A COMPLETELY FICTICIOUS STORY. ANY SIMILARITY TO PRESENT AND/OR FUTURE EVENTS, OR ANY PERSONS, LIVING OR DEAD, IS PURELY COINCIDENTAL.
Just after the Second World War, a successful advertising executive buys a 25-year-old mansion in Delaware. In his later years, his wife handles the day-to-day maintenance of the property. Upon his subsequent death, the wife inherits the entire property and becomes a prominent member of the community because of what appears to be a beautiful mansion. Few are aware of the building's multitude of problems, but public perception of the property remains high.
A decade or two pass, and real estate values in the area surrounding the mansion begin to skyrocket as major developers begin to scoop up big chunks of property. But the widow refuses to sell, and as she herself gets up there in years eventually enlists her son to handle the day-to-day responsiblities just as she did for her husband all those years ago. She figures the property is worth about a million dollars, and laughs after showing the door repeatedly to corporate developers offering two and sometimes three million dollars. Her son proclaims his love for the property, and his desire to keep it "in the family" forever. He even vows to "cut off his guitar-playing hand" before agreeing to sell to one particular developer, "those bastards who ruined hundreds of beautiful homes", Clear Cut Properties. Whether or not he really believes what he says is debated among the mansion's greenskeepers and maintenance men. Nonetheless, they continue to have (low-paying) jobs.
Then, one day in 2004, word leaks that the mansion has been sold to Clear Cut Properties for an astounding four million dollars. No one, not even Clear Cut believes the property itself is really worth that much. But, in its ongoing quest to own the world, the conglomerate closes on the now 81-year-old building, figuring it to be a necessary puzzle piece to boost its otherwise ailing group of properties in the area.
Things don't work out for Clear Cut, and the mansion proves to be more trouble for the company than it's worth. Corporate begins to explore, then execute the divesting of underperforming properties it owns nationwide. It quietly employs several highly-regarded brokers to shop around its Delaware properties, including the old mansion it bought just two years ago for four million dollars. No one is interested. None of the properties have been able to maintain steady tenants, and few if any have the slightest bit of "curb appeal". Several other organizations say they might be interested in one or two of the properties, but not the entire set. Clear Cut decides the only way it'll be able to get rid of the group is to break it up and sell it off, piece-by-piece.
Meanwhile, the widow and her son, now four million dollars richer, realize they miss the old place. Not just the building itself, but their former status in the community as "the owners of that beautiful mansion". They've been well aware of what's been going on there the past couple of years, and have learned of Clear Cut's making of several improvements to the place. Clear Cut had managed to obtain several decent tenants, but otherwise things were pretty much left the same as the day the two sold out. The widow and the son realize they still have much of the four million dollars put away, and gladly agree to meet when Clear Cut telephones one day to request a meeting.
The widow and the son agree to buy back the mansion for 2.5 million dollars, and are free to keep the new tenants obtained during the two years of Clear Cut operation. They also get to benefit from the improvements the big company made in their absence. They basically get their old, happy lives and community status back, plus enjoy realizing they've just pocketed a million-and-a-half just for sitting on the sidelines and relazing for a couple of years. Clear Cut is just happy to have gotten rid of a major mistake, and the million-five is little more than a small loss at tax time. Furthermore, the widow and her son get to declare the two-point-five million as a loss when their tax time comes, knowing it'll help offset the capital gains hit they took on their 2005 returns.
The widow and her son gear up for a major publicity blitz in Delaware, spinning the whole thing as "a happy ending". They're taking the mansion "back from the corporate bastards", and giving it "back to the community". The idiots in town throw them a parade, and call them heroes.
Years later, the widow passes away. The mansion is left to her son, who then sells the property almost immediately for about three million dollars and buys two thousand fancy guitars.
The end.
Just after the Second World War, a successful advertising executive buys a 25-year-old mansion in Delaware. In his later years, his wife handles the day-to-day maintenance of the property. Upon his subsequent death, the wife inherits the entire property and becomes a prominent member of the community because of what appears to be a beautiful mansion. Few are aware of the building's multitude of problems, but public perception of the property remains high.
A decade or two pass, and real estate values in the area surrounding the mansion begin to skyrocket as major developers begin to scoop up big chunks of property. But the widow refuses to sell, and as she herself gets up there in years eventually enlists her son to handle the day-to-day responsiblities just as she did for her husband all those years ago. She figures the property is worth about a million dollars, and laughs after showing the door repeatedly to corporate developers offering two and sometimes three million dollars. Her son proclaims his love for the property, and his desire to keep it "in the family" forever. He even vows to "cut off his guitar-playing hand" before agreeing to sell to one particular developer, "those bastards who ruined hundreds of beautiful homes", Clear Cut Properties. Whether or not he really believes what he says is debated among the mansion's greenskeepers and maintenance men. Nonetheless, they continue to have (low-paying) jobs.
Then, one day in 2004, word leaks that the mansion has been sold to Clear Cut Properties for an astounding four million dollars. No one, not even Clear Cut believes the property itself is really worth that much. But, in its ongoing quest to own the world, the conglomerate closes on the now 81-year-old building, figuring it to be a necessary puzzle piece to boost its otherwise ailing group of properties in the area.
Things don't work out for Clear Cut, and the mansion proves to be more trouble for the company than it's worth. Corporate begins to explore, then execute the divesting of underperforming properties it owns nationwide. It quietly employs several highly-regarded brokers to shop around its Delaware properties, including the old mansion it bought just two years ago for four million dollars. No one is interested. None of the properties have been able to maintain steady tenants, and few if any have the slightest bit of "curb appeal". Several other organizations say they might be interested in one or two of the properties, but not the entire set. Clear Cut decides the only way it'll be able to get rid of the group is to break it up and sell it off, piece-by-piece.
Meanwhile, the widow and her son, now four million dollars richer, realize they miss the old place. Not just the building itself, but their former status in the community as "the owners of that beautiful mansion". They've been well aware of what's been going on there the past couple of years, and have learned of Clear Cut's making of several improvements to the place. Clear Cut had managed to obtain several decent tenants, but otherwise things were pretty much left the same as the day the two sold out. The widow and the son realize they still have much of the four million dollars put away, and gladly agree to meet when Clear Cut telephones one day to request a meeting.
The widow and the son agree to buy back the mansion for 2.5 million dollars, and are free to keep the new tenants obtained during the two years of Clear Cut operation. They also get to benefit from the improvements the big company made in their absence. They basically get their old, happy lives and community status back, plus enjoy realizing they've just pocketed a million-and-a-half just for sitting on the sidelines and relazing for a couple of years. Clear Cut is just happy to have gotten rid of a major mistake, and the million-five is little more than a small loss at tax time. Furthermore, the widow and her son get to declare the two-point-five million as a loss when their tax time comes, knowing it'll help offset the capital gains hit they took on their 2005 returns.
The widow and her son gear up for a major publicity blitz in Delaware, spinning the whole thing as "a happy ending". They're taking the mansion "back from the corporate bastards", and giving it "back to the community". The idiots in town throw them a parade, and call them heroes.
Years later, the widow passes away. The mansion is left to her son, who then sells the property almost immediately for about three million dollars and buys two thousand fancy guitars.
The end.
