Jean Comeau giving away his Bathurst family home for free
Jean Comeau is giving away his Bathurst house. He was swamped with responses to giveaway notices he posted on local social media and classified ad pages.
After wading through 200 responses on Facebook and 150 phone calls about his home, which needs a little TLC, but for the most part is in good shape, he says he found the right person to receive the home.
When Comeau decided to downsize, he couldn't bear the idea of selling the house his children grew up in, so he started seeking for a family in need.
"A house is just a body. When I leave this home, she will become a house again. Now, by giving her a second life, she'll become a home again, to somebody else," said Comeau.
He says the small, two-storey income property would fetch him several thousand dollars, but Comeau doesn't believe it's worth can be estimated in dollars.
Comeau posted an ad on several Bathurst-area Facebook groups and on Kijiji. The ads went up at 1 p.m. on Sunday. By the end of the day, Comeau says he had to take them down.
Two hundred prospective takers had messaged him on Facebook, and the phone was ringing off the hook.
"It was like a circus. I thought people would call, would come and go. But at one time there were so many people around I had to tell them to go home and call me and make an appointment," he said.
By Monday afternoon, calls were still coming in, but Comeau had found the right candidate.
"I know in my heart that I would find the right people," said Comeau."I listened to their story, and it's a private story they have, and it touched me. And I decided yeah, I'm giving you the house."
He plans to keep the family's name private, but says they will incur the cost of moving the little house off his property.
For Sale signs dot the lawns up and down residential streets in Bathurst, and even though many houses sell for less than $100,000 every year, it's rare that a home is given away.
The paint on Comeau's little house is peeling, and some of his neighbours thought he should tear it down and cut his losses.
"The electrical is all new in it. The baseboard, I have the efficiency baseboards that I changed and stuff like that. I figure why destroy something when many people need it?"
The new homeowners will incur the cost of moving the house, which could be up to $12,000 depending on the end location. The move is planned for the end of October.
Already, Comeau has poured the foundation for a new, smaller bungalow. He's also made plans for a garage measuring 46 by 32 feet.
"That's going to be the man cave," he says.
There was no question whether or not he would stay on the land. The Saint-Sauveur native says he loves living in a small community and doesn't want to leave his neighbours.
"I will go and cut their lawn, they will come help me repair anything at all. Simple things like cleaning the driveway. There's older people around who will help, and they will help back with a big smile or a hug," said Comeau.
He looks forward to playing with his grandchildren in the new house, and teaching them to pay their blessings forward, too.
"It doesn't have to be a house, it doesn't have to be money. You could give time of yourself, you can listen to people who need to be listened to. That's it."
