Jake Butcher Mansion - the Offer

So you have your energy partners lined up and you know the maintenance, utilities, furnishings and upkeep on the house are taken care of with zero money out of your pocket. Now comes the hard part: getting the house at the right price.

In order for this to have a shot in hell at working, you have to get the house at the right price. You have to be supremely confident going into the meeting with the bank that you know absolutely everything there is to know about the house, the bank, the person you're meeting with, the decision makers and what's in it for them.

Here is what I know and, more importantly, what I need the bank to understand:

* The Butcher Mansion has missing and crumbling columns

* The house is divided into 5 tacky condominiums

* There is an overwhelming stench of mildew and visible mold throughout the house - possible spots of black mold developing

* There's dry rot on windows, columns, fascias and soffets

* There are missing walls and missing sheetrock

* There are missing floors and missing flooring

* The quality and craftsmanship throughout the house is sub-par and decades behind trend

* The landscape is neglected

* The size of the house is completely impractical for today’s residential buyer and the Homeowner's Association will only allow this home to be sold as a single family residence (no businesses, boarding houses, assisted living, etc)

* Due to the current condition of the home, the house will not appraise at $1.2 million

* Any renovation plans must be approved by the HOA and can take 30 days for a hearing

* A major structural and cosmetic overhaul will come in between $2,860,000 to $3,250,000

* Future appraisal will not support the costs of the overhaul therefore your typical buyer will not be able to re-sale the property.

* The necessary structural and cosmetic overhaul will raise property taxes $20,000

* Because the land has been subdivided there is a lack of privacy and view

* The Close proximity to Bull Run coal ash steam plant is a worry with the TVA coal ash spill in Harriman and the fire at Bull Run last year

* The house is miles away from any restaurants, shopping, business or cultural activities

* The neighboring homes represent a lower economic area

* The median household income for the area is $35K

* Clinton has a higher tax rate than more desirable Farragut

* As of April 2012 there were 10 meth lab quarantines in Clinton

* There were 0 meth lab quarantines in Farragut

* The current state of $90,000 in annual utilities is cost prohibitive to today's buyer.

In summary: The house is too big, the location is bad, the cost to repair and maintain is prohibitive, the Homeowner's Association presents numerous obstacles, financing on this home has resulted in foreclosure with every single buyer. And every day the house sits, it drains the funds of commercial bank, liens are piling up from the Homeowner's Association and commercial bank's board of directors look like idiots. They look like idiots for taking on this loan in the first place. They look like idiots for thinking they're going to get $1.2 million in a sale. And they look like idiots for letting an iconic landmark fall into such disrepair that it could become condemned and torn down.

Whirlwind is Commerical Bank's Titanic and it's taking on water fast.

· Attorney fees

· Staff salary (for those working the Whirlwind file)

· Interest lost

· Revenue lost

· Further depletion of Commercial Bank’s cash reserves

· Loss of future good loans because money is tied up in Whirlwind

· Liens attached to the property for negligent maintenance and upkeep. Liens bring more attorney fees and costs to clear title

· Repairs continue to increase as property slips into further decline. Failure to repair Whirlwind results in lawsuit from HOA

· Butcher lake, the pool, the tennis courts, the house are all an attractive nuisance—further lawsuits waiting to happen

· An empty house of this notoriety invites vandals, scrappers, trespassers and squatters. Security issues result in yet another HOA lawsuit

· A vacant house is a beacon for drugs and illegal activities. Cost to clean a meth house of this size will run between $400,000 to $600,000 and the stigma never goes away. More lawsuits from HOA.

When I went into this meeting I had 3" thick notebooks full of every recorded document on this house dating back to when the Butcher's built the house. I had all my research on comparable properties in that price range, the costs to fix the house, the potential problems with the house and Commercial Bank's financials.

My research revealed that as of December 2011, Commercial Bank had below normal sustainable profitability, very questionable asset quality, mid-range capitalization and below normal liquidity. A Return on Invest of at least 1.0% is deemed satisfactory in accordance with banking industry standards and Commercial Bank came in at 0.9%. At the end of 2011, Commercial Bank was performing substantially below average and the FDIC had them on their radar.

The family-owned bank is hemorrhaging and someone needs to stop the bleeding.

Bankers are typically not a creative group of people and when there's a board of directors involved in the decision making process, it's no easy feat to get the signatures on the line.

I met the Realtor at the bank (I only work with listing agents because commissions are negotiable and I'll have a tougher time getting a deal if there's two commissions on the line).

We were lead into the conference room which was, of course, ridiculously ornate.

There was a long conference table for about 30 people. I was told the bank representative was on the phone and would be with me momentarily. (Classic power move). I asked the Realtor to step out for a moment because I wanted to talk to the guy before we got to the contract. She did and I took my seat at the head of the conference table across the room so I was the first thing he saw when he walked in. I was at the head of the table and had pulled out a chair to the side of me for him. I would be leading this meeting.

After 15 minutes he came in, visibly thrown by my position in the room. Which is good, I needed him to be uncomfortable with his role in this negotiation.

Before I got to the money I went over everything I had on the house and why he would never get $1.2 million for it nor would he get $400,000 (the bank's reserve bid at the foreclosure auction). In fact, he wouldn't even get the value of the land the house sits on because the cost to tear down the house would be expensive, time consuming and pointless - the views and the HOA restrictions just aren't worth it.

He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. The man was pissed.

During our conversation I learned that he had never been out to the house, was not familiar with the area, and had no idea that his lawyers were working on property tax issues with the house that had actually been taken care of five years ago. I provided him the paperwork.

I then explained to him that I did not fly out from Colorado to present him with an offer to buy the Butcher place. I flew out to provide him an exit strategy.

When you're on the Titanic and the boat is sinking, you do not stay on the boat because you spent too much money for the trip, you get off the damn boat.

The bank is hemorrhaging, the house is not going to sell. I told him:

· I accept the property in as-is condition (assuming clear title is provided)

· I'm paying cash, waiving the mortgage contingency

· I'm paying my own closing costs

· I do not need an appraisal

· I do not require a survey

· I do not request funds in escrow

· I waive any geological report

· I waive any pest inspection contingency

· I waive any home inspection contingency

· I waive any repair contingency

· I waive a home warranty

· I do not have a problem with the HOA restrictions

· I can offer a quick close

My offer is $10.

He was not prepared for that.

I pulled out the articles I had collected of banks in Detroit selling off homes for $10 to get the financial drain off their books and banks in Cleveland paying borrowers $35,000 to sell their home so the banks could get the FDIC off their back.

Commercial bank does not know the plan I had in mind for the Butcher Mansion. I knew the house wasn't going to sell and I knew they weren't going to accept my exit strategy right away.

Commercial Bank is losing ridiculous amounts of money every day with Whirlwind.They have the opportunity to be involved in what could be the single greatest thing to happen to East Tennessee in decades - bringing Oak Ridge, Clinton and the surrounding area to the forefront in renewable clean energy. Commercial Bank would be instrumental in bringing jobs to the area, therefore new home buyers, new business loans, more revenue coming in.

But in order for that to happen they have to get off the sinking ship. So far, they haven't been willing to do that.

The Butcher Mansion Plan

HISTORY

The Butcher mansion was completed in 1974. Jake Butcher was instrumental in bringing the 1982 World's Fair to Knoxville. The theme of the World's Fair was "Energy Turns the World." Jake Butcher lived in the largest residential energy sucker in East Tennessee.

The construction of the 22,000 sqft house was such that the kitchen was on one wing, the master bedroom was in another wing on a different floor. The children's playroom was over the kitchen on the second floor and two of the daughters used the third floor for their bedrooms. This means you had to heat and cool the entire house.

The insulation is poor, the windows are all single-pane, there are too many kitchens and too many bathrooms. Absolutely nothing about the house is energy efficient.

PRESENT

I like to read. A lot. And because I read from a wide variety of subject matter, my brain goes into over-drive and starts connecting dots.

Are you ready for an overload of information?

Here we go...

• The Butcher mansion is well known for its history and connection to the "Energy Turns the World" Fair. It's also known that every Whirlwind owner has gone into foreclosure: the utility bills and maintenance costs were a huge factor in these bankruptcies and foreclosures.
  
  

• Oak Ridge is known as the "energy city".
  
  
• There was an Op-Ed piece in the Oak Ridger by Fred Tompkins, chairman of the Tech 20/20 board of directors. Tech 20/20 is a venture development company looking to make Oak Ridge more entrepreneurial friendly. Their mission is "to create and accelerate the development of high-growth potential companies and jobs by capitalizing on our region's unique technology resources."

• In Denver, CO there are two builders building net-zero energy houses. A net zero house is a home that produces at least as much energy as it consumes. That means no more electric bills, no more natural gas bills.
  
  
• DOE is the primary source of ORNL's $1.65 billion in annual funding. DOE is proposing the creation of 3 new research "hubs" in energy-related fields. ORNL's director Thom Mason believes that ORNL is well positioned to compete for one or more of those hub designations. DOE wants one of the hubs to address battery and energy storage. Each of the hubs will receive $25 million in annual funding for five years.
  
  
• The Clean TN Energy Grant provides $5.28 million dollars for projects focusing on biomass and geothermal energy, wind and solar energy, lighting, HVAC, insulation and air quality
  
  
• Diane Bossart, research associate and manager of the UT Solar Power House tour goes into schools teaching kids about solar energy facts as well as renewable, sustainable energy sources.
  
  
• UT's Living Light House is a zero-energy home. UT placed 8th in DOE's 2011 Solar Decathalon. The project was a part of UT's college of Architecture and Design
  
  
• The Solar Opportunity Fund underwrites solar installation and innovation programs to grow the solar industry in TN
  
  
• UT and TVA partnered for a campus energy efficiency program. UTK is one of the largest green power purchasers in the Southeast.
  
  
• ORNL is working on neutron scattering experiments to help solar cell makers refine their materials and manufacturing processes, thereby reducing costs of solar energy manufacturing and installation.
  
  
• TVA built 3 experimental homes to test energy efficient technologies. In building these three homes, TVA created a multi-million dollar research facility for about 10% of the cost of creating the testing capacity in a laboratory. It was the combined expertise of TVA, ORNL and the building industry - who contributed materials, equipment and labor.
  
  
• ORNL built a stationary 288-ft array of solar panels which converts the sun's light into DC electricity. The electricity produced from these panels helps buildings 3147 and 3156 achieve net-zero energy status.
  
  
• Craig Blue is the director of ORNL's Energy Materials program
  
  
• Professor Edgar Stach is the first faculty member at UT college of architecture and design to receive a joint appointment with ORNL and the university. Stach will be researching and developing new technologies and methods to achieve cost effective, energy-efficient applications for high-performing retrofitted and new buildings. His students were the ones who designed and built the net-zero energy house in the Solar Decathlon.
  
  
• ORNL's Building Envelope Group received a R&D award in 2011. Their job is developing maximum energy efficiency in buildings.
  
  
• ORNL's Whole-Building and Community Integration group develops partnerships to accelerate the integration of renewable resources and energy efficient technologies into high performance buildings and communities.
  
  
• The Volunteer State Solar Initiative is state funded and focuses on job creation, education, renewable power production and technology commercialization.
  
  
• In 2011 there were $7.27 million awarded to 38 companies across TN to focus on "new solar projects that will build on and enhance the growth of TN's solar value chain."
  
  
• Solé Power Tile is a roof tile designed to sustainably convert sunlight into electricity without compromising aesthetics. As of 2009 they were available only on the west coast. They are solar tiles that are light weight, unbreakable and recyclable.
  
  
• Solar Roof Shingles (technology being developed at ORNL) look like regular roof shingles

So I suppose by now you see where I was going with the Butcher Mansion. Why not take the icon of energy waste consumption and turn it into a beacon of renewable, clean energy?

The materials and manufacturers are in TN, the research and development are in Oak Ridge. Oak Ridge is the energy city. The Butcher mansion would open its doors to local and national politicians, economic counsel members, clean energy businesses, local science teachers and science fair winners, building contractors and more.

According to the HOA the estate must be a single family resident. So, that would mean construction integrity and maintenance is allowed. And, of course, occasional guests at one's home would not be a problem.

Clean energy partners pay an annual fee for marketing and publicity. I, in turn, "hire" the clean energy partners to "remodel" the home. As TVA has proven, opportunities to do research in the field rather than trying to replicate experiments in the lab saves millions. Research and development, of course, is always ongoing.

Participating Tennessee businesses receive local, regional and national attention as renewable energy is on the top of every politician's to-do list.

My contribution would be fund-raising, grant writing and publicity. The angle would be:

1. Butcher mansion irony - energy waste consumption to energy generator

2. My family was impacted by the TVA coal ash spill and the videos I created for the residents of that area were seen by Erin Brokovich (who used my first video for the town hall meeting), Senator Boxer and the entire Senate hearing committee (before Kilgore got the opportunity to do his little song and dance) and President Obama. I was interviewed by a writer with the Huffington Post and three colleges asked me to come speak for their environmental sciences class. My point is, I know how to get the attention of people who need to be involved and I know how to get and maintain publicity. The TVA story, the Butcher mansion story, the story of ORNL and UT working together to bring sustainable energy to the community would bring massive amounts of attention, businesses and jobs to the area.

That was the plan. Now, are you ready to find out what the offer was to the bank?

Goodbye Whirlwind

Well, today is August 31st, 2012. It has been more than four months since I made my offer to the Farragut branch of Commercial Bank in Tennessee.

I checked on the multiple listing service and the bank's website this afternoon - Whirlwind is still listed at $1,200,000 with the same photos, same Realtor, the same bank representative. And as you can see from my previous posts, this does not bode well for the former Jake Butcher estate.

I withdraw my offer.

A lot can change in four months: namely, the statute of limitations on my patience. It's clear the house is in disrepair and will require a monumental amount of time and money. Time is now an issue.

Things have changed in the Tillyer household. Our eldest son, who was certain to be leaving for boot camp within the year, announced he had no interest in going into the military and would be moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting and improv.

...

...

...

Yeah. That was my reaction.

Granted, he's been involved in improv for the past three years, it just never entered my mind that was on the table.

Matt's dad is retired Air Force, his grandfather is retired Air Force, his friends are going Air Force - it's the natural order of things. We thought it was a given.

After all, college is definitely out. For his Freshman, Sophomore and Junior years at high school Matt set the bar of mediocrity. And then continued to lower it. Theatre, choir, electronic media and gym are the only classes that keep his grade point average from dipping into negative numbers.

Los Angeles is not a place a mother wants to send her kid. Especially when that kid has the street smarts of a 28-week old fetus.

So, priorities have changed and I will no longer be pursuing the restoration of the Butcher Mansion. I will, however, be posting my plans for it soon. I have readers of this blog from all over the United States and various countries - maybe one of you will run with it. I have less than a year before Matt graduates high school. I have a lot of worrying and panicking to do.

Jake Butcher Mansion Update for August 2, 2012

WOW! 1,700 views on my humble little Jake Butcher Mansion blog. Haven't heard any activity on the place as of yet. I checked online today with the bank that owns the property, Commercial Bank in Harrogate, TN - Whirlwind is still for sale at a ridiculous $1.2 million.

On December 27th the tax man cometh with another $10,800 or more. How much fun for Commerical Bank getting bills month after month: utilities, maintenance, increasing deterioration and repairs just to show the property. tsk tsk tsk.

It's been 3 months since I made my offer to Commercial Bank in Farragut and, just in case they're reading this, (hi there) my offer stands. Commercial Bank: ring me up, start a conversation, let's get involved. As far as I'm concerned, negotiations are still open.

People may view me crazy to continue interest in Whirlwind but I have my reasons and there is a purpose.

The Knoxville MLS has not changed the listing on the Butcher Mansion. Same Realtor, same price, same write-up, same photos. Same ol', same ol' I guess.

According to my back-end statistics, the majority of people viewing this site are coming from a Windows based system, using Internet Explorer followed by Safari. Iphone users log in after Windows users but only make up 6% of my viewers.

I always love to see what keywords bring people in and who's looking at the site. Don't worry, I can't see who you are, but I can see if you're coming from a company, like Coldwell Banker Wallace & Wallace - who happens to have the listing on the Butcher Mansion. I also find it entertaining to see attorney offices with 5 or 6 names behind them logging in. It makes me feel like someone's tattling and folks are checking in to see if I'm behaving. I am.

My peeps in the United States represent most of my readers but I'd like to give a big shout out to Latvia who comes in a close second for most views. Holla! Who knew?!

180 Whirlwind Estate for 1.2 Million

180 Whirlwind in Clinton, TN is the former home of Jake Butcher. The 22,000+ sqft estate sits on approximately 9 acres in a HOA controlled subdivision. The home is currently on the market for $1.2 million. Commercial Bank of Harrogate, TN owns the property - the bank paid $400,000 for Whirlwind at a February, 2011 auction. They paid too much.

The Realtor has a video on youtube (I don't want people thinking I made this) that describes the property like this:

Own a piece of East Tennessee history! Beautiful Whirlwind Estate has 22,000 sq ft, with 5 separate living areas, all currently constructed as condos, but can be converted back to their original construction. 9 acres with a stocked pond, boat slip, lighted tennis court, inground heated pool, helicopter pad, an absolute must-see!

When the description starts with "own a piece of TN history!" It's evident the Realtor does not know the history of what Jake Butcher and his brother did to the people of East Tennessee. The Butchers lived the high life off stolen money. No matter what these men might have done right, they will always be known as the crooks who embezzled money from depositors and bankrupted their own banks. People who banked with them lost their life savings, their retirement, even their day-to-day money to get by. The Butcher estate is a reminder of greed, excess and theft: it's not a piece of TN history most folks want to own or celebrate.

The home at 180 Whirlwind is divided into 5 condos. But if you're thinking about turning the already established condos into a money-making investment, you can forget it. The condos are covered in mold - inside and out, they're decades behind trend, they're expensive to maintain, they've sat empty for years and the HOA will no longer allow the property to be used for anything other than a private residential home. So, it's not a question of can these condos be converted back to the original construction, they must be converted back to a residential home.

Why would any luxury buyer pay $1.2 million for a 22,000 sqft home surrounded by households with a median income of $35,000? The answer is they wouldn't. That would be stupid! STUUUPID! A luxury buyer is not going to get their money back after construction: they're not going to get their money back at $1.2 million. Even if they could convince the bank to take a dollar just to get it off the bank's books, there is no money to be made in this home. I don't know a single luxury buyer or investor interested in pissing money away.

The Jake Butcher Whirlwind estate at 180 Whirlwind is no longer beautiful. Yes there is a pond - one that is shared with the Home Owner's Association.

Yes, there is a tennis court - in need of desperate repair.

And, yes, there is a pool - believed to be the original pool from the late 1970s. Trees grow through the shredded pool cover, the pool surround needs attention and the outdoor kitchen features: layers of peeling paint, a dangerous state of dry rot, an antiquated grilling apparatus and inexplicable graffiti; it doesn't even say anything, where is the artistry?

So what do I think the Jake Butcher estate is worth? I won't tell you what I offered Commercial Bank but I can tell you I was being generous. In truth, the house is not worth the land it sits on.

Though situated on 9 acres. To demo a house this size would be costly and any construction or demolition must be approved by the HOA. You then have to appeal to the architectural and landscaping requirements of the Home Owner's Association for new construction. What were once beautiful views to the marina have been marred by the garage of a home I like to call "Spite house." The land backs to property that has already been purchased by various people: ready for new construction. You simply don't know what further development will be built around you and you have no control over it.

Is 180 Whirlwind worth 1.2 million? Maybe. But only if we're talking India Rupees.

Jake Butcher Mansion Update For July 5, 2012

Hi all! I know you're looking for an update on the Jake Butcher Mansion but things have been a bit hectic around here. Should be back on track tomorrow, fingers crossed. :-)

180 Whirlwind Estate: Butcher Mansion Basement

This beautiful wine cellar is NOT in the Butcher mansion. 

The REALTOR with the listing for 180 Whirlwind Estate, also known as Jake Butcher Mansion, also known as 182 Whirlwind Lane, provided me with a brief history of the Butcher home. Being a local I was already familiar with the home. I'd already been inside it and I'd read every article and document about it I could get my hands on. The description provided to me by the Realtor was awe-inspiring. Unfortunately, the description provided to me was completely misleading.

I don't know where the Realtor got the description but I can tell you it was either from decades past or from someone who has never seen the home.

One of my cousins who toured the property with me got into the car following our tour and said, "Wow. That is some serious false advertising."

The description I received stated: "Beneath the kitchen wing of the house is a basement with special storage rooms to hold a grocery store full of items as well as storage for tools and a workshop. There was also a bath and game room with pool table and one of the states finest private wine cellars."

There's a mix of tenses in the above two sentences but I'm not going to dwell too much on that because I've been known to do that myself. I merely wish to point out that there is a basement beneath of portion of the kitchen wing of the house. There is some storage. There is a room and there is a cellar.

However, the space offers nothing more than a bare-bones, depressing state of disrepair.

There's a game room, of sorts. It's a dark, square room with low ceilings and acoustic tile. Some of the ceiling tile is missing and a jungle of wires and pipes are exposed. There's rot, mildew and mold. There's also animal feces. The basement, indeed, assaults the nostrils with its formidable scent.

There are doors leading from the "game room" to a tunnel that goes out to the tennis courts. The tunnel is not entirely underground: it's more like a Mean-Joe-Green-Have-a-Coke-and-a-Smile kind of tunnel. The doors opening to the tunnel have two square windows spray painted black. There is no light in the basement.

The wine cellar is most definitely not "one of the states finest private wine cellars" not by any stretch of the imagination. The "wine cellar" looks more like an old English dungeon where one might store bodies - only not as nice as a dungeon.

The storage space that would supposedly house a grocery store might store the contents of a 2-car garage - if you exclude cars and lawn equipment.

If I had to guess based on memory and the fact that we were in total darkness, I'd guess the entire basement comes in at 2,000 sqft tops.

See, here's the thing: I hate being lied to. I really do. I especially hate when someone tries to sell me a lie. The advertising I have seen regarding the Butcher mansion goes beyond optimism and delusion, it is, in my opinion, a flat-out lie.

It's time to get real. You want to see the basement? This is video taken when my family and I toured the house with the Realtor.

Jake Butcher Mansion: So Sad

People, the Butcher Mansion is sad: it really is.

Yesterday, I showed the original floorplan for the second floor (seen left). I compared the Butcher's decorating style to the style of the Ron Burgundy character in Anchorman.

During the Butcher's time the home was tacky. Now, it's just sad.

Rumors circulated for years that Butcher had at least one toilet lined with gold coins. I personally have not seen said toilet but I've heard the rumor repeatedly from various sources. Of course, that doesn't make it true: but based on the decor I saw after the Butcher's left, I wouldn't doubt it.

Do you think Oprah has a toilet in her home that allows her to sh** on money?

I don't think so.

Do you think Nelson Mandela flushes to the sound of toilet water swooshing over gold coins?

Not likely.

Why? Because that is ridiculous.

You know what else is ridiculous? Commercial Bank in Farragut, TN thinking they're going to get $1.2 million for the Butcher Mansion with its current condition and exorbitant maintenance costs.

Developers bought the Butcher estate at auction in 1993 and turned the (approximately) 22,000 sqft mansion into 5 condos: two on the first floor: two on the second floor: and one on the third floor: the basement was left a basement.

Condo #3 is on the second floor and takes up the entire right side of the above floorplan.

The developers made a few tweaks in the build as far as closets and laundry areas, but this is the gist of the plan that exists today.

The changes you'll notice are:
* You no longer have access to the right side of the house from the stair landing. That former hall doorway has been closed off to make a half bath.

* The entry to condo #3 (and condo #4) are through the front door on the first floor, up the winding staircase and through what was once a sitting room.

By the way, there's no elevator in this 22,000 sqft, 4-level home. I hope you enjoy a solid workout because you're going to get one every time you carry in the groceries or a sleeping child.

* The developers took the two bedrooms that once faced the marina and turned it into a living room. There's a pitiful little fireplace in the corner.

* What was once a two-story sunroom on the first floor has since been closed off and is now a family room for Condo #3. Which I have to say, I like the idea of closing that off. It's difficult to decorate 24 ft walls and it's a pain in the ass to heat wasted space. So close it in: that works for me. And there. That was a compliment.

The family room has a really spectacular circle window that looks out to the garages of the homes blocking what was once a rolling pasture and water view. oh well. Actually, if you stand on the far right side of the window and lean to your right as far as you can without falling, then look diagonally to your left, you can catch a peak of the water. So there's that.

* Do you see the dining room, kitchen and master bedroom area in the revised floorplan? That used to be the Butcher's playroom for their kids. This space is huge! How huge? Based on my calculations, the former playroom area is approximately 2,000 sqft. My entire house in Colorado comes in at approximately 1,800 sqft. A 2,000 sqft foot playroom is mind-boggling.

So let's take a look at a couple of images from Condo #3, shall we?

Jake Butcher's Whirlwind Estate - Condo #3 Living Room

This is what you see when you walk through the front door of Condo #3. There's a corner fireplace with a surround made from materials you can pick up at Home Depot for $125. The corner tv unit offers your eyes a secondary black box to look at: so, when you walk into the entry of this condo your eyes shoot off in different directions. Nice. There's absolutely no focal point. And with the duct work above the tv cabinet running the length of the room, this looks like a cookie-cutter, new-build basement to me.

This is the guest bedroom in the original floorplan with the bathroom to the right

There is absolutely nothing special in what the developers did to this house. The former Butcher residence in Clinton, TN can no longer be described as an estate or even a mansion. It's a great big, hacked up, quickly deteriorating, public nuisance. The cost of restoring and maintaining this home is astronomical. No one in their right mind is going to buy this place. And that's why my offer still stands. The question of whether or not I'm in my right mind is still up for debate.

Condo #3 & #4 have a family room like this. The window is great. The view? Not so much.

This is the kitchen in the 3rd condo. There is nothing right about this. I don't feel I need to go into the dated lighting, the dated floors, the old appliances and everything else that's wrong here: the bottom line is there shouldn't be a kitchen here at all. The developers destroyed the resale of this home when they chopped it into boring, unremarkable, terribly-expensive-to-maintain, condos.

This sadly, is the master bedroom in condo 3. There is very limited natural light (electricity is off). You can see where sheetrock has been removed. There's no flooring. The ceiling fan is cheap and, again, it is soooo dark.

And this, my friends, is the master bath. What can I say that hasn't already been said?

Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Heavy sigh. Heavy sigh.

Original Floorplan for the Butcher Mansion: The Second Floor

This is the original floorplan for the Butcher Mansion - the second floor.

I first saw Whirlwind in 1991 after the second owners lost the home to foreclosure.

Though the second owners had the home for approximately 6 years, they hadn't made any significant changes to the home's original decor.

Prior to developers dividing Whirlwind into condominiums, the mansion's first floor sunroom and conference room rose approximately 24 feet to meet the height of the second floor's ceiling.

Butcher's "upper office" housed a jacuzzi. That's it. Just a big jacuzzi in a nondescript room overlooking the conference room below.

The decor of the master bedroom was - and I'm pretty sure I'm right about this - inspired by the great Ron Burgundy. I have included video of the legendary Anchorman below for your viewing pleasure. Warning: This video showcases highly potent, full-on sexual tension. You might not want to watch it at work or in front of impressionable children.





In classic Ron Burgundy style, the Butcher mansion's wallpaper made a statement. And that statement was: 'look at my giant peacock.'

A shimmering Saturday-Night-Fever silver - if you can picture it - served as a not-so-subtle backdrop to the wallpaper's main design element: giant peacocks. The metaphor was not lost on anyone.

Apparently, the "less is more" theory of design was not a theory to which the Butcher's subscribed. It's a little known fact that giant peacocks will not go ignored. They preened on those walls, exposing themselves in every corner of the room, reflected in every square tile of the mirrored ceiling. All around me peacocks undressed me with their beady little eyes. I have to say, I felt a little violated.

Later today I'll post the floorplan of Whirlwind's 2nd floor condo conversion. Until then: you stay classy Anderson County.

Jake Butcher Mansion: Is the Address 182 Whirlwind Lane or Not?

Is the Butcher Mansion address 182 Whirlwind Lane or not?

It seems like a straight forward question, right? Unfortunately, it isn't. It appears no one really knows what the address is.

When the Butcher's lived in Whirlwind the address was on Old Emory Road. But when the developer came in and subdivided the land and hacked the mansion into 5 tacky condominiums everything changed.

Commercial Bank in Tennessee has the property listed on their website as 182 Whirlwind Lane Clinton TN.

The Realtor has the property listed on her site as 180 Whirlwind.

The Property Assessor's office has the parcel identified as 123 Whirlwind Point.

The CRS (courthouse retrieval system) the Realtor uses has the property listed as separate units: 123 Whirlwind Point, 182 Whirlwind Point, 186 Whirlwind Point and no number Whirlwind Point. There's a condo missing in there somewhere. And wouldn't it make it easier to just have one correct address listing units 1-5 or A-E so people can figure out what's what and who's who? Is that so hard?

The deeds all use legal addresses that start with "Beginning at a point on the West edge of Wing Wall and Whirlwind Point Road running South 45 deg. 45 min. West, 112.64 feet to a point; Thence on a curve having a radius of 400 Feet, and arc length of 266.21 feet, a chord bearing and distance of South 26 deg..." Jesus, Mary and Joseph!!! Just tell me the frickin address!!! The legal description goes on for three quarters of a page and never gives a street address.

Also, did you notice how the legal description identifies Whirlwind Point ROAD? You won't find a Whirlwind Point ROAD in any other documentation.

Isn't that nice?

The Trustee's office has the Butcher mansion address as 123 Whirlwind Point not to be confused with 123 Whirlwind Point LANE which is a totally separate parcel with a completely different owner.

The copy of the utilities I have in my possession identify the property as 182 Whirlwind Point Lane.

Zillow identifies the property being just off Whirlwind Drive but there is no other record that identifies any street named Whirlwind Drive in that area. Google maps has it listed being just off Whirlwind Point Lane.

At one point, the Realtor told me the bank representative had his attorneys working on turning the condos back into a single family residence because the Home Owner's Association was charging the bank for 5 separate units.

Well, if anyone made a few clicks on their computer they would have learned that the property was converted back to a single family residence in January 2007 - that's over 5 years ago, people. 5 years.

And the Trustee's office - the one who bills taxes every year - has the Butcher mansion listed as a single family residence. The property taxes for a single family residence in Anderson County are based on 25% of the total property value. A commercial property, which a condominium unit would be, is based on 40% of the total property value. The Butcher mansion total property value is multiplied by 25%, which makes it a single family residence, and then that figure is taxed 2.532%.

Do you know how I found that out? I made a few clicks on my handy dandy computer and then I made a phone call to the Trustee's office. I had all that information in about 5 minutes. I wonder how much Commercial Bank is paying those attorneys since they were supposedly working on that for weeks?

FYI: the Trustee's office has the total property value of the Butcher Mansion listed at $1,711,400 which is waaaay too high for the condition of the property. Makes you wonder if anyone actually went out to the property or if they just based it on previous records?

So, Commercial Bank is paying attorneys to do work that's already been done. They're being billed Homeowner Association Fees 5 times what they should be paying. However, the bank representative told me he refuses to pay the association fees so I guess it doesn't really matter, does it?  Oh, but it will. But that's a whole 'nother topic. The appraisal the Trustee's office is using puts the taxes at $10,833. Commercial Bank must continue to pay those taxes or risk losing the property to Anderson County. If only Commercial Bank could figure out what they're paying taxes on.

180 Whirlwind Clinton, TN Blog: Don't Hate the Player, Hate the Game

In yesterday's post I linked to the video I put together on the coal ash spill in Harriman. I linked to it because of the Butcher Mansion's proximity to Bull Run Steam Plant. Bull Run is a coal-fired electric generating plant. Coal by itself is not dangerous but the byproduct is. When you grow up in Oak Ridge and you're told not to eat the fish in the lakes because of the Mercury, you take it for granted. Oh, okay. Don't eat the fish? Mercury? Sure. What they don't hammer home is that Mercury is a known carcinogen and has shown to cause reduced levels of intelligence in children. And Mercury's merely one of the issues you have to worry about with a coal-fired plant.

The Oak Ridger reported that after a fire broke out at Bull Run in April of this year, TVA stated they were continuing to monitor the "hot spots." They're not talking about heat from the fire when they say 'hot spots', they're talking about levels of toxicity.

Immediately following the terrorist attacks on 9/11, employees at the plants were sent home and the plants went on high alert. Why? Because the plants are known targets for terrorists due to the dangerous materials they produce.

I'm fired up today because when I went to post that link, I read through some of the comments on the video. I know I shouldn't have. I told myself after the first year to stop. People are ignorant - they probably ate the fish.

People said it didn't happen, it's not toxic because TVA said it wasn't, we're making a big deal out of nothing, people are just trying to take advantage and get paid, the pictures were doctored, the before shots were not taken at the spill site, people are faking illness. It gets to me. Particularly because it's my family, my friends and it's real.

Another recurring comment that gets to me is when people attack the lifestyle that was lost. "Oh, the poor rich people lost their homes, boo-hoo." That's why I labeled this post "Don't Hate the Player, Hate the Game." I should have titled it, "Don't Hate the Player, Hate YOUR Game."

To these people I say: First of all, dummy, there were people of largely varying economic backgrounds in that area. They were all impacted.

And the bullshit victim mentality you display because you don't have any money is nauseating. If you don't like where you are in life, you have no one to blame but yourself.

Yes my parents had a very nice home on the water. But they started out barely scraping by, living paycheck to paycheck. If they ran out of food, it was gone. If they couldn't pay utilities, they got shut off. They sacrificed, they saved, they took low paying jobs in exchange for college reimbursement in order to make it happen. And in their spare time, which wasn't much, they took what they were good at and found a way to make additional money. They saved, they budgeted and they eventually built their dream home on the river. And two years later, it was lost.

My brother is adopted. He had a shitty childhood. He was taken from squalor, separated from his brothers and bounced around from foster home to foster home until he joined our family. He struggled. He got in with a bad crowd, got into things he shouldn't have, lived out of cheap motels. He used to say, "this is just who I am. I was born this way. It's in my DNA." To which I would reply, "Yeah, it's called the Camaro gene and you can overcome it." Eventually, Russ decided he had had enough of that life. In his thirties, he went back to school. He got a technical degree. He now has a great job, insurance, 401K, company car, company phone and he's going to be buying his first house. It took him a while, but he did it. He chose to make a better life for himself and his son.

My husband's parents were divorced and money was tight. Mike went to college on student loans, a music scholarship and a baseball scholarship. But then halfway through college, he dropped out. He dropped out to join the Air Force. The Air Force provided him a roof over his head, free meals at the chow hall, insurance, free college tuition and the opportunity to better himself. When we got married, even with the regular paycheck the Air Force provided, we were living below the poverty level. But we didn't stay there for long. Mike continued to go up in rank. The Air Force paid him to finish his Bachelors degree. Ten years into his enlistment, Mike chose to apply for the officer program and he made it. The Air Force then paid for Mike to get a Master's degree. Mike will be retiring in a few months as a Major. He's going from a six figure income into another six figure income and he'll have a $30,000 pension and insurance from the Air Force for the rest of his life. To this day, I clip coupons, I shop at Goodwill, I buy second-hand furniture and I run out the door for a Craigslist curb-alert. I will never buy a new car, my old Ford Windstar minivan is still running and it's paid off. I will drive it until duct-tape can no longer hold it together and keep it on the road. And then I will get another cheap-ass car.

Not enough hardship for you? Look at Oprah Winfrey. She came from poverty and abuse and was rejected time after time in her pursuit of bettering herself. She had doubts, insecurities, seemingly insurmountable odds but she made it. She made herself a legend and an inspiration to millions around the globe.

A movie was made about the story of Chris Gardner. He was struggling to get by, had a five year old son, his girlfriend left him, and he decided he had to come up with a plan to better himself. He took an unpaid internship that offered a better future. It was a hardship: he was homeless for a year. Homeless with a five year old. They slept on the streets, in homeless shelters and in locked metro station bathrooms. But he overcame his hardships and went on to become a millionaire.

If you didn't get a solid education, read! If you can't read well, ask for help. Ask anyone. Read biographies, read business books, read self-help books, read motivational books that inspire you and academic books that interest you. Read everything you can get your hands on. And I don't mean you have to buy these books. Borrow them. Beg for them. Whatever excuse you have, believe me, I can counter it with a solution.

If you're on disability and can't work, get on the computer. Don't have a computer? Ask. People are always upgrading and you can get one for free. But you have to ask. Can't afford an internet connection? Go to a library. Go to a friend's house. Barter in exchange for using someone's computer. Don't know how to use the computer and make money with it? Ask. There are teenagers barely out of middle school making more money online than their parents who work a steady 9 to 5.

I'm not a particularly religious person. Actually, I can't say I'm religious at all. But I do know the catch-phrase 'ask and ye shall receive.' The way I interpret that is not, 'pray and ye shall get'. I interpret it as, ask yourself what you need to do to better your situation. Ask how. Ask why. Ask what. Ask and you shall receive: an answer, a solution, an inspiration, an idea, or a hand to guide you to where you want to be. But you're not going to get anywhere unless you ask and take action.

If you like where you're at in life, rich or poor, congratulations. People can go their whole life without ever feeling happy or content - regardless of their financial situation. But if you're bitching and whining about how you have nothing, know this: you are both your problem and your solution.

Clinton, TN Mansion vs a Colorado Springs, CO Mansion

When I made my pitch to Commercial Bank in Farragut TN for the Jake Butcher Mansion in Clinton, TN I was confident my proposal was solid. I still am. I felt I was at an advantage as far as knowledge about the house. I came prepared with a thorough presentation, comps, research, the entire deed history, photos of the home and, of course, my offer.

The biggest mistake the bank representative made (other than telling me the bank's bottom line) was that he told me he's also an appraiser. See, that's a problem because now I've lost all respect for the man. You cannot tell people you're an appraiser and then demonstrate how very little you know about the house and the area you're selling.

Here's the thing: the bank is upside down on the Butcher mansion. But who cares? Certainly not me. They took on a bad loan with a guy who was borrowing from bank A to pay bank B to pay bank C and so on. They were the last bank to come in on the deal and they got screwed. Not my problem. I'm looking for a deal, not a pity party.

Just because a house has a lot of square footage does not mean you're going to get a buyer willing to pay your million dollar asking price. In fact, Whirlwind's square footage is actually a negative for today's buyer. It is ridiculously expensive to maintain this home. Former Banker Jake Butcher lived there because his in-laws lived next door. He flew by helicopter to get to work in Knoxville. He was afforded such luxury because he was embezzling millions of dollars from his depositors. He went to prison, lost the home through bankruptcy, and every buyer who has taken a loan against Whirlwind since has ended up in foreclosure. It doesn't matter what your asking price is. It doesn't matter what you believe the appraised value to be. What matters is, do you have a buyer? And if that buyer is borrowing your money, can they afford the home in the long run?

Commercial Bank has a fund to pay off bad loans. When they have too many bad loans bank regulators start sniffing around. Which is another mistake the bank representative made when he said, "If we could just get the damn regulators off our back, we'd be fine." Uh-huh. I believe that's what the Butchers said once upon a time. Unfortunately for the Butchers, those "damn regulators" didn't go away.

Whirlwind is located in an area where the median household income is $35,000. It has no view, it's very close to Bull Run Steam plant - which if you know anything about my family and coal ash - you'll know I'm not a fan of coal ash. It's miles away from any restaurants, shopping or businesses, let alone cultural activities. The area has a higher tax rate than nearby, more desirable Farragut. There were 10 known meth lab quarantines in the Clinton area code for the month of April 2012. To get to the house, you have to pass homes in the $100,000 or less price range. Not that that's a bad thing, it just doesn't support Whirlwind's million dollar price tag.

And with Whirlwind, this is what you're getting...

Structural issues out the wah-zoo

missing mortar, busted drains, mold, dry rot, single-pane windows

Old-ass kitchen, trailer-esque laundry room

And are you kidding me with this bathroom?!

$1.2 million? Are you out of your freaking mind?

In contrast, this former bank-owned home in Colorado Springs sold for $1.6 million. The median household income in Colorado Springs is $108,451. The house is surrounded by homes starting in the mid-$400s up into the low millions. This particular home is in a guard-gated community in a fairly large town with lots of activites close by. Membership to the athletic club, social club and golf club were included and are within walking distance. Radiant heat floors, whole house security system, whole house surround sound, immaculate, amazing attention to detail is what the lucky investor received.

In a million dollar home, like this one, people expect to see:

Cool features like this kick-ass bar

It changes colors

Right before your eyes - and next to it: a cigar room & wine cellar

and did I mention the billiards and poker room? Well I just did.

A bath with heated floors, tv, separate vanities and SEPARATE TOILETS, ladies!

Check out that tub and behind it, an indoor-outdoor shower like you've never seen before!

Look at the detail on that ceiling!

A frickin' waterfall? Whaaat?! And it's timed to music? Get out!

Yeah, that's the kitchen and it's so big I can't even show all of it here

Or here! There's still more kitchen! I'm not kidding!

OMG! Stadium seating theater that seats 16? I have died and gone to heaven. 

This entry says to me, "Welcome to my home, bitches! Waz up?"

Even on a gloomy day, this house is gorgeous!

$1.6 million for this house is a smokin' deal! $1.2 million for the Butcher mansion is idiotic!

It's funny, the Butcher Mansion in Clinton, TN is marketed as a Tara-style, Gone with the Wind home. Sonya Butcher worked with her builder to create her vision of the fictional southern plantation. So enamored with the story, she named one of her daughter's Scarlett after the main character. The Colorado home was built by my friends Paul and Tara Rising of Tara Custom Homes. And yes, Tara's mother named her after the plantation home featured in Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer winning novel.

Alright peeps, I have things to do. More to come....