A first-time buyer in WW2, client becomes homeowner again at 100

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Gregory Bracht has never worked with a client like her: a 100-year-old buyer who remembers what it was like to navigate the home market around the uncertain times of World War II.

The real estate agent recently helped Katherine Aydlett, 100, secure a home in Troutman, North Carolina, where she will live with her nearly 80-year-old son, according to news station WSOC-TV.

“This is certainly a unicorn of the real estate industry,” Bracht told the news crew. “This very rarely, if ever, happens.” 

For Aydlett, the draw of owning over renting is that she will no longer have to move frequently, leaving her things behind in the process.

The fact that her new housemate — her son — is a good cook is another plus, she told the station.

Aydlett told the news crew that she can hardly believe she’s moving into a new home of her own. 

“But I’m happy to be here, to meet you … in this lovely house,” she said.

Bracht said he’s never worked with a 100-year-old client before. The town he helped her buy into was founded in 1905, making it only 18 years older than its newest resident, who turned 100 in January, according to the station.

With the help of a walker, Aydlett was filmed moving around the house, giving the crew a tour of the first floor. Once she’s moved in, she plans to have a lift installed to help her up and down the stairs.

She’s also excited to meet her neighbors — as soon as she has the kitchen set up how she likes it.

“I have a will of my own,” she told the station.

Email Daniel Houston

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