b'MovingEight Doors DownWorking with Jill SockwellBY ELLEN DONKERD I N G H ON MIF ET with a couple or young familyMark Loughney and Gayle Shand at their new home. things happen. Just lets move forward.no he typical arc of homeownership often startsThe couple closed on the house in December buying a house, filling it out with chil- 2023 and immediately went to work renovating dren and pets and selling it once theit, much of it behind the walls, such as replacing kids have grown up and moved out.old pipes and knob-and-tube wiring.Some couples relocate to a retirementThey also started getting their old house ready destination while others stay local andto go on the market by March. There was opt for an apartment, glorying in their release fromdoubt we were going to work with [Jill], Shand the chores of landscaping and home maintenance.says. She had just been cheerful but still pointed. Gayle Shand and Mark Loughney, whose boysShe has a really good way of navigating business were no longer home to fill up their six-bedroom house, didnt want either op- in a non-confrontational way to still get the outcome she wants.tion. Preferring to stay in Maplewood, where they had developed strong con- ShandandLoughneyspentconsiderabletimegivingaway24years nections during the past 25 years, they simply wanted a smaller house. Theyworth of books, furniture and accessories. To highlight the large rooms in didnt know what that would look like until 117 Maplewood Avenue came onthe house, Sockwell suggested they remove carpeting and excess furniture the market, exactly eight houses south of their place at 85 Maplewood Avenue.and give the walls fresh coats of paint. In the kitchen, they replaced counter-Although the opportunity was surprising, the couple says the dream oftops and painted some cabinets to soften the Tuscan style that has since lost buying the house had entered their minds. Shand says, I work in a field thatsfavor with younger buyers. Loughney, who can handle light electrical work, adjacent to architecture and design, and Id been fascinated by that house.switched out most of the lighting in the house. He jokes that he developed The running joke was, Someday, Im going to get inside to see that house. carpal tunnel syndrome from screwing in light fixtures.Their chance came just a few days before going on vacation. AlthoughTo help buyers envision how the space could be used, Loughney says they thought the house was beautiful and its smaller footprint and option forSockwell left notes in key places around the house. At a pantry near the bot-first-floor living was perfect as they age, it needed a lot of work. We said wetom of the stairs, she wrote, Large space for your Costco purchases. Next to will kick ourselves if we dont bid on this house, Shand says. We think itsa cast iron tub on the third floor, a note said, You can relax here. overpriced. Were going to put in what we think is a fair price, and we neededShe framed experiences so that the house didnt speak for itself, says a realtor to do that. Shand. She helped people imagine seeing themselves there. I think that AfriendrecommendedCompassrealtorJillSockwell,soShandandprobably influenced the decision on whether Loughney contacted her to put in a bid for them. Although it came in asor not people would purchase the home. The the third highest offer, the other buyers dropped out and they got the house.house sold quickly and closed in May.She really navigated us through kind of a complicated sales situationThe couple hopes to be in the new house with a very unusual house, says Shand. The house had been owned for moreby early December. Unlike a typical move, than 60 years by a woman now in her 90s. Her children were handling thethey already know most of their neighbors. sale, and they werent always aligned. Shand says, Jill just sort of beauti- We have a pretty robust social life, Shand fully and happily navigated what could have been some kind of complicated,says. Marks in a local band. Hes also in-contentious moments. Loughney adds, You could find yourself starting tovolved in the Democratic committee. Weve Jill Sockwell helped the get a little bit angry over this stuff. Jills very calm about that, because shesgot friends and a life here.Shand/Loughney couple buy been through the process enough times. Shes like, Listen, this is okay. Theseand sell their homes.40/ matters magazine / holiday 2024'