I’ve got a few winter photos left over, so I’d better use them up while we still remember what it feels like to be cold!  It’s supposed to warm up to FIFTEEN degrees this week!

And as always, I’ll share a few other marvelous gems from my foray into the wacky world of Toronto real estate.

A good way to describe this week’s photos?  Two phrases: “attention to detail,” and “think before you do things.”

I’m a huge fan of “lofts.”

I love anything that can be considered “unique” as well.

And I love high ceilings, and open concept spaces.

But whereas some of the 2-storey condos out there have 18 or 20-foot ceilings in the living space, others don’t really get the concept, like this:

What’s the point of having “20-foot-ceilings” over the living space if it’s only 20-feet high over a tiny section of the room?

Look at this photo below – this shows the second floor, where the space is left open between the bedroom and the ledge.

It’s absolutely ridiculous.  They could have extended that floor another two feet, and the room would have worked better.  Instead, they just make it impossible to clean that ledge.

And you KNOW this unit was marketed with “20-foot-ceiling on main floor.”

I used to think that photos of, and stories about, lockboxes wouldn’t resonate with the public as it was something only Realtors could relate to.

But then again, if you’ve ever looked at condos with your Realtor, then you’ve certainly played the game, “Where the @#$%& is the lockbox?”

We’re just coming out of what was an awful, cold winter, and I experienced many lockboxes freezing on me.

Here’s a novel concept that I’ve never seen before, as this listing agent has clearly given his or her grandma yet another thing to do with those knitting needles:

Of course, with the novel concepts, come the not-so-smart solutions.

I guess when you put your lockbox on the very bottom of the fence, two inches off the ground, perhaps you deserve this to happen:

And while we’re continuing on this theme…

ONE person demonstrates in the photo below how he or she can think outside the box.

This needs no explanation:

Some photos just don’t need to be explained.

“Less is more” with the description, perhaps…

You know how when you live in a “hard loft,” you often have exposed ducts, cables, wires, et al?

And you know how easy it is to add lighting because there’s usually wire-molds already running along the ceilings?

Well, that’s a hard loft.  With soft lofts, some people think it’s just as easy, but as soon as you carve a tranche of concrete out of the ceiling to run a wire, and then fill that jagged hole back in with mix-it-yourself cement, you learn, it’s just not the same thing…

Hmmm….

Is this:
a) An incomplete paint job
b) An attempt at making the ceiling look like the sky

Are either acceptable?

And which is worse?

I’m not a qualified home inspector.

However, from time to time, I see things in properties that look concerning.

This is one of those times…

It’s amazing how a vacant, lifeless, dirty condo can be worth so much, yet get to that point.

And it’s amazing how an owner can leave a property in such an incredible state of disrepair, go to sell it, know that it’s in terrible shape, and STILL have the time to fold the toilet paper end into a “v”

And last but not least, it’s nice to see that Manulife Financial has caught up with the times.

This is their “new” advertisement at Bloor & Church, which clearly shows an out of date statistic with respect to the housing market.

But more impressive is that they’re using fear as a motivating tool, just like all the other financial institutions out there: