The Eric Pratt House SOLD..Who bought it?

[hypnoraygun]

Okay who bought the Eric Pratt house? That was such a good deal, I didn't think it would last long!?

[SWSinDC]

The official realtor site -- [/url]http://www.precar.com/property_detail.h ... 632113[url] -- still shows Pratt as "Sale Pending."[/url]

[SDmason]

the pratt house was a real nice deal, unless there was underlying fualts not listed on the website.

id love to see the new owners open it for weekend rentals

[jhealy]

I am confused a bit here. The above posts state "great deal" and "wouldn't last long." Wasn't this house on the market for about 2 years. That seems like a long time to me. Also, I remember that the Chicago Tribune had an article about the owner (who, if I remember correctly, lives in Chicago), the length of time the house was on the market and the fact that the owner would not lower the price because of the work she had put into the house.



If I am wrong here, please let me know. Perhaps I have the Pratt house confused with another. And I too would also like to know the selling price.

[hypnoraygun]

Okay well.. Let's see here. I did some searching on this site and found out a few things. It seems that Eric Pratt wrote a book about the house. In the book (I don't want to miss quote anyone, this is just a summary) it seems that Wright didn't approve of the construction? or building of the house. (I haven't read the book, check it out for better clarification)



I also found out Arlene Moran owned the home and Yes it was for sale for a long time. I didn't realize this. I remember it didn

[RJH]

From

[Roderick Grant]

At $375K the Pratt House was very reasonable. When I saw it in the 90s, it was in excellent condition on a very pleasant site. The problem is that old "location, location, location," thing. It's just not near enough to anything to make it feasible for most people. It's mile away from Kalamazoo, which is not exactly a bustling hub of activity. If it had been located closer to a major city, it would have sold a long time ago.



Arlene Moran, whom I've known through the Conservancy for years, is the type of person FLW houses need desperately. She took care of her house even though she couldn't live in it. I just wish the owners of the nearby Eppstien House could do as much.

[jhealy]

In determining whether a price is reasonable, one MUST factor in location. What is reasonable in a major city market may not be reasonable in Kalamazoo. I agree, if the Pratt house was listed at $375K in Oak Park, it would have sold quickly. But that should not be the bench mark for determining if the price is reasonable. I have no idea what the Kalamazoo real estate market is like, but I would argue that if a house sits on the market for 2 or so years, the price is not all that reasonable. I agree that Wright homes should sell for above market value, but it is a question of to what extent.

[Richard]

It is simply a matter of statistics. The larger the pool of potential buyers, the greater the likelihood of a quick sale and or a sale. Unfortunately (or fortunately for us), the majority of buyers do not "get" a Frank Lloyd Wright house. A low ceiling here, a small room there, a carport, no family room per se, no basement, concrete floors. . . and you have lost 80% of the market. We live in a beige world. You can sell them the Norman Rockwell poster for the den but break out the DeKooning and they are heading for the exits. I had a friend over once who was a psychologist. His only comment about the house was that he thought it was "negatively reinforcing or punishing" because of the compression of some of the ceilings. As my brother always says, "There ain't no accountin' for taste".