We interviewed “Il Giardino Segreto” ex-owners who, thanks to the Great Estate group, sold their amazing farmhouse and, after that, purchased a new home into the historic centre of Cetona. The first part of the interview.
Welcome every body. We love to start our clients’ interviews by trying to discover something more about them: would you like to tell us something about yourself? How have you discovered Cetona?
My husband and I met about 40 years ago while both in Cetona for holidays. I come from Cetona and there I spent the majority of my holidays, but I have always lived in Rome. I am a painter. My husband comes from Milan, where he worked as insurance broker. His dad comes from Rapolano Terme so he already knew something about this little corner of Tuscany, even if not specifically Cetona. Our meeting brought to the purchasing of “Il Giardino Segreto”. Indeed, in 1989, we decided to purchase a farmhouse, our second home, in this area. Since 1991, we decided to use it as our main residence: indeed, in this year, I moved here from Milan. Eight years later, after a commute period, my husband did the same. I have always been in love with Cetona and its surroundings; little by little, my husband felt the same.
For how long time have you been the owners of “Il Giardino Segreto”? Do you remember any particular anecdote about it?
We purchased it at the end of 1989. We fell in love with this farmhouse in just two days, after a couple of visits. It was already renovated: the first renovation was made by John Huston, an US director. After that, the property has been purchased by another person and, finally, by us. We did not modify the property, but we focused ourselves on the garden and, by planting many trees and flowers, we created a very amazing park. We owned this farmhouse for about 30 years: we spent here the majority of our lives.
This farmhouse had immediately fascinated us because of some of its features (discover them here). First of all, its rooms were very large and the spaces incredible. Indeed, its structure was surely not so traditional. According to the usual US style, we think that John Huston had realized enormous rooms because of practical reasons. Moreover, from the farmhouse we could enjoy of a beautiful view… so, “Il Giardino Segreto” was exactly the farmhouse we were looking for! The anecdotes which bind us to “Il Giardino Segreto” are many. We can summarize them into the entire life we spent into this farmhouse: our life, the one of our grandparents, children and grandchildren. Being it a very large farmhouse, we were able to reunite there the entire family. Moreover, there we have always welcomed many friends: when we communicated them our will of selling the house, they despaired because it had become their reference point. “Il Giardino Segreto”, like a trunk, treasured the last 30 years of our history.
Which were the reasons because you decide to sell it?
Essentially because of the many life coincidences and consequent changings: our age, the children who, both for professional and personal reasons, came to visit us less and less… Moreover, “Il Giardino Segreto” was a very airy farmhouse of about 450 sqm. We were less than fifty years old when we bought it. During the time, it became a so large home for us that we finally realize the need of selling it: at a certain moment, we were no more able to easily manage it and we would not leave this important commitment to our children.
For how many time did the property remain on the market?
For about three years.
When you entrusted yourself to other agencies, have them ever proposed you any property estimate? If so, was them correct?
No agency had ever gave us any structured property estimate. In any case, we have always been the one deciding our property sale price. To today, given the results achieved, we have to admit that our value was not the correct one.
We know that Great Estate, in the person of our CEO, has always suggested you some values which were completely different if compared to the ones of the other agencies. What did you think about this gap? To today, after some years, what do you think about Stefano’s comments? What about the other agencies?
The property estimate done through your The Best Price system, the same one Stefano proposed us during our meetings, proved itself to be true… “unfortunately for us”, The Best Price was right… We think that your software is very efficient. So, even if with a bit of regret considering the price we obtained, we can affirm to be completely satisfied. Our thought about the gap between The Best Price value and our selling price idea can be summed up into a few words: I realized that, from the very first moment and while my wife thought that it could be possible to wait some months more in order to obtain a better offer, Stefano was right. However, compared to the initial property estimate and during these three years, our farmhouse remained into the market and its selling price decreased until reaching the final one. A price, this, we would have never thought to accept but, given the introductions, we had finally did.
In hindsight, do you think that receiving a real consultancy from other agencies would have been more correct?
Yes. Regarding our property price, we think that the fundamental difference among Great Estate and the other agencies may be summarized into the fact that they guess on it on the base of a non-true figures relationship.
During this last year, why did you decide to entrust yourself to Great Estate exclusively?
The first year we decided to sell “Il Giardino Segreto”, we signed an exclusive assignment for sale with your group; then, in the wake of the traditional doubts a vendor has, we took a second year-off during which we entrusted ourselves to other agencies too. Finally, on the third year, we realized that, among the different agencies, Great Estate was the best, the one to which entrust ourselves exclusively in consideration of the good trust relationship we have with Stefano.
We know that Stefano suggested you to “take your property off the market” for a few months: what did you think when he suggested it to you? To today, instead, what it your opinion about it?
Yes, we did so for about three months. We thought it was a good thing to do, a smart strategy to use. Moreover, in this way, we also had the opportunity to take a decisive step: cut all our relationships with other agencies down by communicating them the removal of our property from the market.
In January, 2019, you started the negotiation with the buyer: what do you think about Stefano’s consultancy and, more in general, the one of the whole Group?
It was great and constantly encouraging. Talking about Stefano, we can affirm to have met a person who had always supported us by daily understand our doubts and problems, even the most sentimental and personal ones. In the event of an intervention that, in a certain way, “teared away” a piece of our lives, Stefano supported us in every detail!
We know that, during the negotiation, you had to face some urbanistic and cadastral discrepancies which were then solved: what did you think when Stefano suggested you to make your specialist create a property due diligence? What is your current opinion regarding the importance of this technical report?
We think that the due diligence was fundamental for the positive conclusion of the negotiation. I would like to specify that, for the sale of “Il Giardino Segreto”, two were the due diligences done: one by our trusted specialist who perfectly knew the property already and the other by the buyer’s one. From these reports, we discovered some small discrepancies that we were able then to rapidly solve.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Would you like the discover the second and last part of this interview? Click here
Read also:
A shining summer for Great Estate: the sale of “Il Giardino Segreto”
Stefano Petri and “Il Giardino Segreto”: the strategies of a success
The sale of “La Pergola” in Cetona: our interview to Stefano Petri
