There are a few homes that I have the privilege of selling that fill me with personal regret. When I was representing the University of Chicago in their Williams Bay divesting, I wished I could have bought some of the parcels that I sold, but I steered clear of any selfish conflict, or even the appearance of conflict. On the lakefront, it’s easy to look back at the market and wish I had bought a home on the water when they were remarkably affordable, but that’s not something that I’d likely do because my parents live on the lake and when I’m going down to the lake I should be going to see my aging parents. I sold a house last week that I had sold six years earlier, and both times I was wracked with an odd mix of envy and regret because this was truly a home that I would have loved to own.
My most recent off market sale is that of a legacy home on Black Point, the sort of which just doesn’t exist in our market. A large 3 acre parcel with immense privacy. An outbuilding for toys. A swimming pool. A boat slip. A large home with handsome styling and iconic stature. This was the sort of home I would love to own, but alas, I let it slip past me yet again. When the seller contacted me this winter to consider a private sale, I decided yet again that it would be best to present this home direct to buyers and after a short while I found the buyer who wanted to make this special property his home.
To the sellers who allowed me to both sell this home to them in 2018 and for them in 2024, I am grateful. I love my loyal clients and want nothing but to see them succeed in whatever their lifestyle and real estate aims might be. And to the buyer who saw what I saw, I’m jealous. Insanely, but maturely, jealous. Want to know about these sorts of off market happenings at the lake? You should be working with me.