A sprawling and private countryside estate in southwestern Michigan will be offered for sale at a live auction on July 29, 2016. Boasting a main residence designed by Notre Dame professor of architecture Alan DeFrees, the 80-acre property will be sold to the highest bidder who meets or exceeds a bid of only $2.25 million – the auction’s reserve price. The property was previously asking $6 million.
Platinum Luxury Auctions, a prominent luxury real estate auction firm responsible for developing the luxury auctionSM sales methodology for multimillion-dollar home auctions, is managing the sale in cooperation with listing agent Nieves “Nina” Molter of At Properties in New Buffalo, Michigan.
Located in the quaint town of Buchanan, Michigan, the property belongs to Diann Burns, a nine-time Emmy-award-winning broadcast journalist and former Chicago news anchor. Some of Ms. Burns’ career highlights include exclusive interviews with President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Michael Jackson. Burns also covered poignant events such as Nelson Mandela’s first visit to the United States after his release from prison, and former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich’s high-profile corruption scandal.
Burns purchased the property – which was only raw land before she made extensive improvements – because she fell in love with the peaceful, charming nature of the southwestern Michigan area after attending a pool party there. “My family and friends have made a lifetime of memories at the property, but now it’s time to move on to other opportunities and make new memories,” Burns stated. She added that she hired Platinum after experiencing little to no activity on the property while it was listed for sale with an area brokerage, and she was attracted to the idea of internationally marketing the property through Platinum’s broad-scale, auction-marketing campaign.
“We probably spoke with Diann over the course of more than a year before she was ready to engage us for the sale,” noted Aaron Carmody, Platinum’s project manager for the transaction. “When you’re able to show your prospective client sale after successful sale during the course of those conversations, it certainly offers a comfort level in the efficacy of our program. With very active interest in the property thus far, we’re excited to see what July 29th brings.”
The property consists of several structures, including a main residence, a separate “game lodge,” and a utility/storage facility. Residence features include a two-story great room with walls of windows providing views of the lovely surroundings, a home theater, and a billiards room with a kitchenette and stone fireplace. A partially heated roof allows for reduced maintenance during snowy winters.
Adjacent to the main house, a well-appointed “game lodge” adds 2,100 square feet of living space, with one bedroom and one full bath. The lodge’s open, loft-style floor plan features a polished cement floor, stone fireplace, and a wood-hewn kitchen, making it ideal for guests, caretakers, or for hosting events both large and small. The separate utility building can be used for farm equipment or as a garage for up to twelve cars.
The property’s grounds include a lighted and fenced tennis court, basketball half-court, and a heated, in-ground pool with water slide and diving board. Two private lakes, three natural springs, a pond, and miles of forest trails make the grounds ideal for hunting, hiking, ATV riding, and even for polishing up that golf swing.
Located about 100 miles from the heart of Chicago, the property provides a relaxing escape from life in the Windy City. The small but growing town of Buchanan is rich in culture, with two separate historic districts, a budding theater community, and a locally sourced winery. It’s also less than 20 miles from Notre Dame’s South Bend campus in Indiana, and within a 2.5-hour drive of Detroit. The shores of Lake Michigan are within fifteen miles.
Property previews are held daily from 12-4pm EDT, until auction day. Interested parties may contact Platinum Luxury Auctions at 800.986.5908 or visit MichiganLuxuryAuction.com for more details and downloadable property documents.
