Toronto Real Estate Blog Downtown Condos » Laughs

“The Old Woman That Lived in a Shoe” Realtor Commercial

Mark Savel — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 13:00:56 +0000

There was an old woman that lived in a Shoe,
She’s also made an appearance in the latest CREA commercial, or two.

Long live the ad agency that created the Canadian Real Estate Association latest commercial! The 30 second spot is a spoof of the popular Mother Goose rhyme - The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe.

I’ve had a tooooooon of requests to post the video, so with no further delay I present to you the full, one minute and thirty second documentary of the The Old Woman That Lived in a Shoe…2011 style!

Click here to view the embedded video.

To find a shoe…err, condo of your own, contact me! I’d love to help.

MUST HAVE MONDAY – The Cherry Chomper

Mark Savel — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:00:31 +0000

With TIFF in town, there’s only one thing to do…parrrrr-tay! This past weekend, I took full advantage of all the swanky festivites taking place in TO. My drink of choice was the was the ever popular “Black Russian” topped with a ruby red red maraschino cherry…which had me thinking “how the heck do they take the pit out?”.

The answer can be found in this weeks Must Have Monday! For $7.99, you too can be making your own Black Russians complete with a pitless cherry. According to the website “The Cherry Chomper features a plunger-type action that pushes the pit and the juice into Cherry Chomper’s bottom container – so he is 100% mess-free. The protective “tooth” ensures that hands and fingers won’t be touched by any of the components – making this item a great gadget for kids. Cherry Chomper stands six inches tall and comes in a four-color giftable box annnd it’s dishwasher safe.”

See it in action below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Need a place of your own to pit those cherries? Contact me…I’d love to help!

PHOTO FRIDAY – Merry Christmas to All!

Mark Savel — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 19:25:39 +0000

I’ll save the awkward speaches for tonights Christmas dinner, and instead keep the post short and sweet…

May your perconstuction condos be cladded, your resale carpets extra padded,
your maintenance fee low, and a very Merry Christmas to everybody out there in beautiful T-O!

Cheers,
Mark Savel

PHOTO FRIDAY – Heaven in a Bun

Mark Savel — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 05:11:30 +0000

Veal, mushrooms, some onions, perhaps peppers and a thin slice of cheese…there’s nothing like a delicious veal sandwich to get a conversation going! Earlier in the week I posted this heavenly morsel as my photo of the day and received a ton of comments from my facebook friends. Most of my meals are consumed on the road, and over time I’ve come to learn a thing or two about a veal (or two).

Growing up, San Fransico’s (located at 10 Clinton Street) was the sandwhich of choice…and to this day, it still has a special place in stomach, errrr I mean heart. It’s a very small place just south of College in Little Italy and it’s as authentic as it’s stores appearance when it comes to taste.

Then came Commisson Bro’s (at 8 Kincort Street)…for those late nights when nothing else is opened, Commisso’s is the place of choice. It comes with cheese but I also suggest packing on the mushrooms.

A quick drive down the street from Commissos is California’s. This place is alwayssss packed and for good reason… they have one of the most consistent and delicious veal sandwiches in the City. Their new location at Dufferin and Castlefield has plenty of seats to enjoy the meal and a really good ambiance too!

Zito’s Market Place on Marlee Ave is the last place to make the cut…but WOW what a veal! The sauce is out-of-this-world good. They just opened up about a month ago and already I’ve had at least 5 sandwiches!

I’m always on the hunt for a new veal place in Toronto, so if you know of any not mentioned above please add it to the comments below!

Are you a real estate addict?

Mark Savel — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 02:17:33 +0000

I was recently interviewed for an article appearing online at MSN Money! It was a lighthearted look at the “looky-loos” of open houses. Give it a read…maybe you’re a looky loo and didn’t even realize it!

By Kerry Gold, November 10, 2010

In hot markets, there is a predatory animal known as the looky-loo.

We all know a looky-loo. He’s the guy who spends his weekends roaming open houses and his off-time on real estate websites looking through listings. He may or may not already own a home, or even be willing to buy one, but one thing is clear — he’s obsessed with the buying and selling of property.

It might be the bored neighbour who’s lived in the neighbourhood for two decades and wants to check out what the first-time buyers are willing to pay these days. It could be the home décor magazine subscriber type who just loves to see what people have done with their home’s interior. It could be the couple that purchased the year before and mortgaged their house to the max who want to assuage any fears that the market might go down.

Some looky-loos are the real estate equivalent of the commitmentphobe, the guy who can never step up and commit to the girl. In this case, the looky-loo is the guy who can never commit to the property, because you never know — there just might be a better deal right around the corner. Some looky-loos are homeowners who just want to gloat. They bought before the market went higher, so they want to go out and see what is selling so they can pat themselves on the back about their good fortune.

Others are just weirdos who entertain themselves by attending open houses. Stephanie Nichols was selling her one-bedroom Vancouver condo on her own and was surprised that she had to deal with a sub-category of looky-loo that might better be described as the “looky poo.”

“Twice I showed the apartment to people who went to the bathroom and left it really smelly before leaving,” she laments. “Twice, it happened to me. Do you know how embarrassing that was for me when other people arrived?”

Whatever the motivation, the looky-loo is obsessed with real estate, and realtors have to deal with them as a byproduct of a hot market.

“I actually recognize them and ask how their kids are and everything, because they’ve been coming to my open houses for 20 years, some of them, but they’re not buying,” says long-time Vancouver realtor Nancy Steele, who works for marketing mogul Bob Rennie.

“I never know if they are patting themselves on the back, ‘yep, we made the right choice, prices are going up,’ or if they have no life,” Steele adds. “I don’t know which it is. I just know lots of people who go from house to house. And they are only going to eat up my time when I am trying to sell a house. They seem quite proud of it. They treat it like we are friends.”

For his part, realtor Rick Stonehouse — who sold his first house for more than $1 million in a formerly downtrodden part of Vancouver called Strathcona — is okay with the looky-loo subculture.

“I never look at it as the downside,” he says. “To me, they are people looking at property, and the more the better. I would imagine there would be a couple of wacky people, but I don’t think that’s the norm.

“Years ago, our parents bought at one price and years later, that house was $10,000 more. Not much different. In the last five years, prices have almost doubled. What else do you have that goes up in value like that? Not a car.

“People just want to know what their house is worth.”

Toronto realtor Mark Savel sees the pros and cons of the looky-loo.

“We definitely have our share of nosy neighbours when it comes to the open house,” he says. “The biggest giveaway is when you’ve seen them at five others in the neighbourhood. There’s even one lady who’s been coming to open houses with her two sons in this one area for two years. Every time I see them, they’re ‘just looking.’ For what, I still don’t know.”

On the bright side, those looky-loos can actually help a realtor, says Savel. The nosy neighbour can point a realtor in the direction of flaws in the property that might not have been previously disclosed.

“Once a neighbour came in to an open house I was hosting and asked me if the seller had fixed that ‘massive drainage problem’ that had recently spilled over to the neighbour’s lawn,” he says, still surprised at the revelation.

So if you are a looky-loo, don’t be too embarrassed at your chronic state of curiosity. You might not just be nosey. You might be a supplier of useful information.

The City Of Toronto: ‘We WANT It!’

Mark Savel — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:00:54 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ever since the “Big Stink of ’09“, there’s been nothing funny about garbage pickup in Toronto…Thanks to Chuck and Vince all that is about to change!

The City of Toronto has a new viral Youtube video announcing to the people of Toronto: If you have any unwanted electronics…”THEY WANNNT IT!”. Yes that’s right, if you have any dated electronics kicking around your house, send it to the curb and the City Of Toronto’s e-waste department will pick it up!

Printers, Cell Phones, Computers and of course speakers, speakers and SPEAKERS are just a few of the items residents can now safely dispose of. Check out the City of Toronto’s E-Waste website for more info

The New “How Realtors Help” Commercial

Mark Savel — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 05:41:00 +0000

Do you remember Dave? I do. He was that poor fella that bought a home under a flight path! He was also the fictional character that stared in the “How Realtors Help” commercials (well actually it was him and that catchy Tiny Tom song that helped to make it memorable). Then there was that stressed out lady who took her anger for those complicated legal forms on her unsuspecting plant!

Embrace yourself people because the Canadian Real Estate Association is about to deliver a new version of the commercial. The 30 second spot should be hitting the airwaves just in time for the fall market…and thankfully, no furntiure was harmed in the making of it! Look for it on a TV near you, or check it out today at the How Realtors Help website!

Don’t be like Dave. Use a Realtor (Me)…we can save you time, money, and broken furniture. Best of all, our services are free for buyers!