Cat boosts property price by $155,000

5/10/2014

PURRFECT DEAL: Tiffany, the much prized feline.

 

The love of a pet may be priceless to some, but not to this family - they bargained off their beloved puss for a cool $155,000. Melbourne family the Percevals were selling their home at auction when bidding closed at a fraction under the $2.3 million reserve price.

During negotiations with the potential buyer, it was revealed one of their children had fallen in love with Tiffany, the Perceval's cat, during inspections of the house. "Tiffany decided she would sit on the couch," said Fran Perceval. "People would come through and she'd observe them and be patted. She loved all the attention - she does look a bit ornamental."

Tiffany lived up to her lavish name and paid the ultimate price for her attention-seeking. The buyers agreed to increase their bid by $155,000 and buy the house - but only if the cat was chucked into the deal.

The Percevals obliged. It was heart-breaking news for 19-year-old son Sam, who bought Tiffany from a pet shop. "She was at the pet shop, the last of the litter, and he felt sorry for her," Perceval said. "We're thinking we'll put $20,000 in a pile next to the cat and say to Sam, you choose."

They'll be sad to see Tiffany go, she said. But the Percevals will still have their two dogs, two rabbits and a fish to keep them company, and a whole lot of extra cash to spend. "We're an animal-friendly family... She's a bit of a princess. She's beautiful to look at. "She's an expensive cat, but she's our cat. It is quite difficult to part with her."

Real estate agent Glen Coutinho had never haggled with animals before, and said Tiffany was the last bargaining chip he had. "We offered [the buyers] a few TVs and a trampoline and a bar fridge to try and get them up to the price. At the end of the negotiation I just said, 'what else do you want', and they said we'll take the cat."

The contract stipulated the family could have kept Tiffany and left a similar cat, but the Percevals chose to leave her as a show of good faith. "They said we think the cat is more attached to the house than it is to us, so let's leave it for them in good faith. "They thought the cat would run home anyway. Every time they had taken it somewhere it had run back. They thought when they bought a house not far from there the cat would just jump the fence and go back again."

- Stuff
source