A couple of unprecedented stories lead off this week’s edition of Quick Hits.

Just how far are you willing to go to get the house of a lifetime?  Would you jeopardize a life-long friendship?

Second Opinion

When I say that the following happened to a colleague of mine, I don’t mean that they happened to “a colleague” of mine, and really it happened to me.

My colleague has a buyer looking at $500,000 lofts, and she showed her buyer the seemingly-perfect loft in the Queen West area last week.

There was one last minute lineup change, however, in that the buyer asked my colleague if she could bring her friend along for the visit.  The buyer said that this girl was her “best friend” and she would never make such an important life decision without her.  She told my colleague not to feel insulted, but rather consider it a much-needed “second opinion” from a friend.

To be honest, I’d say that about 1/3 of my buyer clients (especially the younger ones and/or first-time buyers) will bring a friend or family member along to help size up the place.  It’s hardly out of the ordinary.

But what was out of the ordinary was the result of this condo visit!

My colleague’s client was absolutely SOLD on the condo, but she didn’t think anything of waiting until the morning to make an offer.  I was, after all, 6:30PM at night and she didn’t feel rushed.

The next morning, I was sitting at my desk and my colleague slammed down her phone and said, “@$$!@* your @$* oh @($$” or something like that.  She looked angry at first, but eventually smiled and then gave a “who cares” kind of laugh.

Do you know where this story is going?  Can you even imagine?

The condo sold the night before my colleague and her client were able to make an offer.

Can you guess who bought it?

Yep – the friend who was brought along for a second opinion!

She went home that night, immediately called up the listing agent, and bought the condo shortly before midnight.

Would you consider this a “back-stabbing?”  I would!

Imagine the conversation between the two girls after this transpired!  Is there any way to salvage that friendship?

Shotgun!

After having negotiated the terms of my parent’s divorce agreement when I was 21 years old, I can honestly say that they were an absolute dream to deal with compared to the two girls who sold their condo to my buyer last week.

These two girls, who were best friends when they bought the condo together a few years back (I also wrote about this on my blog before – saying it would end badly), are now entering the “never speak again” territory.

What seemed like an alternative to two people “throwing money away on rent” at the time, turned into one of the worst financial decisions that each of the two girls would ever make.

After purchasing this condo together and cohabiting, they immediately began quarrelling, and eventually moved out of the condo and rented it out.

I produced a buyer for the condo last week (knowing that my colleague had this listing in her pocket), and we got a deal done.

But that wasn’t before Girl-A decided to throw every legal curveball at Girl-B and even tried to produce a poorly-executed “shotgun clause” agreement to try and get her former friend to buy her out.  We had lawyers and managers involved, and it was a giant mess – all perpetrated by Girl-A.

I would commend Girl-A for being such a shrewd, crude, business-woman, but without the savvy needed and with no general business sense, she really just came off as being an incredible bitch.

I almost feel like Girl-B sold the condo for less than fair market value just to spite her former-friend!

I don’t think I’ve ever seen two girls who hate eachother as much as these two.  Imagine screaming, shouting, name-calling, finger-wagging, threats, low-blows, and actions that would make Mean Girls look tame by comparison.

On a lighter note…

Modern Masterpiece?

139 Galley Avenue is one of the nicest renovations I’ve seen in 2011.

This property is only 10-12 houses in from Roncesvalles Avenue – right in the heart of the vibrant commercial/retail section, and I believe it’s going to sell in multiple offers for far over asking.

Priced at $989,700, the house is a 2 1/2 storey, 3-bed, 4-bath property with a finished basement.  But it’s the style, flow, layout, and quality of finishes that is making this house a “must see.”

It’s so incredibly modern that it makes a three-year-old home look like dirty shag carpet.  And the attention to detail is exceptional, for example, the door on the third floor that opens to the beautiful cedar deck would hit the ceiling on the A-frame if you opened it all the way, but the renovators cut a small section out of the frame and inserted some quiet padding that fits the door perfectly.  Minor detail?  Sure.  But imagine a whole house where everything is thought of, and it’s gorgeous from top to bottom.

Ford Faux-Pas

Does anybody else think that Rob Ford will regret skipping out on Gay Pride festivities this weekend to go to his cottage and roast/consume and entire case of marshmallows?

One of the reasons I think that Toronto is on its way to becoming a world-class-city is our culture and diversity.  When I explain to our horseback trail guide in Idaho what “Gay Pride” is all about, he fumbles for words before finally spitting out something ignorant and hateful.

The world is taking notice that Toronto is one giant celebration of life, and what could be more diverse than this weekend’s festivities?

Rob Ford was quoted as saying that going up to his cottage was “a tradition” and thus he wouldn’t attend ANY events during the ten-day period.

First of all, you are now the MAYOR of Toronto.  Do we, your constituents care about your family traditions?  It’s time to break tradition, and show that you care about the city you represent and preside over.

Secondly, are you going to be at the cottage for every single second of the ten-day festival?  If not, then you do have time to attend.  You’re just choosing not to.

If Mel Lastman and David Miller attended, then Rob Ford should too.

Greek Salad

Does anybody think we’ll be affected by the fallout from the financial crisis in Greece?

I was utterly confused to see an article in Thursday’s Globe and Mail that said Canada was somewhat insulated from the fallout and that our exposure was minimal, and then seeing an article in Friday’s Globe and Mail that said we weren’t!

Political Stew

I don’t want to vote for Dalton McGuinty, Tim Hudak, or Andrea Horwath.

The first two are outright liars who pledge to cut taxes AND spend more on health and eduction, which is mathematically impossible, and Horwarth wears orange, so her getting my vote would be like me buying a condo in CityPlace…..or paying for parking…..or coming off as modest…

Balls

Research In Motion co-founder Jim Balsille is no longer a billionaire.

Does anybody feel bad for him?

Apparently, his net worth has gone from $1.8 Billion in March to $800 Million today.

I wonder if he can still afford a professional hockey team…

Boys of Summer

An update for all of those who care how my Bantam boys baseball team is doing…

We finished the regular season with a 12-1 record; that sole loss coming against a Midget rep team.

My crop of 14-year-old rookies is turning out to be serviceable.  Spartacus, Cutchey, J-Mo, Black Robb, B-Anthony, and BBR are hitting a combined .279 with an on-base-percentage of .414.  Not too shabby for the youngest kids in the league!

Rain

Have a great weekend, everybody! 🙂