Gladys and Carla Spizzirri are some of the most dedicated real estate agents that you could hope to work with. They have also enjoyed their fair share of strange property-related happenings. When they were informed of a house situated at 148 Jane Street, the duo believed that everything would be in order. For aged property owner Joyce, the property experts were exactly who they needed. Once the professionals reached the potential listing, however, it was clear that this was a case like no other!
The Stunning Find That Was Uncovered When This Elder Sold Her House
Business As Normal
Despite the fact that any property should never be judged on face value, the Spizziris were not blown away by what they found once they arrived. They were greeted by a woman who was nearly a century-old, who hobbled out of a rather lackluster house. They knew that this would not be an easy sale. With almost seventy years of living at the property, the old lady was certainly sitting on a lifetime of fascinating memories.
Business As Normal
Deciding On A Price
With such a long time spent living in one place, it was incredible that this old lady had enjoyed so few visitors. Few actually knew what the state of the interior was like. If Gladys and Carla wanted to learn anything about the property, they would have to do some detective work. It was clear that they had little time on their hands to do so much investigative effort. They rushed to the site!
Deciding On A Price
Carry On
The siblings were the proud owners of their titular estate agency. While they had previously worked in separate avenues in the same field, they soon found out that they made for quite the successful partnership. The pair knew their roles and dynamic incredibly well by now: Gladys would seek out houses up for sale, while Carla’s people skills were applied to warming up clients and securing sales. With their proven recipe for success, there was little need to shake things up.
Carry On
The Lurking Horror
The sisters were veterans in the real estate world and shared a wealth of knowledge and experience upon which to rely on. They knew the game like clockwork by now. It seems like no matter how complex a listing is, the sisters always manage to sell it, and for plenty of profit on their parts too! Having marketed so many formerly unmentionable properties as desirable dream houses, there was little in the way of property nightmares that could shake them. This example, however, was about to make the property masters feel like newbies, however.
The Lurking Horror
The Telephone
The Telephone
This was the kind of development that was going to turn their mundane professions into a shocking uphill battle. Still, they could have never known what lay waiting for them when that fateful phone call rang. Many professionals take their prominence and talents for granted, and these dynamic sisters would soon encounter a sobering reality. To put it lightly, their hubris was unfounded, and they would soon learn the life lesson of humility.
The Telephone
The Mature Request
The sisters picked up the phone excitedly as they had done hundreds of times before in just one day. They immediately realized just what kind of person they were dealing with when the old croaking woman introduced herself as Joyce. In the property game, you need to know your audience, and there is a tactic for every demographic, something the sisters knew very well. Selling this home was not going to be a walk in the park, they agreed.
The Mature Request
The Bad Smell
Joyce was the one who had finally decided to go ahead with the sale, but the sisters could tell that she was being intentionally vague about important details. Carla and Gladys realized that this was a tough customer that would only take a specific set of requirements before agreeing to list her home with the agents. After a tiringly long and pedantic set of standards, Joyce finally grew rather anxious sounding as she reached a breath-taking revelation.
The Bad Smell
Joyless Joyce
The sisters found Joyce’s lack of enthusiasm for selling her home rather suspicious. Granted she was incredibly old, at 96 years old, and no one likes to leave their lifetime abode. But they could not help but feel that there was an apprehensive edge in her voice. Did she not wish to leave this home behind for good and get on with her life? This was mildly suspicious for the sisters, but they were no strangers to receiving mixed messages in the property game.
Joyless Joyce
The Buried Enigma
Gladys and Carla were gathering an increasing sense that not everything was as it seemed with Joyce, and that she was clearly hiding something. They were immediately curious, and not in an exciting manner, fearing that there was some dirty secret to Joyce’s property that she was being dishonest about and would rather keep hidden until the last minute. The property veterans were not about to be taken for a ride, and were not about to allow some dishonest detail derail this potential sale.
The Buried Enigma
The Spizzirris Weigh In
Joyce was being suspiciously vague about any existing shortcomings in her property. It was clear that she was not simply hiding some issues with flooring, or that the wallpaper could use replacing in some areas. This was some alarming flaw that Joyce was trying to dance around, and the Spizzirri sisters were not having any of it. They were happy to rise to the challenge, however, especially if a handsome profit could be made.
The Spizzirris Weigh In
Unforeseen Consequences
Now that they had agreed to take up the gauntlet, the estate agents were armed with their tried and tested methods and were going to prove that there was no sale too challenging for them. After all, they had their sights set on becoming the most recognized members of the industry. Nothing could deter this kind of determination and willpower. Or so they thought, as 148 Jane Street was about to plunge the realtor sisters into the kind of professional nightmare from which they would not soon wake up from.
Unforeseen Consequences
Monster House
The realtor sisters took a breezy drive to their next target assured that they were walking into another challenging but manageable sale. They were champions of a crazy variety of realtor nightmares, and they were confident that this would not be beyond them. Still, they did their homework before arriving, eliminating every unforeseen possibility for arriving at the property. Were they on the money with their predictions? Let us find out…
Monster House
Apprehension
As with any given working day, Carla was on standby when Joyce called in. The old lady was immediately suspiciously ambiguous about her home’s status and the reasons for selling, but Carla treated her with the same courtesy that she did all her potential clients. Every successful sale was more money in their bank accounts, after all. Joyce had assumed all the reasons why this old lady wanted to sell her home from the moment that she figured out her age bracket. Was this going to be their rarely enjoyed chance at selling a mansion?
Apprehension
Overcoming Adversity
As Joyce finally admitted that she was nearly a century old, Carla immediately suspected that the old woman’s sketchy descriptions of her home were due to a shopping list’s worth of neglect and much-needed repairs for a home left to rot with age. Still, Joyce assured Carla that there was nothing that could not be easily and quickly fixed in her property. This did not inspire confidence in Carla, but she was nevertheless committed to helping the mature woman with her needs.
Overcoming Adversity
Don’t Hold Your Breath…
The Spizzirri sisters had, over their many years in the industry, developed a respectable customer base and were widely renowned throughout Toronto as capable professionals. They had made a point of accepting the selling of properties that were in pleasing shape that could virtually sell themselves. They would wrongly and inappropriately take this attitude to Joyce’s property, however. It seemed like they had taken their good luck and winning streaks for granted.
Dont Hold Your Breath
Hesitation
The sisters were about to inherit the kind of selling process that brings even the most experienced realtors to their knees. Joyce had not proven to be the most confidence inspiring customer, and they were going to get the truth of her property out of the old woman one way or the other. Joyce did indeed hold a dark secret, one that would terrifyingly shake the sisters to their cores.
Hesitation
The Youthful Spirit
Carla was, however, impressed at how eloquent and lucid the 96-year-old woman was, being used to the confused and mumbled conversations with older clients. She was the kind of elder whose faculties had not been dulled over time. Carla had to take this detail into account and make sure not to underestimate Joyce. This mature lady had something concealed in the foundations of her home, something that was spectacular to say the least.
The Youthful Spirit
Hoarders
That fateful meeting was soon approaching, and the Spizzirri sisters were beginning to panic. The place was a complete mess, as they discovered upon entering, and there was little time to bring the home to presentable (never mind sellable) order before the showing times arrived. They were certain at this stage that Joyce was some kind of hoarder. This was shockingly quite common for people like Joyce that had lived in the same place for so many decades, piling up their personal possessions and trash higher and higher.
Hoarders
Mediocre Expectations
The property was unimpressive from the exterior, and the realtor duo were terrified that potential buyers would be scared away before they even stepped in through the front door. This initial disappointment, if overcome, would be met with a series of further unattractive and shocking revelations that would finally culminate in the unearthing of a monstrously disturbing secret festering behind Joyce’s walls. What could she have possibly squirreled away that was so fearsome?
Mediocre Expectations
Incoming Fear
Joyce had at some stage in her many years of living in that rotting house given up on taking care of it. She might have suffered from a lack of funds needed for upkeep, or had simply stopped caring, with the kitchen being the only room still in decent shape. Carla and Gladys had now realized that they had bitten off more than they could chew between them. This place was on the verge of being condemned and was in no way a livable property.
Incoming Fear
Fears Confirmed
The Spizzirri sisters’ best efforts were being continually vexed by Joyce’s disinterest in fixing up the place. They knew that she had fallen into one of two categories: a mentally ill hoarder that could not be convinced to see reason, or a sane person that had been crushed by overwhelming chaos. Either way, they were not going to let the old woman’s defeatist attitude get in the way of the cleaning crew that they were about to call in, even considering calling on remodelers. If things seemed beyond help, then they would be forced to summon the demolishers to do some extreme renovations.
Fears Confirmed
Premature Decisions
Incredibly, Carla and Gladys has spent the minimum amount of time inspecting the actual interior, having instantly decided that they would need the services of the best in the renovation game after taking one small look. This was a property that needed a heavy level of care, and fast. Joyce was not on board with their radical ideas, however, continuing to disagree with the realtors’ best efforts. She was a stubborn old battleaxe!
Premature Decisions
Between A Rock And A Hard Place
The realtors could not understand why Joyce was doing her best to dismantle their operation. Did she not want to sell her place? They were not about to let a lost and confused old woman get in the way of a quick buck. Still, despite their bullheadedness, the sisters could not deny the fact that something was terribly off about the property, beyond all the mess and dilapidation. Something integral was holding Joyce back.
Between A Rock And A Hard Place
Desperate For Attention
Before the realtor sisters could go ahead with their revamping mission, they would need official inspectors to come in. They would then inform the sisters, after taking a thorough investigation of the place, what exactly needed improving before the place would be fit for new occupants. The Spizzirri sisters were committed to adhering to whatever pressing work the inspectors would issue. They may have been impatient, but they were going to stick to the codes.
Desperate For Attention
Bowled Over
Carla and Gladys arranged to hurry over to the property for another inspection to better understand what urgent jobs needed dire attention. They were desperate to put their minds at ease, as this was becoming an increasingly apparent crisis of a home. All that they wanted was to put this haunted house behind them and for their worst fears to remain unconfirmed. Then there was the shocking secret that they were on the verge of uncovering…
Bowled Over
The Community At Large
Carla and Gladys were amazed to see the dilapidated home was positioned in a desirable part of Toronto. They were disappointed that they were losing out on the full market value of the home. Still, such market value would cushion the disastrous selling setbacks of Joyce’s property and its many renovation needs. They were sure that they could now salvage a good deal with her home and now believed that they had found this sale’s saving grace.
The Community At Large
Research And Developments
The estate agents realized that this home was positioned in an excellent part of the Old Mill area, a zone that featured some of their most successful sales as agents. It was now time to return to the war room, where the dynamic duo began debating and calculating the total worth of the home, and how much they could hope to sell it for. After an hour of concerted brainstorming, they reached the surprising asking price of $968,000.00.
Research And Developments
Stubbornness And Sentimentality
When the sisters revealed to Joyce the price they had settled on, they were not surprised to be met with further stubbornness on her part. Was she stalling to eek out as much quality time with her age-old abode as possible before the inevitable move, or was there some dark secret that she was on the verge of confessing? It is normal for people to struggle to leave their lifetime homes, but this went beyond sentimentality.
Stubbornness And Sentimentality
Eternal Abode
Shockingly, the sisters found out that not only had Joyce failed to meet the upkeep requirements of the house, she had also not done any kind of renovations to the property for the entire 70 years of her stay! There was about a century’s worth of decay to fix to get done before this property could come close to being called a home. There was entire century’s worth of secrets festering inside this place.
Eternal Abode
An Effort In Futility
The sisters had spent much time arguing about whether this property was even worth their time or trouble, a point which became increasingly more worrying with the more that they learned about it. Was there any kind of profit to be made from a place that had been turned into a one-hundred-year-old dump? Either way, the event of the viewing was fast approaching, and the sisters would need to come to an agreement fast.
An Effort In Futility
Second Thoughts
The sisters did not just have their own doubts to contend with, however, as it was becoming more and more apparent that Joyce was also having a change of heart. She would continually avoid or straightforwardly argue with the sisters about their various house-saving suggestions. We cannot deny that we would also feel apprehensive about packing up our many belongings and leaving a home that we had lived in our whole lives. Were the sisters going to push harder?
Second Thoughts
Listen To Reason
What convinced the sisters to become so committed to this project was its positioning within such a lucrative area, with this placing being more than enough of a profitable motivation for the property moguls. People would flock to this place based on the area alone, and through a thorough and dedicated fixing up process, this house could be completely desirable. The greedy sisters were dedicated to milking this sale as much as possible.
Listen To Reason
Determined
At this stage, Joyce had not allowed the sisters much intimate time with her property, having barely been afforded a chance to inspect its interior. This would not deter the bullheaded sisters for very long, and they had incredibly convincing way to allow even the most stubborn of homeowners a carte blanche access to their properties. Joyce was a tough customer, but even her mature obstinance gave way to the sisters’ invasive insistence.
Determined
Shock And Awe
Joyce had somehow managed to carry on with her strange hoarder life without being intruded upon by inspectors. It was clear that this home had slipped by unnoticed despite its terrible conditions thanks to its privileged location in a lofty neighborhood, a factor that was now leading the sisters to consider renegotiating their previously concluded price. With such mixed factors impacting their decision-making process, the Spizzirri duo were going to make the best out of this situation.
Shock And Awe
Frozen In Place
One detail that the Spizzirri sisters had failed to notice was the historical and architectural significance of what was actually a marvelous home. Despite Joyce’s reluctance to properly care for the place, it was in a surprisingly wonderful shape, at least in its foundations and overall structure. It seemed like all of the Spizzirri sisters’ worst fears had been unfounded and that the renovations and cleaning processes would not be as intense.
Frozen In Place
A Gem Of The Past
Once the sisters finally entered the home, they saw that it was furnished with some gorgeous antique furniture from the early 20th century. The overall themes and designs of the interior were somewhat stuffy and faded for modern tastes, but they knew that any potential buyer that appreciated historical homes would fall in love. They knew that they had discovered a rare if not ancient diamond of a property. One that they were finally beginning to warm up to.
A Gem Of The Past
Finely Tailored Living
Despite her age and retirement, not to mention a demanding lifestyle to care for all on her own, Joyce had managed to develop this home throughout the decades to become the ideal place for a person to retire into. This was a property that she had finely crafted to best suit her needs and comforts, not to mention her personal taste. The sisters learned from Joyce that her family had fallen on hard times during the economic turmoil of post-World War II America. But this struggle-filled era had not deterred her from living her domestic dreams.
Finely Tailored Living
A Rare Site
Despite having been moderately unimpressive from the outside, the sisters were overjoyed to see that the reality of the house was so much more incredible than the one that Joyce had provided in her photographs. This was the kind of place that any realtor dreamed of stumbling upon, and it would be their fruitful honor to lead the sale for Joyce. Were this unlikely pairing of retiree and realtors about to make progress?
A Rare Site
Hidden Details
Joyce had somehow managed to shield her home from the passage of time and the modernization of America. This was a commendable feat that anyone with an appreciation for history and historical architecture would commend the old lady for ensuring. This was Joyce’s big “dark secret,” her home was a hidden gem of a property that required some kind of official recognition from the city, or at least the community in which she had secretly lived for so long.
Hidden Details
Diplomacy
To the sisters’ surprise, the classically stubborn Joyce was still going to give them a hard time when she finally agreed to negotiating a price. After some tricky diplomacy, the two parties came to a middle ground agreement over pricing. Still, the sisters felt rather ashamed of themselves for their biases and negative presumptions. They had thought that they would walk into a festering pigsty, when this home was actually more wonderful and loftier than they could have imagined. There were more phenomenal secrets to uncover, however!
Diplomacy
A Royal Affair
They had finally done it. The Spizzirri sisters had managed to list the home! Now that it was publicly available for viewing, it was receiving an incredible amount of attention, and not just from laypeople. Expert interior designers were flocking in from several states away just to appreciate a rare glimpse into the past. These were the kinds of designs and items that were not commonly available anymore. Even more amazingly, Joyce had managed to take an already stunning and unique home and improved it even further.
A Royal Affair
The Amateur Designer
Despite Joyce having clearly possessed a natural eye and talent for design, she had sadly never made it her trade. Instead, she had dedicated her passion and skill to her personal life and home, to stunning results. She could never have expected so much attention, having preferred to keep her place as private as possible. She also did not know what social media was, and how so many people around the world were appreciating her home remotely.
The Amateur Designer
Take Your Time
There were so many lucrative features to this house that Joyce had painstakingly built into the home over such a long time. Carla and Gladys soon came to their realtor senses, however, knowing that they would still need to map the area out properly. Amazingly, the home that they had condemned as a hoarder’s nightmare actually only needed a few touch ups prior to the final and epic sale on its way.
Take Your Time
My Possessions
Sadly, Joyce was not about to part ways with her furniture and home. Stripping the place of its furnishing was bound to scrape a good amount off the total sale, and such items collectively entice potential buyers all the more. Further, whoever bought this now bare house would struggle to refurnish it in a way that pleasingly flowed with the house’s grand and historical overall nature. After all, sticking to a 1940s themes was no small task in the 21st century.
My Possessions
Her Legacy
Amazingly, Joyce was not as alone as she had first made herself out to be, and wished to stay in possession of her furniture for her daughter’s sake. Such costly items would ensure that the woman would be provided for. Still, beyond her emotional and financial attachment to her furniture, Joyce was still struggling to come to terms with leaving. This was not going to be an easy transition for the old woman.
Her Legacy
Passions Realized
With two lofty stories for her to make the most of, Joyce had brought her natural talents to a rousing realization. At the time of the sale process, Joyce was obsessively busying herself with a sewing chair and was still improving the odd trinket and antique dresser. One would think that they had been transported to some luxury New York penthouse from an era long gone. It was that magical and perfect.
Passions Realized
Perfectly Preserved
The Spizzirri sisters had never seen anything like Joyce’s home, and were the type of professionals that could properly appreciate it. Joyce was not alone in her efforts, however, as her mysterious family had come together during the struggles of World War II to create an opulent shelter from the struggles of that time. An initiative that would be maintained for decades to come. It is amazing what a family can achieve when they band together.
Perfectly Preserved
Enthralling Themes
As you can see from the photographs of the interior, this was a pastel heaven with shocking pinks dominating the place. In contrast to the dull and chic tones of modern homes, this was a mecca for anyone looking for a colorful and fun place to live. Joyce had ensured that a contrast of pastel colors had come to life in her home. You probably have never seen any place like this before, and you probably never will again.
Enthralling Themes
The Passage Of Time
Joyce had worked closely with the Bloor West Village to bring her dreams and vision to life, revolutionizing a dull brick house into a phenomenally meticulous haven. Everyone who visited Joyce’s home could not believe that everything was in such wonderful shape, despite having endured almost a whole century of use. It was all thanks to Joyce’s meticulous dedication and skill. Few people could have achieved such a fantastic preservation in their home, even in just a decade.
The Passage Of Time
The Nitty Gritty Details
Despite the home being spectacular at face value, the Spizzirri realtors had to make a thorough check of the foundations and structural status of the home. If there were any critical jobs that needed to be done, then the sisters wanted to know. With how much time had passed since the home’s construction, there could well be plenty of structural deficits in need of a costly repair. Following an intensive inspection, the Spizzirri sisters were apprehensive to hand Joyce a steep repair bill.
The Nitty Gritty Details
Colorful Wonderland
Joyce detailed her love for pastel colors when interviewed by media and interior designers alike, explaining how she adored pairing these tones. Each room enjoyed a pleasing juxtaposition of an entire range of pastels that flowed together wonderfully. Everything was meant to go together in a pleasing and gentle manner, to cause a calming and joyful feeling for a guest and resident. How Joyce had achieved this much without any prior training was incredible.
Colorful Wonderland
Soft And Silky
This was the kind of place that would make any older woman nearly faint with delight, given its emphasis on the pastel pink theme. This was not just a paradise for more mature women, however, as when Joyce’s daughter was interviewed, she mirrored her mother’s opinions and tastes. Whether the younger generations would show an equal appreciation for Joyce’s tastes were up for debate, however. Regardless, you cannot deny that the home had an outstanding amount of detail and work put into it.
Soft And Silky
Return To The Past
The Spizzirri sisters were now realizing that this could be an overly ambitious project for them, but once they had completed their surveys and inspections, it was clear that this would be one of the most straightforward and profitable homes that they had ever worked with. With its 40s charm and almost perfect condition, whoever ended up purchasing the place would have the ideal vintage home. So, would the place even end up selling?
Return To The Past
Shocked
The Spizzirri sisters had eaten their words, and their former prejudices against Joyce had evaporated as soon as they walked in through the front door. Despite having worked with hundreds of homes over their seasoned working lives, the sisters had never seen anything like this luxuriously historical home. There was simply no other property that they could compare it to. This was a true anomaly in the modern world, a kind of perfectly preserved relic of the past.
Shocked
The Unique Taste
If the sisters were going to sell this property, then they would have to find the kind of buyer that does not mind making an enormous investment in a wonderfully unique home. This was not the kind of place that your average Joe would be happy living in, and could even afford in the first place. The Spizzirris were dedicated to this mission, and no matter what happened, they would guarantee Joyce a sterling sale.
The Unique Taste