Serendipity, kismet, fate—call it what you wish—it’s when things just seem to fall into place, stars align, and everything just clicks. Such was the case with the recent sale of a cherished family home in the city’s beloved Moore Park neighbourhood. Despite headlines swirling about the precariousness of the real estate market, Bill Coleman and his family decided that the time had come to sell the home that had been theirs since 1971. With a new chapter ready to be written, Coleman hired Cailey Heaps and team to oversee the sale. The timing of the move was likely considered risky by wary market-watchers, but it paid off handsomely for the sellers.
A charming, two-and-a-half-storey brick home, 24 Hudson Drive sits perched on a generous lot in the heart of midtown’s family-friendly Moore Park community. Classic details can be found inside, such as traditional wainscotting, a wood-burning fireplace and elegant crown moulding. A spacious floor plan includes six-plus-two bedrooms and three bathrooms. More than anything, though, the house exudes warmth and gives the impression of having served as a well-loved family centre where countless memories were made.
Coleman grew up in the house with his parents, three siblings and a beloved golden retriever. He reminisces fondly about his and his siblings’ upbringing, their respective tenures at nearby Whitney, Crescent and Branksome Hall schools and the formative years they spent in their “incredible neighbourhood.” As invariably happens, though, the children grew up, and very recently, the time came for the family home to change hands.
When selling a house with five decades of treasured memories, the stakes feel exceptionally high. For this reason, among others, the family wanted to be very thoughtful about whose services they enlisted for the sale. They devised a shortlist of some of the city’s top brokerages. “Cailey and her team were the front-runners,” says Coleman, thanks to their “prolific sales in the neighbourhood.” Heaps Estrin had orchestrated successful sales outcomes on the street over the years, which had not gone unnoticed by Coleman. After interviewing two other agencies, the family ultimately went with their first choice, thanks to an instant rapport, a comprehensive pitch and Cailey Heaps’ clear understanding of the market and the neighbourhood. They were also very impressed with Heaps Estrin’s marketing savvy and social media presence.
From her perspective, Heaps describes the first meeting in a similarly positive way. Having grown up in the neighbourhood herself, the house felt familiar from the moment she walked in the door. “It felt like the house I grew up in,” she explains. She and Coleman also had a number of shared connections, the most significant being the friendship between their mothers, Margo and Heather, that dated back, they estimate, to childhood.
While there was some initial hesitation about the timing of the listing—it was very close to the December holiday season, and there was some economic uncertainty—Coleman and his family forged ahead, confident in the expertise of the Heaps Estrin team. Coleman’s father, who was born in the 1930s, wanted to take a practical and timely approach to the sale rather than hedging bets and waiting on economic conditions to change. And so a decision was made to test the market. An offer date was set—an unusual move in the current climate, but a strategic one. This would allow prospective buyers to walk through the home with contractors as they re-imagined the space, or with family members who could offer validation of the investment, given the current market conditions.
The strategy worked perfectly. After just six days on the market, the home sold for 99% of its asking price—a result that delighted the Coleman family. Heaps attributes the remarkable outcome to the synergy between agent and client. “It was a great partnership. The clients clearly communicated what they wanted, we listened and made it happen.”
As the new owners will no doubt be planning how to make 24 Hudson Drive feel like their own, Coleman reflects on the upcoming change. “It is emotional,” he says, “but it’s time for the next generation to make wonderful new memories there.”
Words by Jane McIver.
