What’s worse: a sad trombone, or a sad clown?

Neither one is going to help you sell real estate…

Man, oh man.

The crap people have in their houses is absolutely unreal.

I know at one point, in my bachelor days, I had a weird, and Dexter-like collection of weapons from around the world on my TV cabinet, but I never would have left them there if I was selling my place!

I west-end house was proudly displaying some of the creepiest stuff I’ve ever seen.

Have a look:

Coulrophobia is the term for a “fear of clowns.”

According to California State University research, young children are “very reactive to a familiar body type with an unfamiliar face.”

I’m 32-years-old, and hardly a child, but this creeped the hell out of me.

The first clown was sad and lonely, but he was sitting next to this other clown, who was equally sad and lonely.  So that got me thinking that maybe they were both deaf and blind.

Then I was sad…

It’s okay though, because this painting cheered me up!

Until I saw the giant pitch-fork and knife next to it, at which point, I began to think that the child in the painting was real…

Who the HELL leaves this stuff on display when selling their home?

A client of mine recently decided to “open up” the main floor of his home, and it all started by removing the wall that separated the living room from the hallway.

Guess what he found?

After Tuesday’s blog post, which described some of the most common red-flags we find in homes, can anybody guess what’s in this photo:

How about now?

Does anybody know what this is?

I’m going to reveal the answer below, so make a guess before you read, and remember – we’re on the HONOR SYSTEM here, folks!

If you guessed asbestos, that’s correct!

That’s an air-duct wrapped in asbestos, in a home that dates back to the 1950’s.

Oh – and just for good measure, they found loads of knob-and-tube wiring too.

You’re probably used to seeing those white tubes in the ceilings of unfinished basements where the wiring has been removed, but how about LIVE wiring, in a wall, going vertical instead of horizontal?

This was kind of neat.  But unfortunate, for the home-owner.

Maybe what you don’t know, won’t kill you?

A client of mine just moved into a wicked loft at 426 Queen Street east, and ever since I’ve been working with him, he’s talked about his gigantic projector TV.

I never really comprehended just how big his TV was going to be, even though we measured the wall of each condo, and diagrammed everything.

Nope, it wasn’t until he sent me the photo below that I was in absolute awe of his ability to watch a 106-inch TV.

Too bad the Canadiens lost before the Leafs, eh bud?

And finally, what the heck is with people lining up for 60 minutes to get into chic brunch locales?

This is The Petite Dejuner on King Street, just east of George.

Every Sunday, every week, for as long as I have been living in the St. Lawrence Market area, I’ve seen the same lineup.

I’ve been there – once, just to see what all the fuss is about, and I prefer a half-dozen other places.  I also REALLY prefer, you know – NOT lining up for 60 minutes, especially in the dead of winter!

Queen East in Leslieville, King West, Dundas West, Bloor West – there’s a host of chic brunch places that attract Sunday lineups, and I just don’t understand how food could be worth waiting 60 minutes for.  Who has that kind of time?  If you know of similar brunch places, please share!