Opinion ID: 1143765
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Sale Date Guarantee

Text: The trial court found that Beaux guaranteed the sale of the Klondike within three years, and that this misrepresentation led the Gibsons to enter the contract. Although Beaux disputes this finding, [9] we do not believe that the trial court's finding was clearly erroneous. However, even if this statement were a misrepresentation, [10] the record discloses that Beaux made reasonable efforts to sell the Klondike throughout the Gibsons' tenure. He listed it with real estate agents, made cash investments to upgrade the property, and worked at the Klondike himself along with his wife and children, without wage. Despite these efforts, prior to Gibsons' termination in 1982, Beaux had received only one offer on the property. That offer was unacceptable because it involved an exchange of property. Therefore, Beaux's failure to consummate a sale within three years cannot be evidence of bad faith. The trial court may have found bad faith in the fact that, after five years of allegedly trying to sell the Klondike, Beaux sold it seven months after the Gibsons left. While we agree that a deliberate manipulation of the listing price to avoid a sale until after the Gibsons were no longer employed would have constituted bad faith, the record is devoid of evidence of deliberate manipulation of the sale. Therefore, if that is the basis for the finding of bad faith, we deem it clearly erroneous.