by Geoff Fox
A realtor investor has offered their services to assist Hancock in the sale of the two key downtown properties — 317 and 319 East Main Street and 79 West Main Street.
Pamela Thompson of Exit Realty spoke to town officials during the town meeting on Tuesday, October 8 about the options for those properties. Thompson and her husband recently purchased a home in Hancock.
Thompson said she had been watching Town Manager Mike Faith negotiate the sale of 79 West Main Street, or the former Weaver’s Restaurant, as well as 317 and 319 East Main Street, or the yellow building which houses Hancock Public Works. Watching the deals fall through compelled her to offer her services.
“I think you guys need some help,” she said.
In looking at Weaver’s, Thompson said she has talked to several business owners in the four counties area of Frederick, Carroll, Howard, and Montgomery, and there is some interest in the property in the $200,000 price tag the town paid.
There would have to be some negotiations with parking, Thompson said, but if it were listed, there would be other agents to bring buyers in.
The listing would be posted on social media and be seen on Google and Facebook ads as well, along with advertisements on real estate websites, and in business groups.
The yellow building would be done in advertising toward manufacturing businesses, both local and national, she said.
“I think I can sell these buildings for a lot more than you guys are trying to sell them for,” Thompson said.
She thinks she could get people in these building who would renovate them, put some “sweat equity,” and run successful businesses.
Thompson said her compensation would be seven percent as she feels she’d have to put in a lot of work and has compiled a list of industrial uses for the yellow building at 317 and 319 East Main Street.
She would also love to hear input from town officials and residents to other things that could go into the building.
“That way the town would still have some say as to what’s going on there also in the negotiations,” she said.
Thompson said she wanted to get the properties on the market as soon as possible.
As a homeowner in Hancock, she’d like to see the town thrive, see businesses come in that would bring jobs and money to the town, and have people move to Hancock and spend their money here.
Mayor Roland Lanehart, Jr. told Thompson the reason the town bought Weaver’s was for the parking lot across the street, so whoever would buy that property would get no deal with parking.
Thompson said she was under the impression there could be some negotiation for a couple spots, however Lanehart said the town has a contract with a company for the parking meters, so it would be hard to guarantee spaces.
Thompson said she doesn’t see a restaurant back in the former Weaver’s building, which Faith agreed, saying it would be challenging because of the health codes.
On Friday, Faith said the property at 317 and 319 East Main Street isn’t on the market yet, but the person who had done the request for purchase on the building, Bruno Reich, had been trying to coordinate a few things, possibly looking for financing.
Faith said he spoke to Reich the day of the meeting, telling him he needed a contract if he was going to purchase the building and if he didn’t get one, the building was going back on the market if he was backing out.
As of Friday, Faith had yet to receive a contract from Reich.
“He made an offer, we accepted his offer, we’re waiting for him to sign it,” Faith said.
Faith told Thompson that information as it is wasn’t secret and could be obtained through a public information act request.
He added Thompson was primarily talking about listing the Weaver’s property as the mayor and council want to get somebody in there and get rid of it, not necessarily sell it and make a bunch of money off of it.
“We’re more interested in having a viable business on Main Street,” Faith said.
Faith said there have been a couple people interested in the property, but if those two deals don’t work out, the town could go through an agent.
“That would be up to the mayor and council because I really can’t enter into agreements like that,” said the town manager.
