with the Blessings of John Trone Himself

It takes a special buyer to appreciate a 194 year old historic property.  Certainly, when The John Trone House, located at 8200 Buckland Mill Road hit the market at $259,000 it got a lot of attention.  Buyers were drawn to the price for a single family home on two acres in a convenient Gainesville location.  Of course, not all appreciated the home as a historic landmark.  One buyer made a lowball offer based on comparison to other properties and unethusiastically got across the message that she "could live there " for the amount she offered.  Clearly, not the right buyer.

Meanwhile, an agent representing a serious couple called with many questions.  So that nothing was lost in the game of telephone, this being such a unique property, I suggested that she and her buyers, my seller and I meet at the property.  And so we did.  The agents looked on as the buyers got more information than they bargained for, and a guided tour of the property and the neighboring church that John Trone (a local preacher at the time) helped build.  We even visited the grave sites on the church grounds where John Trone, his wife and daughter are buried.

There was so many stories shared of the history of Buckland.  We showed the Civil War era drawing over the mantel and pointed out where The John Trone House was depicted in its original form...a much larger home.  The buyers loved it and so appreciated that it conveys with the sale. 

And there was more local history.  Evidently, George Washington, Napoleon and Lafayette stayed at the inn (another historic property on the other side of Buckland Mill Road.)  It gets better.  Napoleon apparently had a niece that lived on Buckland Mill Road.  And since she had been recently married, he brought with him a cast iron gate (8,000 lbs worth) to bestow upon her as a wedding gift.  We were told the current owner of the church behind The John Trone House, and another home in the Buckland area, still has that gate to this day.  You don't get this kind of history in any one bedroom home!

On the walk back from the Trone family graves, I noticed a small cross in the walking path and asked the owner if he had buried a small animal there, like a bird.  Leading the pack with buyers in tow, he turned around and replied,  "No.  That must be John (Trone) saying hello.  He was a preacher after all."

It gave me chills to realize that this cross had appeared out of nowhere.  No hands had made it.  It was simply a twig that had fallen in such a way to be standing, while the torn bark held a broken piece across it.  The buyers, their agent, and even I, took it as a sign and stopped to snap photos.  These buyers were meant to own The John Trone House.  John Trone was giving his blessing.  The rest was up to the buyers.  They could instantly disqualify themselves with a crappy offer.  Thankfully, their thoughts on value appreciated after hearing the rich history of the home and surrounding area.

If all goes according to plan, this charming historic home will sell on June 30th.  Stay tuned for the final sold price.