Weekly Blend: May 22, 2015

The Weekly Blend is your ‘weekly’ source covering real estate news that you just may have missed. Our hard at work Weekly Blend crew scours the web, newsgroups and forums looking for obscure, bizarre, interesting and informative real estate (or real estate related) stories. If you have one you’d like to share please feel free to share it in our comments section or tweet about it using the hashtag #WeeklyBlend. So brew yourself a fresh cup of coffee and enjoy these stories…maybe even share them with friends or colleagues. Happy reading!

Here are my weekly picks:

By publishing these 15 secrets of real estate agents, they’ll no longer be secrets.

“Pitch This Place” is a business start-up competition that will see the winning entrepreneurs get free retail/office space in downtown Trenton, ON for one year.

Happy anniversary to Pyrex – a staple in every kitchen for the past 100 years.

Is this a case of clever marketing? The Poltergeist house gets its very own listing and there’s no arguing about full disclosure.

Can an entire Swedish city pick itself up and relocate? Springfield, USA did it once but that was because Homer Simpson, their waste disposal superintendent, wasn’t effective.

Did you know that Los Angeles has its very own “Witch House”? Well now you do and here’s a brief history about it.

Meet the couple who quit their jobs and took a tiny house on the road.

And speaking of tiny homes, what’s the answer to building sustainable density in Halifax’s urban core?  Microlofts.

When kids move out, empty-nesters reclaim the newly found space to create dream spaces like yoga studios and fantasy closets.

A Timber Tower in Quebec City, you say? Oui. And at 13 stories it will be the tallest in North America.

How can millennials afford to live in Vancouver? Many can’t, which is why they are heading out of the city to where homes are more affordable.

You gotta love a headline that reads: “Is this the office of the future or a $5-billion waste of space?”

Following up on a story that appeared in an earlier Blend, a Joy Division fan paid nearly double the asking price to turn Ian Curtis’ home into a museum.

Do you live in an Ontario city that, according to the CAA, is home to one of 10 of the province’s worst roads?

This story should “strike up” some interest: spare a few minutes and have a look as CNN.com visits 13 of America’s best old-school bowling alleys.

Check out this backyard renovation that turned a garden shed into a hip looking pub (and other cool backyard ideas).

Many of New York City’s low-income residences are in need of millions and millions of dollars in repair work. The Atlantic looks at New York City’s public housing crisis.

Looking for a cheap place to stay during your summer vacation? Check out these cities with the cheapest luxury hotels in the world.

A new app called Knocker is being billed as the “Tinder of Real Estate,” will allow UK homebuyers to shop for a new home by swiping and contacting agents.

If elected, the NDP would scrap Canada Post’s plan to end home mail delivery.

Find out why these twin brothers from St. John’s are being forced to vacate the dream homes they built.

Global News Saskatoon looks at the by-laws surrounding garage sales. Did you even know there were any?

A Starfleet commander filmed a TV commercial here, a domestic goddess filmed a cooking show here, and it was featured in the movie “Mean Girls”. Now, this Toronto house can be yours for $14.8 million.

An article from Smithsonian.com talks about Atlas Obscura (a Weekly Blend favourite) and what people should do on Obscura Day … a day to explore your hometown.

Jonathan Baker, our former Speech Writer, contributed to the development of speeches, advertisements, and communications to our membership. Our staff knew him as the go-to guy at 200 Catherine for some comic relief. Prior to joining CREA, Jon worked in the radio industry in Ottawa. If you meet Jon, be sure to ask him to tell you about his encounters with many famous musicians while volunteering at a local music festival for more than 10 years.


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