1.11.2013

The End - PART 2

We went through the early part of 2010 with a charade of frauds trying to buy Indiana's highest profile property.  Religious groups standing at the front gate praying for a miracle like spinners at a Grateful Dead concert, people who claimed they had actually bought it climbing the fence and running wild across the grounds until the police tracked them down and some type of non denominational church who actually wanted us to give it to them. I always wondered how they would pay the taxes if they didn't even have a down payment. 

In June of 2010 we met with Conseco management in Carmel and made a presentation for a sealed bids auction. We would launch the marketing just after the 4th of July and bring it to a head at Labor Day. We advertised it across the country and got some pretty interesting inquiries. Several times I walked into the office to open a check for couple of hundred thousand dollars from someone who had never even seen the property. Yes, we sent them back. At one point we had gotten a call on my partner, Dick Richwine's cell phone. The message was really unintelligible and the number was blocked. We couldn't call them back.  Three days later the call came again. This time the number wasn't blocked but we still couldn't hear the message through the static. Dick gave me the contact and I called this person, whoever it was.  I entered the number in my phone and as soon as it started ringing, I was stunned. The name on my phone that appeared when it rang was Forrest Lucas. He had given his cell a year and half earlier and I had saved it in my google contacts. I didn't know who I was calling at first, but it led to a second viewing of the property for the Lucas group. 

The auction came down to three parties. One group out of Tennessee claimed to have a relationship with the wife of a very famous Colt's quarterback. They said they were representing her interests but no, we didn't have verification of that. They had money and that's all we cared about. If they were going to plant marijuana up the main drive after the closing, well, that wasn't our problem.  Our last showing was to Forrest and Charlotte. After we spent a couple of hours looking at everything we all sat around the patio of the guest house that you see near 116th. Mr. Lucas looked at me and said, 'Greg, I'm told I could buy a commercial for the upcoming Super Bowl in Indianapolis for three million dollars....or I could use that money to try and buy this property. Which do you think I should do.'  I'm not exactly sure what I said. I was stammering around for about 15 seconds until I looked up and realized everyone was laughing. From that moment on until the press conference announcing the sale (the picture at the top of this page), it was a normal real estate transaction. It was the ONLY time this process was normal. The closing happened the first week of October of 2010. I've told people before...when this process ended, I was actually depressed. It was like a huge emotional roller coaster had ended and I couldn't let it go. During the time we had this estate listed it was if we had TWO full time jobs (during the worst real estate crisis in 50 years, by the way). Now it was over. An exhausting, financially draining, endlessly demanding journey was done. I still get asked over and over. Would you do it again?  To this day, I have no idea. greg cooper, east carmel indiana homes for sale, east carmel indiana neighborhoods, top selling carmel indiana realtor, broker agent