It will be necessary to quickly evacuate the curious and to sort out potential buyers, but Guy Lafleur’s house should find a buyer without too much difficulty.
• Read also: [PHOTOS] Guy Lafleur’s residence put up for sale for $2.5 million
This is the opinion of two recognized Quebec real estate brokers who spoke on Tuesday regarding the sale process which will be launched soon by Lise, the widow of the Blond Demon. The latter will ask for $2,499,000 for this house on Île Bizard, on the shores of Lac des Deux Montagnes in Montreal.
No doubt many people will want to take a look at the photos when the listing goes live. However, it will take much more than a little curiosity to cross the threshold of the door. Indeed, out of respect for the family, a bank pre-approval will certainly be requested.
“There is definitely an aura around this house. It will arouse a lot of curiosity, but I sincerely think that curiosity will be limited to Centris or to pass in front of it. When a property is on the market with a character as well-known and legendary as Guy Lafleur, whoever wants to enter the house does not enter,” mentioned the former journalist and TVA newscaster, now a real estate broker, Mélanie Bergeron. LCN network, Tuesday.
“We must avoid the curious, it’s very important, added in an interview with the QMI Agency the broker André Dussault, who notably sold a house of Simon Gagné in 2013. We must avoid the curious because many will want the see without necessarily wanting to buy it. We have to sort out the buyers [potentiels]even sorting out people’s finances.”
At $2.5 million, the asking price may seem high to ordinary mortals. But Mr. Dussault believes that the price seems adequate at first glance, while keeping himself a little embarrassed since he has not assessed the house himself and does not know the local market.
“Today, a $2.5 million house is not that expensive,” he argues. There are houses a lot more expensive than that. In the 2022 market, a $2.5 million property is quite common on a lake. There is a number of buyers that can increase quickly.”
Is the price displayed higher because it is Guy Lafleur’s residence? Probably, according to Mr. Dussault. Will there be one-upmanship created by the partisanship of some potential buyers? Maybe.
“It’s possible, it creates a feeling of belonging to Guy Lafleur, analyzed Ms. Bergeron. It’s a wonderful area. Someone with the means, needing this kind of installation at the edge of the water and being a supporter of Guy Lafleur [sera intéressé]. If he says to himself: “I like this place, I want to buy it, I want to immerse myself in this place”, there is an irrational side to this type of purchase. On the other hand, people will say to themselves that they don’t mind too much, that they like the house and its location. They will go in a much more down to earth way.”
Although it is impossible to predict how the process will unfold, Lise Lafleur should nevertheless find a buyer for her house.
“It’s still $2.5 million, it’s not nothing and the neighbor is also for sale. How long will it take? I think despite everything that it will be fine, ”concluded Ms. Bergeron.
André Dussault sees parallels between the sale of Simon Gagné’s house in Lac-Beauport, in 2013, and the one to come for the house of the late Guy Lafleur, located on Île Bizard, in Montreal.
If the two houses have nothing to do in terms of architecture and prestige, they have both been the subject of intense media coverage because of the identity of their owners.
According to the real estate broker, this media storm can certainly be positive since it helps to attract more potential buyers and therefore possibly inflate the selling price a little.
The difference in the posted price – $2.499 million for Guy Lafleur’s house and $4 million for Gagné’s – puts an end to any parallels, however, since the market, whether in terms of potential buyers or periods, is resolutely different.
“When I put Simon Gagné’s house up for sale, it was a very expensive house, but it was not bad market value, argued Mr. Dussault. On the other hand, in the $4 million, it decreases the number of buyers. It’s not the same size.”
For the record, it was a man who was not at all interested in hockey who finally got his hands on the property for the sum of $3.4 million. This was a record amount for the region at the time.
“It’s funny, because the guy who bought [la maison de] Gagné knew nothing regarding hockey! He realized this when he saw the hanging sweaters. We had a good laugh, by the way. And that’s what Simon Gagné liked so as not to be disturbed,” said Mr. Dussault.
This was not the first transaction in the region for the broker, nor the last involving hockey players. Mr. Dussault has done business with Montreal Canadiens alumni Mathieu Dandenault, Donald Brashear, Alex Tanguay and Mathieu Garon, as well as Éric Bélanger and Steve Bernier.
“There has been a craze for NHL hockey players [pour Lac-Beauport], said Mr. Dussault. Patrick Roy settled there at the beginning, and subsequently, following Simon Gagné and Donald Brashear, there was a craze among French-speaking players.
