By JAMES FINK
jfink@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1611

By all accounts, the sale of the Miller Mansion defied logic and expectations.

The historic Buffalo property, located where Nottingham Terrace and Lincoln Parkway meet, was sold earlier this month by businessman Richard Snowden to Albert and Donna Haid of Burlington, Ont., for $1.7 million. The deal set a benchmark for a Buffalo residential property.

The Haids plan to live in the house, splitting time between Buffalo and Southern Ontario.

The story behind the sale is as much about the price as the fact that the 13,000-square-foot mansion with a dozen bedrooms and eight fireplaces sold in just 60 days, even against the backdrop of a weak economy and Buffalo's reputation as the nation's third-poorest city.

"We give ourselves a bad rap, but to the outside community, Buffalo is a lot stronger and desirable than we give ourselves credit for," said John Leonardi, CEO of the Buffalo Niagara Association of Realtors. "I am not surprised the house sold and sold quickly."

Interest was strong from the day the house hit the market in late May until the deal closed Oct. 1. Snowden and the Haids had the house under contract by late August. According to Snowden, an estate sale he hosted at the house in late September - just days before the deal officially closed - attracted more than 6,400 people.

"It's the best house in Buffalo, period," said Bonnie Clement of Hunt Real Estate Corp., the broker who handled the sale. "It is so visible, not only because of its location but its history."

The three-story home was constructed in 1929 and designed by famed architect Duane Lyman. It has a deep history that includes serving as the private residence of Annie Lang Miller, daughter of Buffalo businessman and brewer Gerhard Lang. Her husband, Edwin, was a local banking executive. The home later was a convent and, more recently, was part of Nichols School.

Snowden moved into the house in late 2003 and invested nearly $700,000 in improvements, including the installation of a fountain on the front lawn.

He said he decided to sell the house this year as part of a larger move to sell his two adult entertainment clubs and relocate.

"The house is just spectacular," Clement said. "We didn't have to get it ready or stage it because Rick had it so meticulous to begin with."

Snowden, who said he took great pride in ownership of it, didn't think it would take long to sell. But he was amazed that it sold as quickly as it did. The average single-family home in Western New York is on the market for about 70 days.

"Quality wins out all the time," he said. "When you are talking about a house like this, market conditions probably are not as much of a factor. You put this house in Toronto and it sells for anywhere from $8 million to $10 million, easy. My gut sort of told me the buyer might come from Canada."

Clement, meanwhile, said she created a Web site for the house that included a detailed video tour. She recommended, and Snowden agreed, to put a sale sign facing both Nottingham Terrace and the Scajaquada Expressway.

"I told her to make it big," Snowden laughed.

Donna Haid was driving by one day with her son, who attends Canisius College, and spotted the sign.

"When Donna called, she said it was her favorite house in Buffalo," Clement said. "Then she asked the price."

The asking price was $2.195 million.

"Bonnie called me on Sunday morning around 10:30 a.m. and said she had this couple from Canada who wanted to see the house and could they come by around 4 p.m. that day," Snowden said.

The Haids spent two hours touring it. A deal was struck a few hours later.

"I could just tell they were the buyers," Snowden said. "I've been in business long enough and know how to read people to know when a deal is going to happen and when it is not. My intuition told me this was the one."

In fact, the Haids were the first prospective buyers to tour the Miller Mansion.

Clement had stipulated in her listing data that prospective buyers have documentation from a legitimate financial institution showing they were pre-qualified for a seven-figure residential deal.

"We batted 1,000," Snowden said.

The financial qualification turned out to be a godsend, Clement added, saying she was flooded with calls from people "who just wanted to see the house."

Marketing ... fate - both apparently played a role in the sale.

It turns out that Donna Haid is a distant relative of President William McKinley, who was shot a few blocks from the house during the 1901 Pan-American Exposition and died from his wounds.

As the couple toured the mansion, they came across a painting Snowden had of McKinley. That may have helped seal what was already looking like a done deal.

"It just added to my belief that there was fate involved with this deal and it was meant to be," Clement said.

While cementing a $1.7 million deal is attention-grabbing, both Clement and Leonardi noted that upper-end deals above $500,000 are becoming more commonplace in the region.

Statistics from the Realtors association show that through Aug. 31, 59 deals closed on homes with selling prices that exceeded $500,000. Five of those topped the $1 million mark.

Last year, 75 residential deals were for more than $500,000, including six that exceeded $1 million.

Clement, meanwhile, said she typically sells 80 to 85 homes but "I never, ever had a sale that was put on the front page. Now I have."