Inexpensive N.S. mansion is sold over asking

NEWPORT LANDING, N.S. — An historic manor in rural Nova Scotia that captivated social media users with its ornate finishes and rustic charm has sold over asking — and it may have coattails for other well-priced prestige properties in the province.

The 107-year-old Mounce Mansion in Newport Landing was listed last month at $434,900 and sold for $455,000, though the deal has not yet been closed.

Wanda Graves of Eastern Valley Real Estate said Monday she was stunned the home attracted so much attention, with dozens of inquiries coming in from across the country, the United States and even Ireland after it was listed Feb. 6.

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In less than a week, views of the listing surpassed one million on the company’s website and its Facebook post had been shared more than 36,000 times within days.

Graves said her office and cellphone were flooded with calls after the listing went up, adding that her line would beep incessantly as she fielded up to 60 calls a day at a time of year that is usually sluggish in the real estate market. She said she was particularly worried the price would be too high for an area that rarely sees housing prices reach those heights.

“It surprised everyone that there was so much activity on something over 400,000 here,” she said with a laugh. “In Hants County, we don’t have a lot of properties that sell over 400,000.”

There were multiple offers on the property, prompting a bidding war that saw agents propose backup multiple offers if the accepted one fell through.

She said she couldn’t reveal anything about the successful bidder, saying only that they are Canadian. She said much of the interest came from people in the Vancouver and Toronto areas, who were feeling shut out of those cities’ prohibitively expensive housing markets.

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The were also many calls from people in the United States who were looking to relocate following the election of President Donald Trump, she said.

The interest in the property has also sparked some residual business for Graves, who has had people ask her to look into other properties in the area.

“A lot of those people are on a list for me to find a place for them in Nova Scotia — so there’s an interest to come here, which is pretty cool,” she said.

The Queen Anne style home is adorned with austere woodwork dating back to the 1910s, walls hand-painted with floral designs and ornate stucco ceilings. The listing said the roughly 7,000-square-foot residence is spread over three storeys, including seven bedrooms, a library, two parlour rooms and a sunroom.

And all of that for $2,300 less than the average price of a condo apartment in the Toronto area, according to the latest report from the city’s real estate board.