96-Year-Old Woman Was Sat On A Goldmine And Never Even Knew

When two realtors took  a property being sold by a sweet 96-year-old lady, they could never have imagined it looked like this.

Just a normal street

On an average street in Toronto, Ontario there was a house that appeared seemingly  normal from the outside. The street was lined with houses, but there was one house in particular that made an imprint on two realtors. On a street in between the Old Mill and Baby Point area, something was discovered.

Real estate

The real estate agency was vibrant just as it always was. The staff was buzzing around with their daily routines, answering the phones, showing listings and trying to promote their properties as much as they could. This particular agency was run by two sisters, Carla and Gladys Spizzirri. After opening their business in 2009, they soon learned that they worked perfectly together.

Telephone call

The sisters split their responsibilities with one working on closing existing listings with clients and the other on finding new listings. Both had an array of experience in the real estate world and they knew exactly how to do things. However, one afternoon, as they sat busily working, the telephone rang and the call was a rather odd one.

Nothing unusual

Not thinking any of it, they answered the phone “Good morning, how can we help you today”? The office was constantly filled with sounds of the phones ringing and if they weren’t, there would be a problem. On the other end of the phone, a sweet lady called Joyce explained to Carla and Gladys that she was potentially interested in selling her home. They had no idea, where this usual conversation would lead them.

Selling up

When clients usually call the office stating they want to sell their home, they are filled with a little excitement. The fact that finally, they made the decision to move always seems to be something that they are happy about. But not this time. Joyce sounded far from enthusiastic and indeed, a little sad but that didn’t stop her from pushing the sale onto the sisters.

What is she hiding?

Continuing to tell the pair how she wanted to sell up, it wasn’t long until Joyce uttered a sentence they had never heard before and certainly something neither of them had expected. Throughout the whole conversation, something wasn’t right, and Joyce continued to talk in a hesitant tone. What was she holding back? The sisters thought that there seemed to be something that she didn’t want to admit to them.

Hidden details

If there are problems in a property that a person is trying to sell, the normal thing to do is to try and fix the problem as soon as you can. So, was that it? Was there severe damage that Joyce was trying to hide? Actually, this wasn’t the case at all, there was no damage, but she was trying to hide something.

Challenge accepted

What she was hiding came to be something much bigger than a few small fixings here and there. The sisters realized that this was going to be no usual case but never ones to back down and walk away, they saw it as a challenge and their curiosity got the better of them. Little did they know, that this was something completely new and something they had not dealt with before.

No backing down

Both Carla and Gladys had come across many strange properties in their time and they were far from amateurs in the world of property. They had tackled things most realtors would steer clear from, but they were the kind of people who loved a challenge, and moreover, loved to take it, work their way through it and come out on top.

Entering the property

Regardless of their knowledge and drive, there were still some doubts that wondered into their heads. What is it at that property that made Joyce’s voice shake with nerves, she came across as if she was almost embarrassed about something to do with the property. Rarely had it happened before, but this was a listing that would shock the sisters, and nothing could have prepared them for what they faced when they entered Joyce’s home.

Sought-after location

After over three decades in the industry, the women were more than intrigued and discussed the possibilities of what could be wrong with the property. The area was a sought-after spot in Toronto so they were desperate to have it, even with the question mark hanging over their heads. They knew the property would sell, as long as it wasn’t falling to pieces.

Time for a viewing

Finally, the date had arrived where they could go and view the property. They had mulled over what the problem could be and wasn’t able to reach a conclusion. Now they were about to find out. While on the phone to Joyce, she told them that she was 96-years-old and she happened to be one of their oldest clients.

Normal property

Their excitement and curiosity grew as they headed to the property. They suddenly began to think that what if the sounds in Joyce voice echoed something special and not something unwanted. From the outside, the property looked just like the rest. A well-kept property, on a popular street that Joyce had lived in for 70 years – and during this time, no work had been done to the house!

Outdated property

The sisters knew they would be walking into a super outdated property but hoped with a little remodeling and decorating, it would sell. They were experienced in dealing with older people’s properties and already knew that it was hard for the older homeowners to keep their properties in good shape if they had no one to help them.

High price area

Regardless of what the property looked like, the sisters knew they wanted it for the location and the soaring real estate’s prices. After sitting down and going over all the statistics and combining that with their knowledge, they reached an amazing selling price and crossed their fingers that Joyce would be continuing with her aim to sell the property. They had a list of quick and successful sales in the same area.

72 years

Even with everything Carla and Gladys thought and how Joyce sounded when they spoke to her, they were assured by Joyce that this was exactly what she wanted to do. And her words were very insisting, regardless of the fact that she had lived in the house for 72 years. It would be a hard situation for Joyce, to get up and leave a home that has been hers for so long but it was her decision and the sisters wanted the property.

Viewing the property

Finally, the day had arrived for the sisters to go and visit the mysterious property. They were excited, anxious and by now, they were just dying to go and have a look inside Joyce’s long-time home. What they saw was something they did not expect and definitely something they hadn’t thought of between them.

They couldn’t believe it

From the outside, the property was a little underwhelming when compared to the other properties on the street, as most of them had undergone some kind of renovations. Carla and Gladys were ready for the challenge and looked forward to meeting Joyce. After all, there are not too many 96-year-olds out there. When they walked through the door, their mouths dropped open in astonishment.

Wasn’t expecting that

The property was something like they had never seen before and the sisters could not believe their eyes. After spending so long wondering what could be wrong with the property, they never dreamed it would have so much charm and beauty. Despite Joyce’s age, she proved that she could keep an immaculate house and showed off her traditional style.

A stunning home

The house was just stunning. From room to room the décor hit both Carla and Gladys in the face. They had never seen anything like it and they were stunned. Joyce had looked after her home so well, that it was beyond their imagination. Never did they think that the place was going to look like it did. And they never thought it would have the style that it shown.

Kept perfectly

Joyce’s home was something out of a classic movie from an entirely different era. And not only did the décor screams class and individuality but it was one of the tidiest properties the real estate duo had ever come across. It was evident Joyce had a lot of love for her home and she had kept it outstandingly clean.

A trip back in time

The sister felt as if they had hit the jackpot, they had walked into a property beyond their wildest dreams. Joyce’s home was preserved so immaculately that the price would be much higher than they originally thought. The property was a gorgeous 1940’s time warp that oozed sophistication and took you right back to the era. Joyce hadn’t redecorated the property since that first time she moved in. And she didn’t need too.

Blast from the past

The house was like a museum and the sisters could see how well everything had been looked after over the last 70 odd years. Everything from the furniture, to the decorations and wallpaper screamed special. As Joyce showed the pair around the house, the rooms only got better and better. The sisters were in love. It was then that they realized, that all this beauty is what lead Joyce to sound so hesitant on the phone.

Vintage home

The home was decorated in the most feminine way with purples, pinks and golds and Carla and Gladys hoped this wouldn’t deter buyers too much – but the buyers would either have to want a super vintage looking house or they would need to redecorate the whole place. Downstairs in the basement, there was another hidden piece.

Perfect condition

There on the bottom floor, was a huge ‘man cave’ equipped with bar and wood cladding. When the inspectors arrived, there was another surprise in store for the realtors. With the properties age, everyone assumed that it would need some work and yet the inspectors told Joyce that it was in perfect condition. Following the viewing and discussions, the property was listed for an astonishing $699,000!