Since last year’s collapse in Laval, there have been ongoing public inquiries in Quebec. Now that it’s happened in my other home state, I’m inclined to think that maybe North America’s aging infrastructure is hitting a tipping point.
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Real Estate Saga Part IV: Verdun
In case it’s not already clear, we had a strategy. We figured that if we wanted a large place at a slight discount, we’d have to look outside the “hottest” neighborhoods: Plateau, Mile End, Outremont, etc. One of our alternatives was a neighborhood called Verdun. It was on the metro green line (same as McGill) …
If I blogged more regularly, I would have told them so
Those of you outside Canada may not know two important things about the Canadian economy: the Canadian dollar is at an all-time high, and Canada is in the middle of an economic boom. When the dollar hit its peak earlier this week, there was a rash of articles on the subject. My favorite, though, was …
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Confession
I know I’m not supposed to say this right now and that it singles me out as a terrible human being, but I hate the Harry Potter series. I don’t generally read fiction to begin with and never found the books captivating enough to change my custom. As a non-reader of the books, I found …
Real Estate Saga Part III: four neighborhoods and three more contenders
6629 St. Andre was smack in the middle of a neighborhood called le Petit Patrie. Rumor has it that the name was coined mainly as a branding exercise to distinguish it from neighboring Rosemount (and with which it shares a parliamentary riding). My first foray into the the Petit Patrie was a children’s book launch …
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Real Estate Saga: Part II
In late June of 2006, we met our first love in the Montreal real estate market — after Luc, our realtor, that is — 6629 St. Andre, Apartment 3, listing for a mere $370,000. It was the 3rd floor of a 3-story (+basement) industrial building that had been converted to 3 condos. The 3rd floor …
Social Construction Holiday
Every year, the last two week of July are a “construction holiday” in Quebec, and lots of businesses close down. It’s a great idea once you get used to it, and it’s a good time to vacate yourself, that is, if you’re not trying to write a book, complete a real estate transaction, and are …