In honor of his
late father and to provide for his mother, their son took over the operation of
the family sports bar… for a time. Then he had a better idea – have me sell the
property so his mother had a nest egg and he could get back to his life. Made sense
to me.
The existing
business had no value. The kitchen had no working kitchen equipment and there seemed to
be more drinking in the parking lot than in the bar. The business and the
building may not have had any special value, but the property and its location
did. Located on a busy block with plenty of traffic the property was one of
only a few with good parking and access to both north and south bound lanes of
Route 1.
Once the bar was
closed and the personal property removed, the property was available for
showings. The second group through the property made an acceptable offer. After
settlement the buyer confessed they owned the business directly across the
street. They didn’t have an immediate use for the property but didn’t want it
to be acquired by one of their competitors.
Undoubtedly there
were many things said at that bar over the years that people wish they hadn’t
said. Many brokers would agree that the settlement table has a similar
reputation. They advise their clients that “loose lips, sink ships.”