A grieving widow has suffered a $50,000 loss selling her “dream home” after losing her husband in a walking tragedy last year.
Local residents in Houghton, a small town in the Adelaide Hills, had helped Rebecca Bell maintain the 4-acre South Australian estate, preparing it for a $1.1 million sale.
After an initial auction failed to meet the reserve, Ms. Bell accepted a private offer to close the sale the day before her agent negotiated a sale price of $1.2 million.
Ms Bell had chosen to sell the house after her husband, Robert, 48, suffered a medical episode and died after falling 100 meters from a cliff in Morialta Conservation Park.
The couple had originally chosen the huge estate on North East Road to live an idyllic rural life with their two daughters before his death.
Mrs Bell (left) and her husband, Robert, (right) bought their ‘dream house’ in 2021 before Mr Bell died suddenly in a walking accident in 2022
The North East Road property was sold for $1.1 million after Mrs. Bell decided to sell quickly, despite a $1.2 million offer the following day
Ray White was chosen to sell the property, who took it to auction where it initially fell short of reserve – before Mrs. Bell chose a buyer herself.
“We had to withdraw the reserve after negotiations fell through that day and eventually the house was sold to a family who [Ms Bell] wanted to go,” estate agent Sam Doman told Daily Mail Australia.
“The next day I actually got an offer for $1.2 million with a sales subject we were already negotiating that day with another family, so she actually cost herself $50,000.
“However, I am guided by my supplier’s decision at the end of the day.”
Mrs. Bell had said she had a good feeling about the eventual buyers, who had put in an offer for the property even before Ray White was involved.
“I have a really good relationship with my neighbors – they’ve been nothing but helpful since the day we moved in,” Ms Bell told The Advertiser.
‘It’s bittersweet that it’s been sold and we’re moving out soon, but it’s a huge relief – I love this house, this was our dream home.
“Houghton is special, which is why it’s so hard to leave – you don’t just move to a suburb, you enter a community.”
Before the sale, members of local community groups volunteered to keep the house in shape, including members of the Ingle Farm Soccer Club, in which Mr. Bell was closely involved, and JMS RuralServices.
“We knew that the Ingle Farms community, of which Robert was a big part, had people helping out from the start. [Ms Bell] get ready and took it upon herself to help, as well as great neighbors,” said Mr. Doman.
“Things were taken apart when the husband died, so that had to be put back together because they had no intention of selling.”
Among other things, the teams mowed the grass, repaired the walls and took care of fences, which relieved the grieving family.
Members of the Houghton, SA community helped Ms. Bell (right) maintain the property since Mr. Bell suffered a medical episode at Morialta Conservation Park
Robert Bell, 48, was walking the First Falls hiking trail in Morialta Conservation Park Saturday morning when he fell
Mr Bell, 48, was not a regular walker but was trying to get in shape, according to Ms Bell.
The couple had originally purchased the property in 2021, shortly before Mr. Bell’s shock loss at Morialta Conservation Park.
Mrs. Bell and her daughters move into a smaller house in another suburb a short drive away.
Members of the Houghton community, including Mr. Doman, remembered Mr. Bell as a lifelong member of the Ingle Farm Soccer Club, having been part of the club for 30 years.
“I never really met Robert though, we do a little bit with the football community and I knew him anyway, as a lot of people did,” Doman said.
South Australian Deputy Prime Minister Susan Close said on Monday a security review would be carried out at the park.
“SAPOL is leading the charge on what really happened to Mr. Bell and that tragedy…
“There are areas that are steep, there are areas that are slippery and areas without guardrails and it’s not a kind of guided experience all the way where you’re never in danger of looking over a cliff, it’s part of the experience.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Close’s office regarding the progress of this safety review.