Weekly Blend: October 9, 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:

A new version of the London Underground map has revealed the average rent at every Tube stop in London.

The Grand Kameha Zürich hotel is offering guests the opportunity to stay in a “space suite” — a space station-inspired accommodation with an elaborate astronaut motif … for $2,000 a night.

Canadian mathematician and architectural trailblazer, James Stewart, was an unlikely literary sensation. Now, a year after his death, Integral House (his Toronto home) is up for sale for $26.6 million.

If island living interests you, have a look at B.C.’s Whitestone Island. This six acre estate went up for sale in September for $3.9 million.

Its future is still uncertain but Edmonton City Council approved plans to designate the old Molson brewery “municipal heritage” status.

The Palomino Club, one of Winnipeg’s oldest and most popular bars, is closing down but hopes to re-open in a new location.

Move over Toronto and Vancouver, a new real estate trend shows that foreign investors are looking at Montreal and Saskatoon.

A fake homeless shelter popped up in an affluent Toronto neighbourhood leaving residents in tears.

Ryerson University has opened a “commuter hostel” for students living far from campus to rent on an occasional basis.

Thinking of buying a house? BuzzBuzzHome.com plans to launch a “buy now” button, allowing Canadians to purchase a new construction condo or house online with nothing more than a credit card.

McDonald’s is stepping up its game. New menu items, new uniforms, and table service.

And in Holland, a building that was once voted the ugliest in Rotterdam has been transformed into a McDonald’s that looks more like an Apple Store.

The Garden Igloo – a multipurpose geodesic dome designed both as a winter garden and as summer canopy – can be yours today for the low price of £899.00 (or you can find it here for a little less).

Have some vacation days coming up? Esquire.com gives you a list of things to do at America’s first ever weed resort.

Haunted hotels, including The Fairmont Banff Springs, use this time of the year to turn terror into cash.

Mashable.com has 11 more hotels to visit this Halloween season.

Are you one or have you ever encountered one? We’re looking at the top 10 most annoying hotel guests.

What to do when your home sweet home isn’t everything you dreamed of? Here are the top three gripes of homeowners.

It’s like finding out you wanted something that you didn’t even know existed. The first tiny coffeehouse is finally here.

The Mayo Clinic (which, upon further research I discovered has nothing to do with mayonnaise) recently created the Well Living Lab to study indoor health.

From Pawn Shops to Mosques, a new project aims to document all the ways that Pizza Hut’s once-iconic huts have been repurposed.

Another Airbnb story (courtesy of Mental Floss): spend the night in Paris’s bone-filled catacombs.

Mad Paws wants to be Airbnb but for your pets, so your dog always feels at home.

Twenty five years after its re-unification, how has Berlin changed? (VIDEO)

The Instagram account @cabinporn is getting its own book and to help with the release, Esquire.com has 12 inspiring photos from the upcoming book.

Sure your grandfather may be cool but is he “build an epic three-story, 40-foot treehouse for his grandchildren” cool?

After years of Florida being the place to go, many grandparents are relocating to New York City to help raise their grandchildren.

Mentalfloss.com has regularly provided great links in the Weekly Blend and this one is no different. Here are six awesome man caves with hidden entrances.

A visit to a tiny town helps these Norwegian bodybuilders boost their self-esteem.

Have you visited (or even lived in) one of these 10 Instagram-friendly cities that aren’t Paris or New York?

$165,000 U.S. will get you a caboose. That’s right; you can live in a caboose for under $200K U.S.

Celebrity house for sale!!! Own Angelina Jolie’s childhood home for $2 million.

Listing and selling a property would be difficult in this $1-billion desert city that nobody calls home.

After looking at some of these properties you’ll understand why they call Bishop Avenue in north London “Billionaires Row.”

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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