NEW MARKET — Nathan Hammond built his house in 1759 in a remote area of the Maryland colony.
More than 250 years later, it is still a serene spot.
The house, at 7113 Green Valley Road, is being offered in an electronic auction set to end at midnight July 22. It is not an absolute auction, but once the highest bidder is determined, a traditional real estate sale will be negotiated.
“I love historic homes,” said Debbie Wenner, one of the two owners who have put the house up for auction.
Wenner and co-owner Arne Berquist have moved on. Wenner now lives in Falling Waters, W.Va., and commutes to Fugro Earthdata in Frederick. Berquist moved to a job in Canada, Wenner said.
“We bought the house in 2003 and didn’t finish some of the things we wanted to do,” Wenner said.
While not far from Frederick, Wenner said the house, which sits on more than two acres, offers a natural setting. The stone structure has large rooms and the original hearth.
“When the leaves are on the trees, you can’t even see it,” she said.
“We could sit on the porch and watch foxes and other wildlife. There is a pond behind the house and another pond nearby. It is really a relaxing place.”
Selling history
The house is being auctioned by Gary Gestson of Gestson & Associates, Long & Foster Estates, Gaithersburg.
The property has been on the market for a while, priced at $250,000, Wenner said. At Gestson’s recommendation, it will be auctioned rather than sold, with a starting bid of $180,000.
“The sellers tried a traditional sale and there are a number of fence sitters,” Gestson wrote in an email. “The auction is designed to bring some urgency, while allowing the buyer to write a contingency contract.”
Unlike tax auctions, which usually draw investors, the auction of such a historic property will draw those who appreciate its unique aspect and take time to consider the acquisition, Gestson said.
Modern technology will allow the auction to be monitored easily. No bids had been recorded on the website as of Saturday.
Gestson, an art dealer for 25 years, said he has always been interested in architecture.
“There are so many similarities between historic homes and art,” Gestson said, “and that carries over into why people buy these types of homes, as well. The deliberative process for a buyer is much like what I saw as an art collector.”
Someone watching a rabbit from a window today can imagine the Hammond family doing so 250 years ago, he said.
Historic properties often have unique marketing features, according to Wayne Six, an appraiser and owner of Six & Associates.
“Many of the items found in an old home simply cannot be reproduced in today’s market,” Six wrote in an email.
He cited old stone brick or log construction, original flooring and staircases, and windows with hand-blown glass.
“Old historic homes will often bring a premium due to their unique characteristics and their charm and character,” he wrote.
But old houses can also have negative marketing features, he said. Many are close to the road, and some have functional inadequacies, such as only one bathroom on the first floor with all the bedrooms on the second floor or a “mouse in a maze” feeling. Small rooms, a lack of closets and low ceilings can also deter buyers.
Maintaining history
Maintaining an old house takes more than a “Home Depot fix,” Gestson said.
“The best advice I can give a homeowner considering any kind of work on their house is this: Do it right,” said Larry Schaffert, a home improvement contractor who has worked on historic properties in Frederick’s historic district and other parts of the county.
“I have seen many homes where homeowners have done installations that actually reduced the value of the home,” Schaffert wrote in an email.
With any house, water is the biggest enemy, Schaffert said.
“The exterior wall cladding, usually wood siding or brick or stone on older homes, keeps the elements out of the vertical wall surfaces. Windows let light in and allow for ventilation. All of these need to be maintained to prevent deterioration of the structure.”
When the house is in a historic district, such as Frederick’s, the jurisdiction’s guidelines protect the architecture. While more flexibility exists outside such areas, Schaffert said, there is still an emphasis on maintaining the period of the house.
Modern developments, such as energy-efficient windows, can closely match the look of historic designs, Schaffert said. Purists who want only the original materials will find that those are, in most cases, more expensive than contemporary alternatives.
Doing the job right ensures a better sale when the owner decides to move on, Schaffert said.
Mark Pelletier, another home improvement contractor, believes the wood in a house should be inspected.
“The wood was not grown as quickly back then, so (it) is more dense than wood used in construction nowadays,” he wrote in an email. “As long as the painted surfaces were maintained they should be in good shape.”
Otherwise, there could be a termite problem, he said.
The purchase of an historic structure entails unique responsibility, Gestson wrote in an email.
“First of all, a buyer of a historic home becomes a steward to the home during their tenure of ownership. These homes are living, breathing structures that have endured a spectrum of events and touched many Americans over the centuries in a way that is really hard for us to imagine.”
