A Barrie area neighbourhood was aflutter with the news.
The real estate community was also buzzing with excitement.
The word was Canadian rocker and multi-platinum recording artist Avril Lavigne was buying a home in the Barrie area.
Not just any home of course.
It was one of Kempenfelt Bay's multi-million dollar waterfront estates on Lake Simcoe.
"It was significant because of who the buyer was and the high price of the sale," said one source.
Multiple sources tell BarrieToday that Lavigne put an offer on the spectacular mansion in August, just three days after it went on the market.
The custom-designed estate includes his and her master suites, a theatre, a pool and cabana and a double wet slip boathouse with guest quarters above.
The magnificent abode is privately situated on numerous acres and has hundreds of feet of shoreline.
But the neighbourhood that was once thrilled to have an internationally-known pop star in its midst will be disappointed.
The deal fell through on October 25.
Sources say conditions of the sale could not be met.
No one ever actually saw the rock star herself.
Sources say her brother Matthew was in town fronting the house purchase for her.
If it had been finalized, the deal would have beaten the record highest sale on Lake Simcoe of $13.5 million in 2009.
It may well be a record that the city managed to hold such a big secret for so long.
The real estate agents directly involved did not comment for this story and Lavigne's representatives did not reply to our request for comment.
