The answer is something remarkable. Stories had already reached their skeptical ears about how the interior looked. Everything changed when the sisters received an opportunity to see what the house had to offer. They were the first to be afforded this chance, and what 148 Jane Street had to show to the Spizzirris made quite an impression on them.
1. Two Sisters
The Spizzirri sisters, Gladys and Clara, are a highly skilled duo of realtors. They had more than a little trepidation about this particular opening. Something definitely felt off. They went into the house opening with no idea how it would turn out. What did they get themselves into? Read more about it.
2. The Home Comes Off As Almost Ordinary
One of the first things you’ll probably see upon arrival at the property is the “For Sale” sign, followed by the exterior. The outside appears typical alongside the neighboring homes in the Toronto, Ontario region.
Nothing much else is there to jump out at you. The Spizzirri sisters were beyond eager to see the inside of the house, a setting that has not been exposed to the public for decades.
3. The Asking Price?
The price offered by the estate is decidedly below market. Before the sisters learned this, they were spending a normal day working at the real-estate firm they own together. Not a single employee there knew of what was about to come their way.
The powerful team of siblings went into business together in 2009. One of them has a knack for finding interesting listings; the other has excellent interpersonal skills, making them a whiz at closing deals. Together they’ve been unstoppable.
4. One Day, Something Changed Everything
With their respective years of experience in the real estate arena, neither sister expected to be shocked very much ever again by developments from a listing.
As is often the case, however, they were mistaken. They were about to get the first glimpse inside a property unseen by the public for generations.
5. A Stranger Calls With Unbelievable News
The office is always flooded with phone calls, but the one that house owner Joyce made would take particular importance. She was looking to sell her home, and it was clear she had some misgivings about it.
This intrigued the Spizzirri sisters, who wanted to know more. Joyce eventually made a revelation that shocked once it was fully understood.
6. What Did Joyce Have To Say?
From the way Joyce explained her situation, there was little doubt that it was a sad situation. Joyce suggested her hands were tied, and that she simply had to sell the house no matter what.
Any realtor worth their salt will be able to tell when a potential client is giving them the runaround. Was there a chance this one was hiding something unsavory, something that could sink a potential deal?
7. Clara And Gladys Make A Decision: Game On!
Joyce still wasn’t being completely forthcoming, but she wasn’t being evasive about normal concerns like mildew. She was sitting on a secret that would shock the sisters and the entire neighboring area to boot.
Things still weren’t completely clear, but the ladies decided they could handle whatever came their way. The house would be sold by them.
8. The Spizzirris Were Mystified
The prospect of an entirely new encounter in their realm of business was admittedly enticing to Clara and Gladys. 148 Jane Street was a mystery, and they were going to unearth its secrets.
With a little luck and some elbow grease, they could even still turn a profit from the meeting they were heading towards.
9. The Sisters Were Up To The Task
Clara and Gladys had been working together in real estate for three years. They both knew the city they worked in like the back of their hand.
Toronto’s most well known communities were their stomping ground, where they built a reputation for purchasing and selling homes. They knew they were onto something.
10. Learning along the process
They also built a wealth of knowledge. One thing they didn’t know was whether there would need to be a lot of groundwork to make Joyce’s house happen. They were willing to find out, and to learn everything that would be useful for them on this journey. They were very motivated.
11. Things Become Interesting
As the ladies conversed with Joyce, they were startled to learn that she was 96 years old. This fact had implications for the impression the sisters had of the property.
Joyce was a competent woman with incomparable hearing. This spoke to Clara, who had grown up needing to shout to communicate with her own grandmother. What was Joyce’s story – how old was the house, and how long had it been in her ownership? The questions multiplied exponentially.
12. Joyce Began To Open Up More
It turned out that Joyce had called the modestly sized abode home for more than 70 years by the time she reached out. One one project had ever been carried out on the house: a remodeling in the kitchen.
The sisters wondered what that meant for the general condition of the home. It was starting to look like the sale wouldn’t be a breeze.
13. How Would Everything Turn Out?
The sisters didn’t expect that a woman of such advanced age could take proper care of a house. That could impact buyer interest and price negotiations. Things were starting to look worse.
The sisters needed to evaluate the state of cleanliness and disrepair in the house. They hoped fervently that Joyce wouldn’t turn out to be a hoarder.
14. Things Weren’t All Bad
One thing the real estate team liked a lot was the house’s location. The area had a recent history of property appreciation.
Everyone knows that real estate is all about the location, and it’s partly because of how important it is for properties to increase in value. So the sisters tried to find out more about the location.
15. Enough money to make it
After hanging up with Joyce, Clara and Gladys began running numbers and interpreting data.
They arrived at a sizable figure as an estimate for the sale of the house. It turned out that there might be money to be made after all. The next step was to see what the inside looked like.
16. Joyce’s Neighborhood Was A Goldmine
The area was in a swanky part of Toronto. The Spizzirris had enjoyed plenty of success selling homes there for significant amounts. Putting their head together, Clara and Gladys decided the house might fetch slightly under a million dollars.
It depended largely on what the interior looked like. Interior renovations can be very costly. They also never forgot how nervous Joyce had sounded on the phone.
17. Get The Ball Rolling
Eventually, Joyce solidified her intentions and became more determined to sell the house. The sisters started out basically from scratch, with not much more to go on than an address and an exterior photo.
The picture made the house look like any other on the street. The sisters finally arrived in person and saw what Joyce had been holding on to for 72 years.
18. The Interior Stood In A Class Of Its Own
The first thing that stood out: Joyce was definitely not a hoarder. She evidently had run a tight ship, and was proud to care for her home. It was beautiful inside: the furniture, the decor, the color schemes.
The dollar signs in the sisters’ eyes were growing even bigger. The decor was mid-20th century, which was flourishing when the owners came to the home.
19. A Diamond In The Rough
The house blew the women away the longer they spent time perusing through it. The rooms were extravagantly designed and organized, and everything was practically sterile clean.
It was the neatest home either Spizzirri sibling had ever seen in their career. It became clear why Joyce had struggled with the decision to leave the place behind.
20. One Big Problem
There was one issue that couldn’t be overlooked. The entire interior was femininely designed and hued. While the inside of the house was breathtaking, there was concern that it wasn’t suited for enough potential buyers to make the venture feasible.
The costs required to redecorate the pink, flower-laden house would add up alongside renovation costs, casting doubt on the operation.
21. Incredibly Spacious
Among other contenders, the most interesting room was found in the basement. The decor here catered more to the average man’s taste. There was a wet bar with enticing wooden paneling.
A small amount of minor improvements were called for, but Joyce’s husband undeniably crafted an elegant, enjoyable space for himself.
22. The Backyard
Things were messy behind the house. There was AstroTurf laid down, but virtually no landscaping efforts had been made in memory.
Regardless, the sisters were increasingly confident that a beneficial deal could be made, because the place was still a nice base to start with. The next important concern to address was whether everything was in working condition.
23. The Inspection Begins
No house is perfect (as far as a real estate agent is concerned). There could be mildew, rot, or mold. That being said, the ladies were positive the listing would be worth the effort. All they needed to convince themselves was to look around at how well maintained the house was.
24. What Did The Sisters Turn Up?
The inspection continued. Every single inch of the house was examined. Particular attention was paid to the walls and the spaces underneath the house.
It was confirmed how clean the home was. In fact, its condition had improved after Joyce and her husband move in. The sisters were really pleased to discover it.
25. The Sisters Decide A Price
It took some time, but the sisters came to propose a price of $699,000 for the listing. The price was high for the area, but that didn’t stop a bidding war from exploding into existence in short order.
Everyone absolutely loved how nicely kept the house was. The demand drove the price up relentlessly. People stopped by just to see the house.
26. Joyce’s Story Made Waves
Eventually the house’s story went viral and temporarily took over the internet. People were fascinated by elderly woman’s story and her house.
It was revealed that Joyce originally hailed from Ireland, and eventually landed in the United States. The space she created in the two-story brick house was like a time capsule, perfectly depicting the style and charm of the ’40s.
27. What Was Next For Joyce?
What spurred Joyce to get the house sold was the next direction she wanted to take her life in. She decided it was time to live out her days in a retirement home.
She confirmed the initial impression made by the Spizzirri sisters: that Joyce was simply too old to continue maintaining the dwelling by herself any longer. She wasn’t an expert in decor or anything like that.
28. Honoring Joyce’s Legacy
The sale was the end of an era. Everyone who had kept tabs on the listing was desperate to know what the new owners plan on doing with the property, but no details exist to provide illumination on the matter.
Joyce’s family inherited most of the timeless furniture, but the space still possesses the same endless possibility. The story of this home sale with stay with Clara and Gladys forever.
