Upsizing for an expanding art collection
Although others would describe Bruce Munro Wright as a passionate art collector, in good humour he suggests obsessive is more accurate. As his collection crested 160 pieces and exhausted all display space in his home, Bruce adopted a one-in-one-out rule. After acknowledging he still preferred the ‘one-in’ part, he reached out to begin the search for a home that would better showcase his collection. His deep involvement with the local arts community, including having served as Chair of the Vancouver Art Gallery and Vancouver Opera, as well as on the Board of both Ballet BC and Arts Umbrella, conceived his secondary goal of having a more versatile space for entertaining.
Purchasing Bruce's new home
We were enthusiastic about the opportunity to work with Bruce and solve such a unique challenge. Securing a home suitable for such an extensive art collection, including a grand piano, organ, and harpsichord, is not a common undertaking. As with all our clients, we first gained a deep understanding of Bruce’s long-term goals and cooperatively created a detailed plan on how best to achieve them. Emphasis was placed on our comprehensive realty services to manage Bruce’s transition to a new home with as little demand on his time as possible so he could focus on other priorities.
As Bruce was under no immediate pressure to leave his current home, he favoured taking as much time as required to secure the perfect residence. As truly special homes rarely come on market, we completed an extensive review of on and off market properties which focused us on a handful of residences, from which, the 3 Choklit townhomes emerged as a leader. When there was a potential property, we pre-screened it so Bruce could decide whether a particular listing was worth viewing personally. Over the course of our enjoyable working experience, Bruce chose to personally view 4 residences, the fourth being at Choklit.
Our thorough market overview enabled Bruce to act decisively when his ideal home at Choklit became available. We worked together in the preparation of his offer, due diligence, and successfully securing the property.
Selling Bruce's current home
With his Choklit townhome secured, we turned our focus to the sale of his Kitsilano property. Bruce handed us his keys and, while the home was already in good condition, we optimized his residence in order to have the property sell quickly and maximize the value. The project required an interior designer, painters, a handyman, and cleaners. We coordinated competing quotes, supervised contractors, and ensured the work was properly done. The majority of the work was done while Bruce was at work to minimize inconvenience and he was kept informed through daily progress updates.
With the home in showcase condition, we then had it professionally photographed, measured for a floor plan, and produced marketing materials. We then initiated our extensive marketing campaign for luxury residences, including: sophisticated online advertising, newspaper advertising, open houses, and private showings. The home gained much attention, including from neighbours wanting to appreciate the art, and sold for exactly our target price.
To round-out our services, we also streamlined Bruce’s actual move. We helped book movers and, on his move day, we attended his old home to supervise movers and its preparation for the new owners so Bruce could focus on settling into his new Choklit townhome. Of course, we remain available to assist Bruce with any issue he has throughout his ownership of the home.
Bruce, we look forward to your next fundraiser!