Real estate agents and sisters, Gladys and Carla Spizzirri, had learned never to be surprised by what they saw in homes that they were attempting to sell. In fact, it could make their job more fascinating at times.
Nothing they had seen in the past could have prepared them for what they saw when they entered the home of an elderly lady. They knew of the property, as they had heard rumors about it over the years, now they would find out for themselves what lay behind the front door.
A Typical Ontario Home
Jane Street in Toronto featured properties that looked very similar. None of them stood out as being different from their neighbors, including number 148. All the houses in the street looked cloned and apart from individual personal touches, they were difficult to tell apart.
Nonagenarian Sells Home; Real Estate Agents Cannot Believe What They Find Inside
According to residents of Jane Street, not many people visited number 148, but they did know that the property owners had lived there for many years. It was just a typical Toronto home. Or so it seemed, until the day Gladys and Carla got a call regarding this house.
The Phone Call
Gladys and Carla were experts in the real estate industry and knew the market inside and out. Nothing much caught them off guard anymore and on the day they received a phone call from a prospective seller, with a tantalizing proposition, they were intrigued but were sure the offer would not surprise them.
The Phone Call
In their decades-long careers, they had seen it all, heard it all and if they admitted it, were slightly jaded, sometimes cynical when it came to receiving calls from prospective sellers extolling the virtues of their homes when they knew many of them were less than well maintained.
Read on to find out what an old lady had to say.
Working Their Way Up the Real Estate Ladder
The enterprising siblings got along well and eventually decided to join forces after working apart. As a power team, they split the work, with one drumming up new clients and listings and the other finalizing closings already on the books.
Working Their Way Up The Real Estate Ladder
It was tough closing deals and both had an intuitive feeling that this phone call might result in making their endeavors even harder. Not that they were about to give up on the new case, as they were steadfast workers.
A Life-Changing Conversation with an old lady
The caller’s name was Joyce, and she sounded hesitant and unsure on the phone, but her words made it obvious she wanted to sell. Carla and Gladys could tell that they were probably the first agency she had called and they questioned her as to why they felt some equivocation from her. Joyce would only assert that they had to come and view her property before she made a final decision to list it.
A Life Changing Conversation With An Old Lady
The agents could tell Joyce had not really shopped around for an estate agency and were concerned this might just be an attempt to suss out what she might obtain price-wise.
A Concealment
As veteran estate agents, the two sisters had seen it all, the good and the bad. Nothing ran them off. But once they got to see Joyce’s home, they realized this was no ordinary day at the office.
A Concealment
They were about to find out that this was no ordinary situation and that this fateful call would be the beginning of a real estate story they would tell for years to come. This was one for the books.
What Was Their Client Concealing?
Selling or buying a home is exciting and often a good thing, that has clients visibly showing those emotions throughout the process. The sisters were used to a gamut of emotions from their clients from worry, indecision, and anxiety, to elation and giddiness.
What Was Their Client Concealing?
Not Joyce, though. She gave the impression of being secretive and the sisters thought she might be hiding something from them, such as a problem with the house, which only piqued their interest further.
What was being held from them? read on.
Don’t Get Your Hopes Up
Seeing as Joyce had mentioned that she had lived there for 70 years and had only ever revamped her kitchen, the sisters were prepared for the worst. They always went into a potential sale with the attitude that ‘it is what it is’ when first viewing the home. But this home was probably a run-down eyesore.
Don’t Get Your Hopes Up
After all, Joyce had said she had lived there for the past 70 years. That probably meant layers of dust and the results of poor maintenance.
Time To Evaluate the Home
Sometimes, a prospective client is trying to play down an issue with their homes, such as mold or leaks. This is not rare in the real estate game and the sisters knew all the signs when this happened.
Time To Evaluate The Home
This non-disclosure, however, was one they had never come across in decades of property deals. Still, the secretive Joyce would still blow their socks off! She was not the ordinary secretive client that the agents were used to, by any means.
The First Walk Through
Initial inspection day drew near and Gladys and Carla got more concerned about what they would find. After all, Joyce was alone in the house now, and 96 years old. It was not expected that an elderly lady, living on her own, would be able to maintain a house single-handedly.
The First Walk Through
Maintenance had probably fallen by the wayside years ago. Their main worry was that the house would be so dilapidated that they would not be able to sell it.
Read on to find out what was on the other side of the front door.
An Out Of This World Revelation
The sisters arrived at Joyce’s home anxious to see what number 148 Jane Street looked like inside. As they entered the home they stopped dead at the sight that greeted them.
An Out Of This World Revelation
A sight that would stop anyone in their tracks, the sisters could only stand there and gape at the scene that met their eyes. Even after many years of having worked with all manner of homes, this was like another world. It was like a fantasy, or a fairytale come to life.
The front hallway entrance was less incredible than the remainder of the house
Time Travel
All the estate agents had prior to their initial visit, was the address and a photo of the outer facade, which looked typical for the area and nondescript. The interior, however, was a very different story and they were finally there to have a look.
Time Travel
They had completely underestimated the shock they were about to get when they first stepped over the threshold of this abode. They had underestimated the old woman, who they had initially regarded as a time waster.
Their elderly client sure loved this color.
Gasps Of Delight
If the sisters were honest they would have said they expected either that Joyce was a hoarder or that the home was terribly run down. Best case scenario, as that the interior of the house would be as staid as the outside but maintained.
Gasps Of Delight
How wrong they were! The house was superbly kept up and nothing about it was mundane. In fact quite the opposite of their initial preconceived ideas. It was like taking a trip back in time.
Exquisite furnishings – check them out.
A Hidden Masterpiece
The sisters were ecstatic. This home would sell for far more than they had ever imagined. Joyce was obviously an excellent caretaker and a very house proud owner. One that was about to put the sisters on the map as legendary estate agents.
A Hidden Masterpiece
The ladies felt as if they had been teleported into a different era. Joyce had moved into the house in the 1940s and chosen her furnishings and interior decor to suit her taste and the times. But incredibly, nothing had changed. It looked as if she had done this only yesterday.
The pink room was amazing, but wait, the purple one will surpass your expectations
One Incredible Sight After Another
As the two agents navigated the house their excitement grew. It seemed that every room they entered was more impressive than the last. They had not been in a more immaculately conserved home ever.
One Incredible Sight After Another
This house was like an exhibit dedicated to Joyce’s life and they now realized why Joyce had seemed so loath to commit to selling. This house was an extension of herself, a place where she had brought her very essence to life.
There is always a ‘but’…
Could a Truly Appreciative Buyer be Found?
A home like this, could not be sold to just anyone. The sisters would need to find a buyer who loved the dated decor and fell in love with the home as-is. The color schemes were also very effeminate in style, with furnishings and finishes done in lace, ruffles, and silk.
Could A Truly Appreciative Buyer Be Found?
They could not imagine it would be to the taste of too many men. But they had to try, as it would be unaffordable to redecorate the entire house, which would also deplete any profit to be made.
There was one thing they could do…
The Room That Could Make or Break a Sale
In the basement, the agents found the key to a successful sale. The house actually had a Man-Cave! It astonished them, as all the other rooms they had just viewed, were decorated mainly in pinks and purples.
The Room That Could Make Or Break A Sale
Gladys and Carla secretly surmised that this had been Joyce’s husband’s private space and he probably spent a lot of time here avoiding the sheer femininity of the rest of the home. Again, it was pristinely kept, with manly furnishings and wood finishes including a wet bar. They imagined he spent many happy hours down here.
Garden a Bit of a Let-Down
In comparison to the interior of the home, the garden appeared almost bleak. Not what the sisters were expecting after the visual delights indoors. There was only a storage shed and the lawn was astroturf, not real grass.
Arden A Bit Of A Let Down
But when one considered the home at large, it was a small sacrifice. The agents knew this would not hold them back in their search for the perfect buyer. They would now get one of their house inspectors to come out and check the structure for any flaws.
Read on to find out why this was no ordinary inspection
Inspection Day!
During their long and eventful career as real estate agents, the sisters knew that even the most beautifully presented homes, could mask structural problems and flaws in the building itself.
Inspection Day!
They were sure this was not the case, but they had to wait for confirmation from their inspector. This required they wait a few days until their inspection team could confirm a time and day for the home inspection. They would be on tenterhooks until then.
The Findings
Whilst the waiting had the sisters on edge, the inspector eventually arrived at the home to investigate and report back. Their wait was almost over and they could not wait for the results.
The Findings
His team carefully inspected and tested the structure looking for anything that could delay or even prevent a sale. They found nothing! They stated that this house was in immaculate condition and appeared as if it had not deteriorated since Joyce moved in. They could now go ahead with the listing.
Up For Sale
The agents moved fast now, listing the house and extolling its virtues in their advertisements, placed in various advertising mediums. They were doing their best to attract attention and potential buyers to this marvelous home.
Up For Sale
There asking price was an incredible $699,000! House hunters who viewed the house quickly realized the value of the home and a bidding-war erupted. Everyone wanted this house! The sisters were smiling from ear to ear as they saw how hotly contested the house had become.
Even non-house-hunters made a special trip to see this one of a kind home.
News Of The Listing Spreads Like Wild-Fire
As more and more viewers talked about what they had seen, the story grabbed the media’s attention and they reported in-depth about this unheard-of jewel of a house. It had become a viral sensation and the world was tuning in.
News Of The Listing Spreads Like Wild Fire
Many believed it should be preserved as was, so it could become a landmark museum for all to visit and enjoy, rather that one family’s home. Joyce then made mention of once change she had made to the house…
Joyce’s Incredible Transformations
It was unbelievable that the house had been kept in its original state for so long, so many were nonplussed when Joyce revealed that she had revamped her kitchen in the 1960s, as she wanted the state of the art appliances that had been developed since 1940, as any woman would. The kitchen still contained these appliances.
Joyce’s Incredible Transformations
Many of the public who had viewed the home were astounded that everything in it, had been kept in immaculate condition for so many decades.
But why leave, Joyce?
Moving on
In her younger days, Joyce loved interior design and had personally decorated and furnished her home to her taste. She painstakingly planned and carried out the design and furnishings of each room until she was satisfied with the results.
Moving On
She had come to the realization that she was ready for retirement and wanted to experience the close-knit community one finds in a retirement village. She wanted her final years to be enjoyable and serene. This decision must have been really hard for Joyce to make.
Plans For The Future
Life is so different now compared to the ’40s when Joyce and her husband started their married lives so many years ago during the 1940s. Certainly, an era that many of us today have not had the pleasure of discovering when it comes to trends and decor.
Plans For The Future
So many of us are anxious to know if the new owner will appreciate the historical value of the house and try to maintain the frozen in time home at the same high standards as Joyce did. We all hope so! At the end of the day, the new owner has the right to do as he pleases with the house.
Stopping Prospective Buyers In Their Tracks
Well, this could have implications! The vintage furnishings are not for sale! So far the main drawcard of the house was the furnishings and appliances. In fact, viewers had hardly paid any mind to things like the actual building
Stopping Prospective Buyers In Their Tracks
So disappointing to many who were considering making an offer on the home because they loved the decor. Joyce wanted the one of a kind furniture to remain in her family and her daughter was happy to keep it all including the childhood memories the furnishings evoked.
Joyce’s Boudoir For The Past 70 Years
It is not that common for someone to remain at one address for a lifetime. Joyce is the exception. She moved into her home as a young lady of 24. Her good taste and happy life are reflected in the rooms of the house for posterity.
Joyce’s Boudoir For The Past 70 Years
Can you imagine, in today’s fast-paced world, staying settled in one place or home for 70 years? It seems difficult to even comprehend, doesn’t it? Well, some people have a more old-school approach to living.
A Bathroom For Royalty
As is apparent, Joyce prefers soft colors in varying shades and decor and finishings that flow and make sense to the eye. This can be seen in even the tiniest finishes and decorating throughout the house. In the bathroom, all the final touches, such as towels and seat covers create balance in the final look.
A Bathroom For Royalty
Joyce was actually interviewed by the Daily Mail, who was intrigued by her taste and style. Their readers lapped up the story, as they too were all interested in the woman who had created such impressive interior design.
Attention To Every Detail
The house has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Fireplaces in many of the rooms would have held the icy Canadian winter at bay. Every room has its own individual color pallette and together, all the rooms complement each other.
Attention To Every Detail
The style and designs are not all from the 1940’, but most reflect that era in general. Some rooms do have elements from later decades, but nothing recently modern. It is a perfectly preserved museum of sorts.
All The Mod Cons
For a 70-year-old home, there are no old-fashioned inconvenient appliances. The laundry room, for example, is fully kitted out with all you need on wash day. If a prospective home buyer was worried that they would be stuck in a technological wasteland, they were wrong.
All The Mod Cons
The counters look brand new, a testament to these real house proud owners care over the years. This combination of historic decor and modern technology made it a completely functioning wonder house.
But Will Joyce Go Through With It?
The first call from Joyce to Gladys and Carla revealed ambivalence in her voice. As the sisters had already noted, they were not quite sure that this sale was actually what Joyce wanted.
But Will Joyce Go Through With It?
The proud sisters always had the thought at the back of their minds, that she may retract her decision to sell, but Joyce was steadfast in her decision that it was time for a change, despite the 70 years’ worth of memories.
Focusing On The Big Picture
One thing that the house had that would make selling it effortlessly, was that it was located in a good area, popular with the buyers market. This was a place that had a low crime rate, plenty of greenery, and well-kept and neatly ordered buildings with tidy roads.
Focusing On The Big Picture
Prices had been climbing in that area, so even without the fantastic interior, the house could fetch a decent amount. The interior just added to the ‘must-have’ image.
Locale Is Bottom Line
The agency sisters knew that the location of this house was key to them making a profitable sale. They had closed deals on other homes in the area, successfully, after all.
Locale Is Bottom Line
Before seeing the house, they wondered just how much they could try to get for Joyce’s home considering their past successes. They began their calculations and the results showed they could probably get $968 000! barring any structural damage which their inspectors ruled out.
Will They Close The Deal?
The sisters thought it prudent that they sit down with Joyce for another run-through of the process and implications of selling her home. After all, she was getting on in years and the agents would have been devastated if they set in motion, something that could not later be reversed.
Will They Close The Deal?
The sisters spent a lot of time making sure Joyce understood everything involved with the sale of her home. AT 96, she was very lucid and had no age-related mental difficulties. They were all three, satisfied that Joyce was ready to sell.
Closing The Deal And Saying ‘Au Revoir’
With their 30 something years of experience in real estate, Gladys and Carla knew the Toronto market intimately but never had they come across a sale like this. One absolute gem of a house amongst the thousands they had viewed over the years.
They feel blessed to have been a part of this remarkable woman’s life for a while. And to think, it only took one call to set them on their adventure. This goes to show that the most unassuming people can host all manner of wonderful treasures.
Closing The Deal And Saying ‘Au Revoir’
While some properties are significantly easier to sell the sisters had a particularly unique feeling about this one. Despite the notable hesitation on the phone, the next chapter was to conduct an inspection to understand exactly what they would be dealing with.