VANCOUVER — Phantoms be gone! A “sold” sign could soon be put up on the B.C. ghost town of Bradian.
Realtor John Lovelace said the current owners accepted an offer on Friday afternoon, just one day before the town was set to host an open-house weekend for interested buyers.
“Yes, I have accepted an offer,” he said in an email. “We are still going ahead with our Bradian open-house party this weekend.”
As paperwork is still being processed, Lovelace is not able to reveal the names of the buyers or the specific terms of the offer.
“In any real estate transaction, there is much work ahead,” he said. “However, we have agreement on price and closing date with a buyer with a vision for the little B.C. town.”
Lovelace said he hopes to share more about the buyer’s vision after paperwork for the sale has been finalized.
The 50-acre town is located just two hours outside Whistler and four hours from Vancouver, and had been on the market since 2010.
Earlier this month, the $995,000 listing resurfaced in media reports, garnering more attention from across the country.
The sale includes 22 buildings still intact on the property and all basic infrastructure.
Bradian was bought in 1997 by Tom and Katherine Gutenberg, who spent their summers fixing up the buildings with their kids.
In an earlier interview with The Province, Lovelace suggested the next owner could be a developer with a vision for a snowmobiling resort or several families who might use the town as their summer residence.
There have been other offers over the years, but Lovelace said many prospective buyers were scared off when told of the amount of work Bradian would require before it could turn a profit.
In documents provided to prospective buyers, the owner has estimated that $200,000 is required to upgrade the town’s water systems to today’s standards, and another $20,000 is needed to rehabilitate the town’s sewage system.
Each of the homes on the property will need to be rewired, plumbed, insulated and refinished, while all foundations require repair or replacement, at an estimated cost of $50,000 each.
