Whirlwind: Why the Butcher Mansion Photo on the Right Irks Me

Yesterday, I wrote about why the photo on the left bothered me and I got pretty riled up as the post went on. I grew up in the real estate business. I got my degree in Business Marketing, got my real estate license in Alaska and spent the majority of my career working for Brokers, Builders and my own real estate endeavors. And I read every business and marketing book I can get my hands on. Real estate is my passion.

I love marketing real estate but I'm not a fan of the real estate profession. Watch any episode of Million Dollar Listing and I promise you, it is a true representation of what goes on behind the scenes.

But enough about that, let's talk about the recent photo of Whirlwind - the photo on the right...

Butcher's Whirlwind: Sad, Lonely and Neglected

I always admired the Butcher's Whirlwind estate. At one time it was so beautiful and from a distance, it still is. But up close, it's a different story.

Every column needs repair or replacement. Very costly.

Have you ever walked into a house and just "felt" it? Sometimes a house lacks personality, sometimes it welcomes you with open arms. Sometimes it gives you the creeps. But homes emote, they definitely emote.

I had a house down in Widefield, CO where I used to live with my husband and kids. I loved that house, we had a lot of happy memories there. Unfortunately, we got an assignment out of state and had to put the house on the rental market. When the tenant moved out, it took me months to go back in and prepare the home for a new tenant. The vibe in the house I once loved was now oppressive. It was overwhelmingly depressing, dark and sinister. I learned from neighbors that the cops were at the house just about every weekend. There was a lot of abuse in the home, neglect of a special needs child, alcohol and drug abuse, and I swear to you, long after the tenants moved out, you could still feel it. My mother wouldn't even go past the front room.

With the Widefield house, I opened the windows, ripped out the carpets, painted the walls, played a lot of upbeat music, brought in friends and family for laughter and totally changed the vibe of that house. The first people who came to see it, loved it and signed the lease.

Jake Butcher's Whirlwind has a sad and neglected feel about it. It's lonely. You may think it's weird I believe houses take on personalities but they do, I feel it.

The bar by the pool - doesn't look like a great entertaining space now

Whirlwind had a good 10 year run. Lots of parties, a house full of children, friends, family and entertainment. But that all ended in 1984. And every loan taken out on the property since has resulted in foreclosure. A foreclosure is a stressful event and that stress, sadness and even loneliness imprints on the house.

Commercial bank is asking $1,200,000 for the Jake Butcher Mansion. $1.2 million is crazy! The house is in bad shape, it will take a fortune to restore and a fortune to maintain it. Potential buyers, if there are any, aren't likely to get past that "feeling" of loneliness and neglect.

Thanks to my cousins and their boyfriends, I have several videos of the condition of the property. This is a video from the pool and tennis court area to the front of the house. Initially, I wasn't going to add music but, again, the house spoke to me. It's so sad. More videos to come.