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Greenwich Homeowner Bets on Virus Getaway Pitch to Win a Sale

Greenwich Home Seller Tries ‘Coronavirus Special’ to Win a Deal

(Bloomberg) -- George Butler wasn’t seeing much interest in the Greenwich home he listed for sale in January -- then the coronavirus happened.

New Yorkers were suddenly looking to flee the city, which quickly became the U.S. epicenter of the pandemic. That gave Butler and his real estate agent an idea.

Last week, they rebranded the listing a “coronavirus special,” offering the 5,100-square-foot Connecticut home -- and everything inside -- for $2.9 million. Buyers will get the bed linens, the silverware, gym equipment and Butler’s 2011 Subaru Outback. He might even throw in some wine from his 20-year-old French collection if the price is right.

Greenwich Homeowner Bets on Virus Getaway Pitch to Win a Sale

“If you don’t want the time and hassle of arranging movers and buying lots of new items, this house is ready for you now,” reads the listing by Mark Pruner, a broker with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices.

Butler is adamant about finding a buyer even though sales have taken a back seat to rentals in the New York suburbs. City-dwellers seeking space to spread out in quarantine are bidding up lease prices for single-family homes in places like Greenwich and Westchester, just north of Manhattan.

Pruner told Butler he could get at least $20,000 a month for his five-bedroom home, near Greenwich’s downtown and complete with a home office and an outdoor patio.

“I don’t want to do that now or ever,” said Butler, 72, a pharmaceutical executive who is currently in the U.K., where he lives half the year. “I rented property in the past. It’s too much hassle. My trust level is pretty low with renters.”

Greenwich Homeowner Bets on Virus Getaway Pitch to Win a Sale

Since the all-inclusive pitch, the home has been shown to three prospective buyers, whereas the original listing -- posted on Jan. 29, to get a jump on the spring selling season -- had mustered only one. The property is also being offered without its contents for $2.8 million.

“I think it could happen,” Butler said. “There’s somebody who is really desperate to take their family out of the city.”

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