You know how some people tape up pictures of supermodels to keep motivated for their fitness and diet goals?
Well, I check out real estate well beyond my means in preparation for my one day dream home. Like the supermodels, it’s an ideal that's terribly far away, but it’s fun to imagine the possibilities...
Oh The Bridal Path...
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This home in Toronto’s exclusive Bridle Path neighbourhood is priced at $26,800,000. The 11 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms are great, sure, (plus the indoor pool, home theatre, an arboretum, and bowling alley) but frankly, I’m more intrigued by the idea of finally having enough space for
the Yamaha Disklavier baby grand piano I’ve been lusting after...is all.
The Sophisticate
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In my vast imagination, I’m also tri- or quadrilingual, which would make living here in the L’Ile-Bizard/Sainte-Genevieve neighbourhood of Montreal perfectly agreeable.
Perched lake-side, you could drink in the views from your breakfast terrace, take your exercises on beautifully landscaped grounds and head on over to the massage room (of course you would have a live-in masseuse). In the evening, you'd casually browse thousands of prized bottles in your wine cellar, or retire with a Cognac to a large, marble-clad sitting room of your choice.
Anything At All...
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Then there’s THIS property in West Vancouver. Fifteen minutes from downtown, the plot of land -- listed at a mere $39,900,000 -- is 460’ x 823'. A standard lot is 33’ by 122’. In a town where every scrap of living space comes at a premium, having a parcel of dirt this big is mind-boggling!
I would have no idea where to even begin with that much land, but fortunately the sellers have a plan. Included in the purchase price is construction of a 21,000 sq ft rancher with an Olympic size pool and 16-car garage; a 7000 sq ft guest house with another swimming pool; and a 2600 sq foot home office and maids quarters. I would sign up to BE the maid if it meant living in a house that size...
But this plot is something else. In addition to being able to build your home exactly as you please, it allows for all kinds of flagrant indulgences like, say, an organic mini-farm, a subterranean cache of goods for a post-apocalyptic scenario, or the standard private amusement park (yawn). If you're the family sort, create your own compound!
In addition to watching what I eat, I’ve embarked on a firm financial diet to see how close I can get to my real estate dreams...
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By: Claudia Kwan
Claudia
is a freelance journalist multimedia producer for Global TV, CBC Radio,
Vancouver Sun, and various food & beverage publications. Claudia
lives in Vancouver, BC.
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