Pieter Hoekstra received some bad news from his cardiologist the same day signed the auction papers for some land he was selling.
He jokingly told his real estate agent to hurry up and sell the property before it became a deceased estate. The result was a confronting advert that has divided the industry.
In large bold capital letters Mr Hoekstra’s advert reads “almost deceased estate, must be sold”
“It was all about the timing,” Mr Hoekstra said.
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Real estate agent Lachlan Elder, of LJ Hooker in Sydney, said he had been in real estate for 35 years and had always wanted to use that headline.
“Some thought it was disrespectful,” Mr Elder said.
“But we all die,” he said.
He added that others in the franchise thought the wording should have been avoided, and local newspapers have been reluctant to carry the ad.
Mr Hoekstra, 63, did indeed spend some time in hospital but he is recovering at home and hoping to undertake some travel when fully well.
It is not the first time the homeowner gave the go-ahead for confronting descriptions to sell property.
Last year, he was selling an old shack in Church Point. His advert read: “Cockroach Infested, Not Fit For Pigs!” The derelict property with rotting deck and outdoor dunny sold in December for A$1.15 million.
Now Mr Hoekstra is selling a vacant block of land next to that old property taking it to auction mid March.
- news.com.au
