Weekly Blend: September 26, 2014

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:

Calgarians lucked out this past week when a Tim Horton’s sprung up overnight in a residential home.

You read it here first – in March 2014 – and now, here’s the updated story about New York’s High Line Community (which has now completed the urban transformation).

Have you heard of a “no-brainer”? It’s a small alteration to City bylaws, fees, or administrative process that would improve life and require little time and effort to implement. Here are 10 “No Brainers” that the Centre for Ecology pitched to make Toronto a better city.

They say that everything is bigger in Texas, but read how an Austin professor gave up his 2,500 square foot house and moved into a 36 square foot dumpster.

One Canadian city is thinking of taxing owners of vacant condos. Find out if you’re living there.

Million dollar homes in Vancouver are being left abandoned, angering locals and receiving global attention.

Stop the wrecking ball!! The North Sydney Forum may be saved as a potential buyer has emerged.

Some decorators go for the minimalist approach … these went the other way and are “maximalists.” Here are 16 rooms that have it all.

Is staff retention a problem where you work? A Swiss company hasn’t laid off a single employee in their 130-year history … do you have one of their products with you?

As a REALTOR®, you know what you do … but what do your neighbours think you do all day?  You’ll be surprised to find out.

As autumn arrives and people head indoors, here are 27 must-read books for REALTORS®.

See what a 100 years of progress looks like -side-by-side – in this short (4 minute) video of the Dutch town of Alkmaar.

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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