The sale of Windemere, a Richmond landmark estate on Cary Street Road, finally closed — after 31/2 years.
The nearly 11,000-square-foot house sold in May for $2.5 million, the highest home sale in the Richmond area that month, according to the Central Virginia Regional Multiple Listing Service.
But the mansion, at 5501 Cary Street Road, wasn't sold to the highest bidder.
It was sold to the person who lived in it and owned it with her husband, Larry Brown of Brown Distributing, before the estate was put on the auction block in January 2008 as part of a messy divorce settlement.
Betty Brown has complete, individual ownership of Windemere, an estate that served as Virginia's temporary governor's mansion in 1999 during Gov. Jim Gilmore's term.
She was granted ownership when the auction buyers with the highest bid assigned the contract to her in May.
Don and Pia Steinbrugge agreed at the 2008 auction sale to buy the house for $2,514,500. They were ready to close in 45 days.
"I am locked into a legal contract to buy Windemere, a majority of my clothes are packed in a Smart Box, my house is under contract with a Realtor to be sold," Don Steinbrugge said a few months after the auction.
Little did they know that the case would be the subject of a 3½-year court battle that ended up in the Virginia Supreme Court.
Neither they nor Betty Brown, who appealed the auction sale, could be reached Friday for comment.
The property was originally on the market for $4.9 million in 2004. The price was dropped to $4.1 million and, when it didn't sell for $3.7 million, it was put up for auction.
"I feel bad for the Steinbrugges," said Linda W. Terry, the auctioneer with Tranzon Fox, who sold the house.
"They had no idea that they would get embroiled in this transaction. They were excited. They wanted the home. They went to court at first to ask that the courts uphold the sale."
But as the legal battle wore on, they got tired of waiting to buy their dream house, she said, and eventually joined efforts with Betty Brown to void the sale contract.
The courts didn't buy the argument. The sale was upheld. "The Steinbrugges were on the hook if she (Brown) did not perform," Terry said.
"They were the innocent party and so were we," Terry said. "Everyone got pushed into the fray."
Tranzon had to insert itself into the case to preserve the commission, the methodology and the validity of a contract, she said.
The ending was happy. Betty Brown got the house. The Steinbrugges willingly let it go. Terry and a Realtor received their commissions.
The house was sold with a
7 percent buyer's premium.
The end buyer — Betty Brown — paid the premium, Terry said, and who-knows-how-much in legal fees.
Carol Hazard
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