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:
The Huffington Post does a fine job with two Tragically Hip related tie-ins in a story about Hip’s frontman Gord Downie selling his Toronto-area home.
Inns, houses, ghost-towns, restaurants … and now we can add “movie theatre” to the list of things you can own by winning an essay contest.
Carol O’Hanley, a REALTOR® from P.E.I., is offering self-defence training.
A German luxury real estate firm targets Vancouver. (VIDEO)
Vancouver house wins “Future Project of the Year” at the World Architecture Festival
From Macleans.ca, read about the disappearing dream of home ownership.
Meet the Sausage Nonnas: three Italian grandmothers in little car houses using Uber to deliver Johnsonville sausages to Chicagoans.
Take a peek inside Lego’s Ghostbusters headquarters: 4,634 pieces with a retail price of $350. It even come with its very own Slimer.
A group of soldiers in Saint John took out their nail guns to help build a home for families in need.
Canadian real estate website BuzzBuzzHome is planning to launch a “buy now” option allowing home buyers to purchase pre-built condos and homes online with just their credit card. (VIDEO)
Tickets are going fast for a December 10th meeting of the Built Heritage Sub-Committee to discuss the fate of a 142-year-old heritage barn in West Ottawa.
Golden Girls. Hot In Cleveland. Those shows have nothing on these boomers’ creative living arrangements.
A Brazilian couple who quit their jobs to travel the world have made it to Edmonton in their home-on-wheels. (with VIDEO)
If you’re unsure about the whole micro-home movement, here’s a micro-rental that gives you a chance to try one out. (VIDEO)
Canada AM looks at ways home homeowners can spot fake contractor reviews online. (VIDEO)
Could a tiny mobile studio solve your housing crisis? (NPR with audio link)
Esquire.com devotes far too many words to a story about what could be the worst apartment listing in New York City.
If you don’t have the $25,454 USD to pay for a one night stay at a floating hotel in the Sydney harbour, you can always try and book it for $70 USD on HotelTonight.
Business Insider gives us a deep look inside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue – the best-known residential address in the U.S.
“The Gift of Home” is an ad campaign by Air-Wick that shows how candles can do more than just provide light. (VIDEO … and you may need a tissue or two)
REALTOR.com explains the strange allure of tiny homes.
If you like the idea of a sleeping bag chair then you’ll love the seven other stress-relieving pieces of furniture found in this Mashable article.
The nCube wants to control all of your home’s connected gadgets with one simple app. It’s like a remote control for your house. (Kickstarter video here)
Step into the virtual realm of Fallout 4 as Mashable offers tips on building and maintaining your settlement in a post-apocalyptic world.
It’s a bit misleading because, at first glance, you’d think the “shack” is being listed for $2.7 million but, in reality, the buyer will be getting a 180 square foot shack located on a 6,886 square foot lot in Palo Alto, California.
Architect Tom Kundig’s projects have been described as “jewel boxes for people.” Step inside his stunning houses.
Is now the time to invest as the bottom is falling out of San Francisco’s luxury home market?
Road Trip! Here are 11 castles you can visit in America (including one in Hawaii).
Over the past 14 years, photographer Victoria Crayhon has been leaving mysterious messages on old marquees across the U.S.
Hollywood’s most notorious party house has 51 bathrooms, 32 bedrooms, and a lot of angry neighbors. Here’s a video tour of the inside.
Meet the couple whose “Van Life” led them to build an awesome mini home.
The Bag O’ Nails in Bristol is the perfect place for an ale, cider, or whisky and it also happens to be one of the first Cat Pubs.
According to the ‘How to Be an Entrepreneur‘ video, “…every unhappiness is really a new business waiting to be born”.
Thester Gates’ creative approach to revitalizing Chicago’s south side offers hope for America’s beleaguered cities.
This week the Airbnb story will be a light one. Behold these Airbnb listings of your favourite TV houses.
If owning a one bedroom apartment in Manhattan is something you’re considering then you better have the bank account to back it up with.
Over in Brooklyn there’s a startup that’s supplying the apartment, furniture, and roommates for between $1,800 and $1,900 a month.
Twin brothers who turned a single house into nearly $8 million in property share 9 tips for aspiring real estate investors.
The Wall Street Journal offers advice on how parents can help with jumbo mortgages.
If you’re feeling the stress of a long day, consider visiting one of these 11 incredible bathhouses from around the world (I’ve actually been to the one in Turkey).
Food lovers rejoice as Julia Child’s former home in Provence (complete with largely intact kitchen) is for sale on the open market for the first time.
