![Unsolicited offer lands $2.7M off-market deal to top July home sales 1 9717 Old Country Trace](https://richmondbizsense.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/9717-Old-Country-Trace.jpg)
The house at 9717 Old Country Trace sold off-market for $2.7 million. (Henrico County property record photo)
An off-market deal near the Country Club of Virginia’s James River course came out on top of a month filled with $2 million home sales.
July’s priciest area sale was 9717 Old Country Trace, a 7,000-square-foot house off South Gaskins Road that sold July 12 for $2.7 million.
Laura Peery with The Steele Group | Sotheby’s International Realty represented the buyer after approaching the previous owner about whether he would sell – a practice she said she’s adopted of late.
“The market’s gotten more challenging, so I’ve been proactively reaching out to homeowners in certain areas where my buyers are looking,” Peery said. “This was a buyer of mine who was specific about where they wanted to live, they were moving from out of town, and I just reached out to several homeowners in the area to see if anybody was interested in selling off-market.
“I’ve actually generated a surprising amount of business this summer using that type of tactic,” she said. “It worked out that the buyer was willing to sell off-market, the buyer fell in love with it; it just worked out elegantly.”
Peery said the seller, Cecil Martin Jr., was unrepresented in the transaction. He had owned the home since the mid-1980s, when the roughly 1-acre property was last purchased for $120,000, Henrico property records show.
The records list the buyers as David and Elizabeth Boutry, who Peery said have friends in the area.
Built in 1986, the two-story colonial totals five bedrooms and 5½ bathrooms. It includes a partially finished basement, five fireplaces, a pool and pool house, and a two-car garage.
Henrico has assessed the property at nearly $1.5 million.
Coming in at No. 2 for July was 12 Ellensview Court, a 3,900-square-foot townhome in Richmond’s Lockgreen gated community that sold July 1 for over $2.4 million – $50,000 over its May 16 list price.
Long & Foster’s Jim and Donna Ransone had the listing, representing seller Malcolm Ritsch Jr., who had bought the home in 2017 for about $1.2 million.
Property records list the buyers as trustees of a family trust for Henry Howze Harrell, who died last year. Harrell was a CEO and board chairman for leaf tobacco supplier Universal Corp., according to an obituary.
The buyers were represented by Eliza Conrad with Shaheen, Ruth, Martin & Fonville Real Estate, who declined to comment.
Totaling three bedrooms and 4½ bathrooms, the two-level townhome has been renovated and features views of the James River, Jim Ransone said.
“It was really well done, top of the line,” Ransone said. “It’s a one-floor level that has a beautiful living room, fireplace, beautiful dining room, and they redid the master bath closet area to where they put in two bathrooms. But I think the key to this one is it has an incredible view of the river.”
The 0.18-acre property is assessed by the city at $1.4 million.
The month’s third-priciest sale was 14 W. Glenbrooke Circle, a 7,300-square-foot house that sold July 15 for $2.3 million, $100,000 over its June 9 list price.
Peery also worked that deal, representing seller Hunter Gottwald, an associate VP at financial firm Davenport & Co. Gottwald had bought the house last October from her parents, Dale and Joanne Ross, paying $1.9 million. Peery said Gottwald is relocating in town.
The buyers are Archer and Meg Covington, who Susan Jones with Steele Group | SIR said are relocating from New York, where Archer is a senior VP with Morgan Stanley and Meg, a UVA and Collegiate School alum, is a CFO and COO at clothing line AYR.
With six bedrooms and 4½ bathrooms, the French Country-style house is on 2 acres and sits atop a hill in Henrico’s Glenbrooke Hills neighborhood. The family room features a large Palladian window with views of the grounds, and French doors lead to a brick terrace with outdoor kitchen.
Jones said the style and location were the right fit for the Covingtons.
“They’ve been looking a really long time, and they really wanted to be in that general location and wanted a nontraditional house. This has a more modern, more transitional feel,” Jones said. “They just immediately homed in on it. Location, neighborhood, style, size were all super-appealing to them.”
Rounding out the top five sales for July were, according to the Central Virginia Multiple Listing Service:
9120 James Riverwatch Drive, Riverwatch on the James, Richmond – $2.2 million. Listing agent: Michelle Ferguson, Long & Foster; buyer’s agent: Shana Lowry, Keller Williams Realty.
209 Dryden Lane, Henrico – $2.1 million. Listing agent: Margaret Wade, Long & Foster; buyer’s agent: Carrie Robeson, Steele Group | SIR.
![Unsolicited offer lands $2.7M off-market deal to top July home sales 1 9717 Old Country Trace](https://richmondbizsense.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/9717-Old-Country-Trace.jpg)
The house at 9717 Old Country Trace sold off-market for $2.7 million. (Henrico County property record photo)
An off-market deal near the Country Club of Virginia’s James River course came out on top of a month filled with $2 million home sales.
July’s priciest area sale was 9717 Old Country Trace, a 7,000-square-foot house off South Gaskins Road that sold July 12 for $2.7 million.
Laura Peery with The Steele Group | Sotheby’s International Realty represented the buyer after approaching the previous owner about whether he would sell – a practice she said she’s adopted of late.
“The market’s gotten more challenging, so I’ve been proactively reaching out to homeowners in certain areas where my buyers are looking,” Peery said. “This was a buyer of mine who was specific about where they wanted to live, they were moving from out of town, and I just reached out to several homeowners in the area to see if anybody was interested in selling off-market.
“I’ve actually generated a surprising amount of business this summer using that type of tactic,” she said. “It worked out that the buyer was willing to sell off-market, the buyer fell in love with it; it just worked out elegantly.”
Peery said the seller, Cecil Martin Jr., was unrepresented in the transaction. He had owned the home since the mid-1980s, when the roughly 1-acre property was last purchased for $120,000, Henrico property records show.
The records list the buyers as David and Elizabeth Boutry, who Peery said have friends in the area.
Built in 1986, the two-story colonial totals five bedrooms and 5½ bathrooms. It includes a partially finished basement, five fireplaces, a pool and pool house, and a two-car garage.
Henrico has assessed the property at nearly $1.5 million.
Coming in at No. 2 for July was 12 Ellensview Court, a 3,900-square-foot townhome in Richmond’s Lockgreen gated community that sold July 1 for over $2.4 million – $50,000 over its May 16 list price.
Long & Foster’s Jim and Donna Ransone had the listing, representing seller Malcolm Ritsch Jr., who had bought the home in 2017 for about $1.2 million.
Property records list the buyers as trustees of a family trust for Henry Howze Harrell, who died last year. Harrell was a CEO and board chairman for leaf tobacco supplier Universal Corp., according to an obituary.
The buyers were represented by Eliza Conrad with Shaheen, Ruth, Martin & Fonville Real Estate, who declined to comment.
Totaling three bedrooms and 4½ bathrooms, the two-level townhome has been renovated and features views of the James River, Jim Ransone said.
“It was really well done, top of the line,” Ransone said. “It’s a one-floor level that has a beautiful living room, fireplace, beautiful dining room, and they redid the master bath closet area to where they put in two bathrooms. But I think the key to this one is it has an incredible view of the river.”
The 0.18-acre property is assessed by the city at $1.4 million.
The month’s third-priciest sale was 14 W. Glenbrooke Circle, a 7,300-square-foot house that sold July 15 for $2.3 million, $100,000 over its June 9 list price.
Peery also worked that deal, representing seller Hunter Gottwald, an associate VP at financial firm Davenport & Co. Gottwald had bought the house last October from her parents, Dale and Joanne Ross, paying $1.9 million. Peery said Gottwald is relocating in town.
The buyers are Archer and Meg Covington, who Susan Jones with Steele Group | SIR said are relocating from New York, where Archer is a senior VP with Morgan Stanley and Meg, a UVA and Collegiate School alum, is a CFO and COO at clothing line AYR.
With six bedrooms and 4½ bathrooms, the French Country-style house is on 2 acres and sits atop a hill in Henrico’s Glenbrooke Hills neighborhood. The family room features a large Palladian window with views of the grounds, and French doors lead to a brick terrace with outdoor kitchen.
Jones said the style and location were the right fit for the Covingtons.
“They’ve been looking a really long time, and they really wanted to be in that general location and wanted a nontraditional house. This has a more modern, more transitional feel,” Jones said. “They just immediately homed in on it. Location, neighborhood, style, size were all super-appealing to them.”
Rounding out the top five sales for July were, according to the Central Virginia Multiple Listing Service:
9120 James Riverwatch Drive, Riverwatch on the James, Richmond – $2.2 million. Listing agent: Michelle Ferguson, Long & Foster; buyer’s agent: Shana Lowry, Keller Williams Realty.
209 Dryden Lane, Henrico – $2.1 million. Listing agent: Margaret Wade, Long & Foster; buyer’s agent: Carrie Robeson, Steele Group | SIR.
Interesting sales and a lesson to be noted by anyone selling property. Hire your own realtor. Pay them for their expertise and ability to draw competition for your sale. Never sell off market. Note the difference between the dollars per square foot generated by the two west end properties. Nearly double. This past weekend I was told a story by a woman selling her family’s property in Chesterfield. She gave a contractor a very favorable price—off-market—because he offered a quick sale. She had ignored my advice to market the property to the full market through an experienced realtor. The contractor… Read more »
Fair point even if not an apples to apples comparison. First, factor in the 6% those realtors cost which lowers the split if you want to use the sq ft comparison.Then consider the market for 3900 sq ft homes (huge) vs the market for 7000 sq foot houses (possibly robust but less), then – and this could be the most consequential – the value in Lockgreen vs 4 miles out of the city off river road (area 20 vs 22). I’m not arguing seller’s agents don’t provide value just maybe not to the extent your comment suggests.