SHUTESBURY — The Select Board is accepting a late Shutesbury resident’s bequeath of his home, with hopes that its future sale could provide a revenue boost for the town.
The board last Wednesday voted 3-0 to proceed with becoming owner of the 1,400-square-foot dwelling at 41 Cooleyville Road, located on a half-acre property just east of town center and on the main thoroughfare between Route 202 and Amherst.
The home was left to the town by David Rogers Udel, who had lived there since 1986. Udel was 68 when he died in April.
“Generally speaking, how can we lose by taking it?” said board member Eric Stocker, who suggested that the town would make some money, possibly in excess of $100,000, once the property is sold.
Select Board Chairwoman Melissa Makepeace-O’Neil said proceeds from the sale could be used as cash flow for other capital projects in town, such as improvements that likely will be needed at the former M.N. Spear Library for its conversion to other municipal uses.
“Overall, I think it would fit that we take it on,” said board member Jim Walton.
Udel’s will leaving the 1900-era home to the town was drawn up by Northampton attorney Michael Hooker, who specializes in elder law.
Hooker said he assisted Udel while he was at the Hospice of the Fisher Home in North Amherst and recommended the town take Udel’s gift.
“The town would be really foolish not to accept this property,” Hooker said. “It’s a no-brainer. David wanted the town to get the benefit of it.”
Hooker told the Select Board that if it rejected the gift, he would list the property himself, make it marketable and that Udel’s stepchildren would instead get the money from the property sale.
He added that he needed the town to “fish or cut bait” in accepting the property, and then could deed it over. He also asked for a rebate for the $1,200 in real estate taxes paid since Udel’s death.
Before the meeting, Town Administrator Hayley Bolton sought a comparative market analysis from Heather Ferrari, a realtor and sales associate with William Raveis in Amherst. Ferrari found the property overgrown, meaning it was challenging to fully evaluate the home.
“It is in a lot of disrepair inside and outside, and hard to see,” Ferrari said.
But she said the bones of house are good and she doesn’t expect it to be a tear down.
And while repairs could be made, Ferrari said it is probably best for the town to sell as is, though Shutesbury could benefit from reducing the vegetation and possibly cleaning out the interior.
Ferrari said most likely the home, which would probably sell for under $200,000, would be sold to a buyer with cash in hand, rather than a family looking for a home.
“I think it would be a great property for an investor to take on, to fix up,” Ferrari said.
Ferrari also noted the area market has slowed down for the past six months, with the inventory for the Amherst tripling, from usually 15 properties available to over 40. It is still a seller’s market, even if it is taking more time to sell homes, she said.
Complications for the property are its substandard frontage and being on a non-conforming lot.
Bolton said the town could have costs of winterizing, paying insurance on a vacant property and dumpster rental, but otherwise there is “miminal risk” with what she termed a nice opportunity.
The potential is for the town to net between $100,000 and $150,000, though this could be reduced by $30,000 to $35,000 if the home needs a new septic system. If the septic system doesn’t pass the mandated Title 5 inspection, the town could pass that cost on to the buyer.
