A shorter commute, being closer to family and the appeal of a historic house were all too much to pass up for Bill and Grace Dull who, after 22 years in Madison, just made the move to a century home in Mentor — and nabbed a deal unheard of in the current market.
The kids are grown: The Dulls have three children, with everyone just about out of the nest. “We’re looking forward to the new chapter,” Grace says.
On leaving Madison: While they’re excited for their future in Mentor, there is one thing the couple will miss about Madison. “We could walk out our front door and look up and see the lake,” Grace says. “I’ll miss being able to go walk along the shore.”
Nature nuts: “We’re avid hikers,” says Grace, who adds that they’ll be much closer to Chapin Forest Reservation, Girdled Road Reservation, North Chagrin Reservation and Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Their new house: The home is a 1,700-square-foot Tudor built in 1911 with leaded windows and original woodwork. “It’s beautiful,” says Grace. “Everything I looked at online didn’t have character. That was my thing.”
Selling story: “One weekend we had six or seven offers,” says Grace. “We opened it up on Friday and showed it Saturday or Sunday and put through the first offer.”
Buying story: In the midst of an extreme seller’s market, the Dulls nabbed their home for $10,000 less than its original asking price of $279,000. “We did get very lucky,” Grace notes, adding that being willing to buy an older home in need of a little love may have worked to their advantage. “There were things we knew needed to be addressed,” she says. “So we asked for under, and we got it.”
