Unsellables | FULL Episode | A Too Cozy Cottage
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- čas přidán 15. 06. 2016
- Since she’s already bought her next house, single mom Lisa is even more desperate to sell her three-bedroom city cottage…But after a month on the market, the home hasn’t generated a single offer. Picture-perfect on the outside, the charming property features a handsome garden in a sought-after, lakeside neighborhood…But its mismatched interiors, grubby kitchen, and student-squat attic are turning buyers off.
In order to improve the home’s odds, Sofie comes up with a radical plan to transform the property from rustic shack to storybook cottage. And while Anthony and the team paint, make general repairs, and build custom shelves and a much-needed dining room banquette, Sofie gives Lisa a crash course in real estate 101.
Subscribe to Unsellables here: bit.ly/2KaAn0q
Watch more full episodes:
Season 1: bit.ly/3no6icb
Season 2: bit.ly/3mqfSdk
Season 3: bit.ly/34goGMH
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Can a slick makeover and big sales campaign help desperate homeowners sell their 'unsellable' homes? Packed with practical advice and tips to add real value to your house, this bold series shows viewers how to transform unwanted properties into unstoppable homes.
Unsellables - A Too Cozy Cottage - Season 2 - Episode 1
#Unsellables
Seriously? The kids are going to be off to college in the next few years, why sell? Remodel and stay put. Cute place within a high end area and close to downtown, crazy to sell. Fix it and stay.
she already bought another hosue with no guidance from realtor
I agree, I would absolutely love to have a cute little cottage like this in a great area. I think it’s the best of both worlds, feels like the country but near the city.
Her daughter is already studying to become a pastry chef.. I say she needs a larger kitchen lol
That is what I was thinking too! I would of stayed myself.
@@agood1 No, Lisa should have renovated this house *instead* of buying a bigger house.
She is mad to sell it. Why not renovate it and stay once the kids get out?
By the looks of it, the kids are in no rush to move out haha
She'll still be paying on 2 houses. Why not renovate and rent the one she's trying to sell? It would at least pay for the mortgage. (Jan Griffiths).
Kids don’t move out nowadays.
@@peridotbardot6571 To be fair, they are just teenagers.
I'd have kept it as a rental. Easy- Peasey.
The outdoor garden area of the house was really lovely.
Thought precisely the same thing. Personally I could not have left that place with what she could have done with it. But 2 each his own.
Err that reaction to the cat litter being in the bathroom was a bit extra. Where else would you put an indoor cat litter? Anywhere else would seem a lot worse.
Cat litter boxes -yuck!
My thoughts exactly.
Just get a nice covered box and keep it fresh and clean. The litter box has to go somewhere, so give it a nice treatment.
OMG! There's a TOILET in that bathroom! Gag gag gag!
Production can't manipulate people into thinking this is helpful without first making people feel bad about making normal choices.
This cottage is so adorable! Perfect for a single person or couple, but truly too small for a family.
Shame she's moving, because those kids are adults and should be moving out soon. Then she can have her perfect cottage!
it honestly is a shame. you can tell she loved it. she likely bought a bigger house to accomidate the adult children.
It was about the money - a hot area, chances are the home would be torn down and a new cookie cutter "McMansion" put up on the desirable lot.
@@agood1 I think they are teenagers
So many magazines and television programs try to impress audiences, owners and buyers by throwing tens or hundreds of thousands into renovations and upgrades. That is unrealistic for millions of people, so this program is a rare gem - fixing up properties with potential by making important decisions, spending within limited means, and doing some or all of the work yourself. Realistic. Well done, Unsellables!
I's love that home! Just me, my dog and a load of books! Heaven! Oh, a glass of wine.
I thought it looked adorable. Of course a person should see it with stuff they love not what we see here.
Don’t let her know if the dog sleeps in your bedroom, even in a bed on the floor! She seems disgusted by animals.
That cottage will be sold as a tear down to build a new million dollar house.
Unfortunately, I'd love to live in it!
Sadly true in Toronto today.
True. We sold last Year, got a million.
They tore it down.
If in THE states, YEs.
According to another thread that is exactly what occured
Why market this as a family home? It's perfect for a single person, but family home it isn't.
If I had known about this place four years ago I would have made an offer on it! Poor real estate marketing as far as I am concerned. It's a lovely house..
We've owned two different houses where neighbors let their cats go outside to do their business. There was a cat in a previous neighborhood that used to poop and wet in my flower bed. It smelled disgusting when I unearthed its poops with my trowel. (I've never smelled anything more revolting.) At the home we're living in now a neighbor's cat has pooped multiple times in a large flower pot by our front door and sprayed urine onto the wall (my husband just discovered it). We had to dump out the flower pot and will have to rent a power washer to clean off the stucco.
It might be convenient for an owner to let out his cat to go instead of using a kitty litter box inside, but I sure don't appreciate it. I have to do all of the work cleaning up the mess while the owner gets to blissfully ignore it.
I bet I'm not the only person who's very annoyed about having to clean up after other people's cats (and dogs). It's also upsetting to have to scoop up dead, torn up songbirds that cats have killed.
I love dogs, but have never owned a cat. After my experiences of cleaning up after other people's cats, I never will.
Oops, I posted my reply on the wrong thread. Sorry about that!
@@tinaroberts5858 she was asking way to much. $399,000.00. She may be in a million dollar home neighborhood but that not what her home is worth
@@happydays1336 There is a delete function.
The attic bedroom still looks like a disaster area. The ceiling has an awful texture, looks uneven, and as if it could become detached. The floor is a subfloor. I agree with other reviewers she should stay put and finish the renovation. What about the bathroom and the other bedrooms?
Agreed. Yuck! Subfloor? Really? Not "charming" at all and not chic! Just plain shabby looking.
Yeah! I wondered about the other bedrooms and bath! We never came back to them.
The loft makes a horrible master bedroom. Tall people can only walk about 2 feet width. Leave the kid up there. And yes, keep the kitty litter in the bathroom if you lack a basement.
Oh, and I hate painted brick.
I agree. They could have put some vinyl flooring down on those bare floors. They will chip and give splinters too
The grounds were just magical. No way on earth would I have sold. Gutted the place AND added square footage in addition.
Raised the ceilings And created an ensuite. That house had tons of potential.
$400,000 for a small, one bathroom, very old tiny kitchen. Just Wow!
Would be 1,000,000 with that land here in Melbourne
This was filmed in 2008 so I shudder to think how much it would be in 2021. The land is what is valuable and not the old, poorly maintained house.
Yes, hard to believe it was only $400K. It was filmed in Toronto and would sell for at least $1M here today.
@@sharong8511 $400k in 2008...that MAY be a hint as to why we had that little housing market snafu
It's Canada. Different market.
I would have gutted the living room, kitchen and bathroom, and made it an open plan. When the kids flew the coop, raise the roof, add dormers and create a master. Who needs to look for a new place?
It all depends where the columns are...
And finances.
Open plan isn't all it is cracked up to be.
@@diannt9583 Amen. Doors and walls are underrated esp with adult kids.
not in the budget.
That wee cottage went from nasty to OMG gorgeous. I agree, she should have stayed. After all, the kids
will be leaving home, so there would be space for her to grow old, with a spare bedroom for a grandchild
to come for a visit.
The reality is, in today's economy most kids don't leave home right after highschool/college. They can stay for years....
She should have waited a few more years then the kids would be gone. It takes so little to ready your home for sale. These home owners are just clueless.
Never buy a new house before the current house is sold.
there where do you go to empty the house out?
We rent in between purchasing or building a home. One time we didn't and it was extremely nerve-wracking to pay two mortgages at the same time so I promised myself I'd never do that again.
To make it clearer (I hope!) I'll call the four homes I'll be writing about "A", "B", "C" and "D."
We sold "A." We then rented for almost a year while we we built home "B". After living in "B" for 14 years we sold it and rented for over a year while we built "C". "C" sold in 48 hours. We then rented it back from the new owners for one week while we moved into "D" which is smaller and less expensive. We are fixing it up because it was pretty run down and dirty when we bought it.
(We did still own "C" when we sighed a contract on "D" but our Realtor had added a clause that stated we could back out of the purchase if "C" didn't sell. This kept us from the horror of having two mortgage payments to make. "C" sold in 48 hours.)
It's a real pain to rent after a house is sold because it entails two moves, but that is much, much better than fretting over how to make two mortgage payments at the same time.
When we rented we only used the bare necessities of furniture and kitchen goods we needed and stored the rest of our household contents. That can be expensive, but it's still better than making two mortgage payments and lying in bed at night being all stressed out about it.
This was a jumble of words, but I hope it's clear enough for you to untangle.
@@agood1 We put our household goods into storage units. We had to rent 6 large ones while "C" was being built.
I don't know if you have storage units where you live. They are rows of buildings with locked rooms you rent and store stuff in. (They aren't for living in.) We ended up paying about $400 a month to rent the six of them but, as I said in my previous comment, it was worth it to not have to be stressed out about having to pay two mortgages.
@@happydays1336 very smart.
@@agood1 In the UK the sale and buying happens on the same day when contracts are exchanged as part of a chain.
love this show... but why dont they say at the end if she really sold the house and how long it took??? would be nice!
Good to know thanks
If you want to know, look it up on her county's CAD. You can see ownership changes, taxes, values, etc. It's all public information. You can often search by owner name, but if that fails, just type the address in CAD.
Yes! It would be nice to hear if they sold it. Sometimes i wonder if the owner did’nt end up staying because of how nice they made it.
I'd like to know. I know this show aired years ago. That is a ridiculous price for a small 2 bdrm
Exactly... hostess made all these changes and recommendations...and you don't know if any of it worked...! i.e DID the house SELL! :)
Why would you leave when your kids will be flying soon and you were in the middle of million dollar houses
Paisley Szu Szu good point!
Those kids will be there forever!!
@@donnabittner69 My youngest at 28 has no intention of leaving home.
@@mossie1954 time to kick him/her out! LOL
That's what I thought. The kids will soon be on their own and this house is a perfect place to grow old.
Can anyone explain to me why is she more concerned with the furniture and the fabrics, that will go with the former owners, and not with the strucuture? Because a stove and cabinets, or a bad dining table you can change as you like once you buy the property, but an infiltrated ceiling is much more concerning, it makes me immediately worried about the roof beams.
I was thinking the same! Structural issues are more important than furniture or fabric!
The owner said the roof was fixed so there are no structural problems. She just didn't fix the ceiling damage.
Concerned with furniture & fabrics because you'll be amazed at the huge % of people who can't get past ugly paint or huge furniture. I'm always surprised why people don't get rid of most of their stuff when they're selling. No one wants to walk in and see your junk, they want to see the space.
@@NYCisland where are you supposed to put your stuff then? And if you are still living there, how are you meant to actually live properly without your furniture?
I'm a real estate agent. It seems weird, as you say, that people are concerned about the furniture and the fabrics when those things will most likely go with the owner when it sells, but that's what they look at. They have to be able to imagine themselves living in the space. More than that, they have to be able to imagine themselves *enjoying* living in the space. It's like the wrapping on a box of cookies at the store. You're going to eat the cookies, but the wrapper is the first thing you see and will probably determine which package you buy.
@@TheTewjr yes, but are they just supposed to toss old furniture? Buy stuff they personally don't want? Toss that, and replace in their new home with stuff they actually like?
Yes, I disliked her couch, but having house hunted enough back in the day, I could easily imagine that thing going with the sellers.
I've lived in the country my whole life, and NEVER have I seen anybody paint the bricks on a fireplace! What are you thinking?! City people never cease to amaze me with their confusing tastes. And litter boxes belong in the bathroom, where the hell else would you put it on the kitchen counter??
Agreed. Painting good quality brick fireplaces - a terrible decision.
I had a friend who let her cat walk all over her kitchen counter which was gross. I'd throw up if I saw a litter box on a kitchen counter. It's so unhygienic. Cat hairs in your salad. Yuck!
Re: the fireplace. THANK you!!! If you're going for "country cottage", don't paint natural brick.
Sorry disagree I would rather have a painted fireplace than those ugly red bricks, but I’d rather have a tile fireplace.
The owner seemed sweet.
I thought so, too. ♥
And totally clueless
Family mom on the kitchen: "It's clean and I like the baskets" 😏😆😂😂
Yep....the only thing she could find in the kitchen that she liked was the baskets. I chuckled about that one.
She was horrified
Where else would you put a litter box? In the kitchen???
My litter box is in the bedroom where my cat stays. But, I am careful to keep it clean and it is under a piece of furniture.
Laundry room
Must be in a room with a window that opens.
Why have one at all? I've kept cats for years, once they're past the training stage they can ask to go outside, I've never kept a litter tray in the house after that
@@HilaryB. My cat is 19 years old. He would never have survived that long if he was an outside cat. He is too curious, that's how I adopted him, as a stray. Average lifespan of an outside vs inside cat is 3 years/15 years.
I honestly dont understand why shes selling. Her kids will be grown and out of home in about five years and then shes left with a lovely little retirement home.
I agree with those who say she should stay as it is a great one person home. I also think you should have covered over those dinky porch posts. BTW that ceiling patch still shows a LOT! I do not like the dining room or kitchen afterwards. It still needs a KITCHEN. This was not a great redo, it is better but not great.
She has loved it since her childhood, it's a good location, her children will leave soon and it has a great garden! Keep it! Good size for her, even if one of the children ends up staying a bit longer.
btw: the whole "too many patterns" thing felt a bit like she was searching for flaws - it wasn't that bad
I think they were planted. The house was very clutter free. I believe that someone had already started the process of buying the house to tear it down as I’ve read in other comment threads. Most of the shows like these are fake.
Would have painted the lattice before installing...
I’ve been binge watching those show while bedridden and this is easily my favorite renovation. I think if I were here I would be wishing I hadn’t bought a new house! Too cute and the kids probably wouldn’t stay too much longer unless they were planning on staying home and going to school. I like to think that maybe one day she’ll buy this cottage again or at least that the older English couple bought it.
Sad about the painted brick on the fireplace. 🤷🏻♀️
Brick isn’t sacred. Some beautiful, expensive brick houses in the southeast are painted, usually white or grey. Not all brick is beautiful, though some is.
AMEN!!!!! That was criminal. Country cottage fireplaces aren't meant to be painted.
Exactly, I thought "no!!!"
Me too. Just clean the brick!
I love the painted brick.
I love this adorable cottage! The owner did a great job with the property and it looks magical. She may have needed a bit of help with the interior but she did not paint it wild colors etc....it was just a lived in home with their own taste. The changes made are charming! We just started redoing our own home and have done the same type of work, changing out furniture and making rooms more spread out, minimal furniture really enlarges rooms!
I'm about halfway through and feeling inspired. But I also have to say the hostess of this show is absolutely lovely. Very pretty in a natural way.
I think the house would b perfect for retirees. Someone who loves gardening.
What a gorgeous place, if I was a potential buyer I would have bought this even in the before-state, there’s so much unused potential, but you’d have to be creative and very motivated to see it
so my question is where should the cat litter be?? be glad it was clean.
It's such a gorgeous and Quirky property and beautifully updated. No wonder the British guy loved it, the inside is so like many of our British cottages - only this was quite big for some! I got to spend 17 phenomenal years in my favourite old cottage, I adore quirky homes 💖💖
The homeowner is lovely!
Poor but lovely
1st thing I thought walking up to porch is that the jack posts are holding up a porch that is falling down.
How wonderful that her children were on board and went with the decluttering.
Wow, I did not expect that huge a change!
What a beautiful cottage, and it looks even better after the update! I love it!
17:43 I paused it, and felt the two wooden box like coffee tables were not needed, and took up way too much space to even walk..Then I would have put the same color curtains as the color on the walls, with a white framed mirror over the fireplace.
Yes.. I agree with all. Especially those two ridiculous coffee tables.
Why do people buy those big bulky leather sofas? Yuck
I know. Even for the smallest room. Some never learn the importance of proportion.
They like it. That's why.
Or maybe they couldn’t afford a better one. As someone who is a young married student, we took whatever furniture was gifted to us and got the rest at IKEA or on Craigslist.
Love the end result of the renovations. It really spruced things up to make the cottage more sellable! I learned a lot too by watching the techniques used to update each room and also to add more usability to the kitchen that seemed unfixable without a gut rehab at first. I was super impressed with the end result. Great work everyone!
So you're cat can't poop in the same room that you do?
It is disgusting to be closed into the smallest room of the house with the overwhelming aroma of cat poop. Never..... put the kitty litter in the bathroom!
I love it after! Especially living room, dining room and kitchen
They have a house cat. Where does she expect them to put the litter box? The kitchen.
Another wonderful affordable, refreshing reno! LOVE HER WORK!!!
Where would you put the litter box if not in a bathroom? That's where mine is too
We have a cat flip. We don't own a litter box any more. Our cats prefer the garden.
Why did you leave the 2 jacks on the front porch? Leaving them looks like there is structural damage to the porch roof that hasn't been fixed.
TOTALLY agree! I'd have driven right by, seeing those.
Good catch. I totally missed those. There must be a structural reason, but what could those jacks do that posts couldn't do? Goofy that they left those. How is she going to sell her house with such an obvious structural issue? No one would miss those in person.
They didn't leave the jacks once the post(s) were fixed.
the jacks were still there when buyers came
@@jbc1715 I would be surprised if those were real buyers.
"The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members." - Coretta Scott King. Love your channel!
The kitchen drives me nutz. Still, I would've stayed because the kids would be out in just a few years.
The front is picture perfect now. So charming. The living room is lovely!! What a difference!
There was no need to add a dining area that seats 6 in a house that size. I think it would have looked better with just the table and chairs.
That place was a mess. I don't even understand how the kitchen ended up like that. There was no functionality. In fact, if I had been in her shoes, I probably would have gotten a new kitchen, fixed up the rest of the house like Sofie and stayed put. Soon it was time for the kids to move on.
Ok so I'm only in the trailer, and when she freaks over the kitty litter in the bathroom, I was like, so. What's wrong with that? That's where my cat box is. It's better than the kitchen for heaven's sake.
Dollhouse is what I kept thinking every time the tall people walked through.
She isn't thinking very well. Her kids will move out one day and she will have plenty of room.
Gosh, the cutest cottage I've ever seen with the most beautiful yard 💕
That house has potential and can absolutely adorable
I love that house and the garden ♥ I would have stayed for sure!
Worst part of this program is that they don't do a follow up and let you know how long the house took to sell.
They do on many episodes. Just maybe this didn't sell as well.
Love house transformations, just found this , and thought wow this lady looks just like our own Kirsty Allsopp 👈😁 well she would it’s her sister 😁😁😁👍 very much enjoyed this , will be finding more to watch. Well done Sophie , great little program.
I'd kick the kids to the curb , keep the kitty and stay there ! LOL Lovely .
Excellent job on this one
ANTHONY TO THE RESCUE!
That price seems outrageous for such a small dwelling; however, I do understand that location is a big factor in housing. I do NOT see that as a family home - too small! And the master bedroom ceiling & doorway both scream, "GO AHEAD & BUMP YOUR HEAD!" & believe me that will NOT be an occasional happening! NOT a good selling point!
I’d make the two small rooms downstairs into one master bedroom and leave the loft for company or grandkids.
Ok I’m confused. Did the house only have the one bedroom upstairs? Where did the mother and daughter sleep? They never showed their bedrooms. Also, the “dining room” looked absolutely tiny. I agree with everyone: she should have kept it.
Mother and daughter each had one of the small bedrooms on the first floor.
We just "downsized" from a 4100 sq. ft. 5 bedroom house to a 3100 sq. ft. 3 bedroom house and there are just my husband and me living here. Americans are spoiled!
My son lives in a 900 sq. ft., two bedroom house that was built in 1887. He loves it and it's really cute. It's considered a really dinky house where I live.
Well..... Where else is the kitty litter supposed to go? Lmfao I've got a covered litter box and it's in my bathroom too...Why this is an issue,I don't know. 😅
I think she is not animal friendly. She has a fit when she sees dog beds in bedrooms! My cat is snuggled against my back and the dog is on the bed beside us. Hahaha!
You torture your visitors but they won't tell you.
Out the back in a cat run.
I can understand what she is saying. If you are trying to sell you have to hide things like that. I had a toy chest modified with a cat door so that my cats could go and it was hidden. It worked pretty nicely.
Great job - the living room looks lovely!
The renovated dining room was a charmless disaster.
What would you have done instead to make the room better? Not being rude 🙂 I'm just curious.
@@jane-cn6nd As the room was so small, I would have used 4 really nice, high backed chairs to be a focal point instead of that ugly and impractical bench seat. I didn't see what type of overhead light they used but it is worth investing a little for something modern and bright as the space is too small for floor space features.
@@angelabacker1177 Agree. The bench seat looked cheap and nasty.
It became a standard catalogue dinning room, not ugly but also lacking personnal charm.
At first I though that they were going to build a breakfast nook like a booth there, then the added the table and chairs. Yes, it did look odd that way.
Lovely little place. The upstairs would have benefited from a dormer. I realize that's major construction, but a shed dormer to the side where one comes up the stairs would have taken the question out of whether or not the room is realistically usable on a daily basis. It's a shame this little gem doesn't have a bathroom.
The living room is gorgeous!
Beautifully done ✅
I wish they hadn’t painted the fireplace.
AMEN!!!!
I can just see the next owner walking in and being like “why would they do that?”
I know the open brick was so pretty!! Just clean it if it needs a little sprucing.
That wonderful brick could have been easily cleaned with elbow grease & Murphys oil soap
Why do people like that brick? It is an ugly red not an attractive brick at all and it doesn’t go with brighter look they were trying to achieve.
Omg! The Scarborough bluffs today is worth a fortune!!!!
Indeed now the interior somewhat matches the exterior and garden - well done.
The presenter looks as if she just jumped out of a 1980's music video - fascinating style!
I like that the home owner aren't fussy
Her fabric throws were each special and beautiful. no need to denegrate them.
I would LOVE this house! So much character!
I would buy this house because of all the beautiful greenery and space around the house.
Turned out so chic & cute. I wouldn't wanna part with a beautiful lil' cottage like that.
The renovations were good, and the property size is huge! Perfect for a gardener. I’m surprised at the $399k asking price with such tiny rooms. I wonder if it sold and for how much.
What a lovely little cottage! I would just add more flowers to the outside to make it even prettier!
great make over.
My favorite house. I love the cottage in an English garden setting. I want to move in!
Tiny. Good for a single person. The living room looks old fashioned though. I liked the fire place make over though.
Crazy what real estate costs in other markets. That house would go for around $100k in upstate NY where live!
I think it's in Canadian dollars so it might be different in the US.
Very odd.. We did not see the bedroom(s?) from the mother and daughter at all?
I didn't like that they just replaced the insulation in the hole.. The rest would have been rotted and needed replacing.. They should have taken off the board and redone the whole roof insulation... Especially if there was a new roof put on recently.
I find it odd how in Anglo countries corrections/repairs are always only done as a "cover-up".
Um, is that a plywood floor in the loft??
rather an OSB, which is worse. I wonder why haven't they covered it with laminate
Just right for the English couple
To me this is essentially a 2 bedroom cottage because few families will tolerate only one bathroom and I don’t think there’s room for a second bathroom in that narrow master. I love the cottage look, though, and the garden is a real winner!
What always boggles my mind is why owners wait till they're ready to sell to make these relatively cheap improvements? I mean, with the kid living in the attic she couldn't have done much (except fixing the ceiling) but the dining room and kitchen together cost less than $2,000 and that HAS to be much less than she put down on her new house . . . and it would have made their current house SO much more livable!
Kitty litter in the bathroom is not a problem, lack of exhaust is.
Is the loft flooring particle board?!
So wait...it was 20 minutes from downtown Toronto? And only 400k?? Something's not adding up. A small shed in Toronto just recently sold for a million.
This show is over a decade old by now.
the cottage was torn down / for the land and a mega home was built ...they do the same thing in California
I love the host's blazer! Looks great
bare plywood on the master bedroom floor?
The cat box reaction was ridiculous
The loft needs gutting.
Yes, the patch job still looked horrible....not a "peaceful oasis" at all....looks like a 5th grader did the drywall up there.
@@CM-sy3to and there’s no carpet or flooring, just plywood ....ew
HoOoOome owner Lisaaaa,
You're guaranteed to run this town~~~🎵
I wonder if it sold?
Doll house!! Exactly right. God bless you and your family. Great job!