This was just supposed to be a simple exercise in dreaming and look how carried away I’ve gotten!  It’s spilled into a second blog post!

I’ve got to be careful with my $30,000,000, and perhaps it’s time to make some sound investments.

Of course, I also have to find a place to live…

Let’s see….yesterday, I bought a $6M ski home in Park City, Utah; a $1.25M villa in Ajijic, Mexico; a $1.8M house in Scottsdale, Arizona; a modest $515,000 house in Cole Harbor, Nova Scotia; and a $2.7M castle in Hvar, Croatia.

It’s time to get serious here about my future, and my children’s futures!

I’ll have to do a few smart things with my money, and ultimately while I can spend, spend, spend on properties I might use a few times a year, I should probably look long term.

Here is the conclusion of my $30,000,000 shopping spree:

6) 50 Acres of Vacant Land, Warkworth, Ontario, $5,000,000

Yeah, I know this is boring and a map just doesn’t have the same appeal as a ski chalet or ocean view, but I’d have to be smart with my $30,000,000.  Just think about how large 50 acres of land is.  Imagine having bought that in Markham twenty years ago, and how many subdivisions would inhabit that land right now.  I’d purchase a whole heap of vacant land in a developing town, and twenty years from now, my $5,000,000 worth of land in Warkworth, Ontario will be worth $20,000,000…..or so says I.

7) Student Residence, Waterloo, Ontario, $1,049,000

Along the investment realm again, I’d like to own a student residence in a hot university town if for no other reason than getting invited to sick, wicked, and nasty parties by 18 year olds.  Yeah….anyways.  This property on Erb street is a landmark for students and houses eight separate units each with five bedrooms.  A million bucks for 40 beds sounds like less than market value based on my research.  I was actually close to buying an investment property here about three years ago.

8 ) 652 Queen Street, Toronto, Ontario, $2,300,000

I’ve always admired this building located at the corner of Palmerston/Queen Street in a thriving, trendy, and hip area of Queen West.  I might kick out Second Cup and bring in a Starbucksso I could charge a higher rent, but any way you slice it, I’d love to own an authentic piece of Toronto history.  In addition to the nation-wide coffee chain, there is a small fitness centre at the back of the building, and six apartments on the 2nd and 3rd floors.  I would probably keep one of these empty at all times so when somebody tracks me down from years past and asks to stay with me, I can give them the keys to this place for a night or two.

9) Lake of Bays, Muskoka, Ontario, $1,800,000

Just a modest $1,800,000 cottage in Muskoka, nothing to get all excited about!  2600 square feet with lots of acreage and a guest house to boot.  I wonder if this comes with boats, and if so, who is going to teach me how to drive these boats?  I should probably learn to swim first, or at least learn to jump in the water without plugging my nose.  No, seriously, I still can’t jump in the water without getting water up my nose.  Is it just me?  When I was a kid, I wasn’t alone, but now all those kids that used to plug with me are now jumping in with no qualms!  Teach me!!

10) 159 Frederick Street, Toronto, Ontario, $1,450,000

As much as I’d like to think that I would still live in my 585 square foot, 1-bedroom condo if I had $30,000,000, I probably wouldn’t.  I’d want to stay in the St. Lawrence Market area, and I wouldn’t want to live in a monster building on the millionth floor.  So I’d take this 2700 square foot, New York Style condo on Frederick Street.  This boutique building has only two units per floor, and this particular unit was just upgraded to the tune of $300,000.  I would surely miss my 440 square foot patio, but this condo has four smaller balconies, and I’m sure I could just create a zen-garden inside my 2700 square foot gem.

Well, there you have it!

If I won 6/49 tonight, and I had to spend all $30,000,000 on real estate, that is what I would purchase.

For those with a calculator and far too much time on their hands, you might notice that these ten properties only came to $25,000,000.  Well, I would keep aside a few million for my family and their real estate needs.

I would buy my little brother and his fiancee…..er….wife, a house of their choosing.  I would buy my sister a house in Leaside, where she grew up and grudgingly moved out of just this week.  My mother is quite happy where she is now, but I think I would move her a little closer to me and my other siblings so we could see her 5-6 times a week instead of the usual two.

My Dad is doing just fine-and-dandy up in Unionville with my step-mom and their gorgeous ranch-bungalow with a pool, hot-tub, and four pinball machines, so I might just take a photo of me in my new condo and give that to them, autographed in silver paint pen.  Well, either that, or a framed photo of Tom Selleck…

Would I quit my job?

Well, how else would I have time to ski in Utah, golf in Scottsdale, swim in Croatia, and party with 18-year-olds in Waterloo, among other things?

What time do they draw the lottery numbers anyways?