Letting Go
The land costs “hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to maintain,” Malak says, with costs that include the caretaker’s salary, landscaping, and overall maintenance of the outbuildings, paths, and built and natural features. The house, meanwhile, is clad in oak, “so we’ve had to take a conservation approach to things,” he continues. Being on the ocean, “the salt air tends to be a little harsh.”Malak estimates that from C$4 million to C$5 million has been spent on maintenance in the past eight years.
“We can’t complain,” he says. “We’ve been blessed, and from the moment we visited, we knew it was a very special property. Eight years later, we’ve never regretted it.”
Despite the renewed interest in his property, Malak isn’t exactly in a rush to leave. “If it happens, it happens,” he says. “It’s not particularly critical to us. We always believe you just need one client to appreciate what we have.”
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.