Historic mansion that went viral sells for more than asking price

A century-old mansion in Newport Landing, N.S., that went viral last month after it was listed for less than the average price of a Toronto home has been sold.

Real estate agent Wanda Graves said she's happy 98 Avondale Rd. — also known as the Mounce Mansion — was sold at $455,000. That's about $20,000 more than the asking price posted in February.

"It was a multiple-offer situation. Normally, we don't have that," said Graves with a laugh. "We're lucky if we get within $5,000."

The official closing date is March 16, but Graves said that date is expected to move up because all conditions on the buyer's side have been met.

'Back-to-back showings'

The online listing for Mounce Mansion was shared and viewed thousands of times. Graves said interest poured in from all over Canada, the United States and from as far away as Ireland. The 7,000-square-foot estate was listed at $434,900.

Attempts have been made to sell the property since 2009. The asking price has fallen considerably since, Graves said.

Days after the mansion was listed, Nova Scotia was hit with a powerful nor'easter that brought record-breaking snowfall. Graves said she and other real estate agents worked "back-to-back showings."

Many prospective buyers from outside the province had their flights cancelled. Without laying their eyes on the mansion, they still made offers.

"There were people who had made arrangements to travel from Toronto and B.C. that were not able to get in," said Graves.

She wouldn't disclose any information about the buyer other than that they are Canadian.

A tragic history

The estate has been a fixture in the community since the early 1900s.

Construction of the home was supervised by Ralph Mounce for his brother, Thomas Mounce, who'd commissioned it as a wedding present. He and his wife went on a two-year honeymoon as it was built.

As they travelled the globe, they bought many furnishings with which they planned to fill their new home. But upon their return, Thomas's wife became ill with tuberculosis and died a few years later.

Thomas lived in the mansion on his own until his death in 1963.

Good news for N.S. real estate

Graves said although the Mounce Mansion sale is done, it won't be the last of its kind.

"I've got a file folder in the office probably three inches thick with prospective buyers looking for an older home such as this [in Nova Scotia]," she said.

The spike of interest in the Mounce property may signal a positive turn for Nova Scotia real estate as a whole, she said.

"I think a lot of Canadians were able to see that we still have affordable real estate here," she said.