1. My parents moved us around a lot when I was growing up...my Mom was a REALTOR® & together they flipped houses in the 80's until the market went south...a lot of my childhood memories are tied up in this house in the Annex neighbourhood of Toronto...
The house was black & white when we owned it
Which now looks like this & sold just last year for 1.7million...
Beautiful remodel, inside & out!
Funny how when I look at this picture it seems so much smaller than the image in my head :) I remember that kids from school used to make fun of the house & said it looked like a barn & so I hated it & begged my parents to sell it, lol! .
2. My (now) husband & I used to move around constantly as well, from one end of Toronto to the other but once we moved out to the Durham region we finally put down roots & we've lived in our current home for almost 17yrs. It was really important to me that once we had kids that we stay put...clearly some childhood issues attached to this, lol! In any case, the minute we walked into it we knew it was the one! I wanted stability & we certainly got that, we've had the same neighbours on either side of us since we moved in & houses rarely go up for sale on our street.
3. I know how my clients feel when they don't get the home they want...the first house we put an offer on was already sold conditionally (on the sale of the purchaser's property) when we found it & I was inconsolable when the buyers firmed up rather than lose it to us...we were offering more money but the other buyers had the right of first refusal. I got the bad news while I was at work & remember sitting at my desk crying over that huge master bedroom (with a large walk-in closet!) & the inground pool...the rest of the house was meh, lol...A couple of years later I signed up for folk art painting classes & guess where they were held? You got it...at that house! Too funny!
4. I love my house but 2 things I wish for are a front porch & a walk-in closet. Our 2nd floor could be enlarged to accommodate changes up there but I don't think it makes sense from a cost/return perspective in our case. It's important to understand that over-improving your home may not be the wisest choice...always consult a professional, preferably a specialist in your neighbourhood (if I can't help you then I can definitely recommend someone who can!), before you sink big bucks into a project like that!
Can you hear the angels singing or is that just me? ;)
5. One of our friends nick-named it the House of Love because there was wall paper in the family room with hearts on it...I loved that wall paper & the nickname ....it's gone now..not the love, just the wallpaper, lol! ;)
The House of Love circa 2002 :)
6. As much as we've done to the house over the years, there's a never ending to-do list of stuff that still NEEDS to get done or worse RE-DONE or just that I WANT to do...cue the song "If I Had A Million Dollars..."
7. I ran a successful daycare in our home when my kids were younger...Kelly's Kids Home Daycare ROCKED & you might have even caught a glimpse of it on TV! Somewhere on the internet there is still a listing for my daycare services & I get contacted a few times a year to see if I have any open spots...click the link to see my 15secs of fame when I was asked to be a guest "expert" on the show 'Til Debt Do Us Part
Since this IS true confession time, even though a number of years have passed now, I still have a couple of rooms down in the basement jammed full of daycare stuff, as you can see from the picture, I had A LOT of stuff...must get back to "project de-daycare" soon, lol!
8. I still work from home these days & our thermostat is programmed to go down to 68°during the day....I bundle up rather than turn up the heat because I'm cheap...drives my husband crazy if he happens to be home on a week day!
9. If we ever decide to take the plunge & move, I can't bear the thought of selling the house, I think I would rather rent out our current house than sell it....Shhhh, don't tell my husband! ;) And when it comes to moving, my favourite style of home used to be a Victorian but now it's a split level beauty like you'd find up in the 'Glens in Oshawa...I just love the architecture & the open floor plans...think Brady Bunch house! I can't find a picture I like right now but next time I have a house crush I'll definitely post about it!
10. Even though I use professional staging services, I will often grab stuff from my own house to use for finishing touches on my listings...my family has gotten used to coming home to find empty spots on the walls or in rooms & not thinking we've been robbed, lol! I buy stuff as well & have amassed quite the collection of staging inventory that I cycle through both my own house & my clients'. My staging stuff is warring for space with the daycare stuff so really something's gotta give, lol! :)
How about YOU? Have any fun (or not so fun) True House Confessions to share? I'd love to hear them! :)
Have a fabulous day!
