Drinks On the House For Motivated Sellers
This article appeared in the Columbus Dispatch on May 6, 2009.
Charles and Mary Nitschke offered beer, wine and brie last night to their houseguests, hoping to get a nibble on a more-notable treat: their 1961 custom home in Worthington.
The Nitschkes were trying to sell the house -- which Charles designed -- in an unusual way: through a cocktail party.
Their real-estate agent, Sue Parrish, suggested the party as a way to stand out in a crowded housing market.
"You have to think outside the box in real estate these days," said Parrish, who got the idea from a California real-estate agent at a Keller Williams conference in the winter.
"It's a unique way to market a unique home in a unique real-estate market."
Nitschke, who has had a long and distinguished career, designed the home to reflect his affection for Frank Lloyd Wright and Japanese architecture.
The home, a tapestry in wood and glass, is nestled into the landscape overlooking a deep ravine on Plesenton Drive, just west of Rt. 315.
Describing it as a five-bedroom, four-bath, 3,700-square-foot ranch is accurate but beside the point. It's as far removed from a new luxury box as a home could be.
Which presented a problem, said Parrish, who is listing the home with her husband, Chip.
"I couldn't go the usual route for this one," she said. "This is not a house like that. We'd have to do something creative to get people into the house. . . . So we came up with this idea."
Parrish and the Nitschkes assembled a guest list of about 200 people, including neighbors, doctors, lawyers, architects, executives and Ohio State University senior staff members.
About 50 showed up last night.
"I've been in this business 30 years, and I'm always intrigued by what people do to sell homes," said Jamie Sutton, a loan officer with Wells Fargo. "It's a great idea. Everyone will go back and say what a special house this is."
The asking price, $650,000, is in a particularly fragile range for sellers: The number of central Ohio homes that sold for $500,000 to $1 million dropped 28 percent last year from the previous year, according to the Columbus Board of Realtors.
In Worthington, 19 homes have been listed for sale this year at more than $500,000 -- including three on Plesenton Drive.
Only one has sold, after being on the market for 246 days.
In that price range, buyers might expect features they won't find here -- such as huge walk-in closets and a master bath, a great room or media room and an attached garage (the Nitschke home has an attached carport and a detached garage).
Those issues didn't bother one guest, who had made an offer with his fiancee during the weekend, hoping to get ahead of any interest that the cocktail party might attract.
"This event came to our attention," said the man, who asked not to be identified. "It was a very smart sales tactic.
"I knew, once people had a chance to see it, it would move pretty quickly."
This property is offered by Chip and Sue Parrish at $650,000. Visit ChipAndSue.com to find out more about this listing or to schedule a showing today!
