Pass it on. . .

I don’t often post ads in this space, but this one is special:

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The Department of Art History and Communication Studies at McGill University invites applications for a tenure track position to begin on August 1, 2008, in the area of Media and Public Policy. Although the appointment is expected to be made at the Assistant Professor level, applications from more advanced candidates are also invited. We are open to all critical approaches, but we are particularly interested in candidates whose work is transnational in scope and addresses one or more of the following areas: cultural policy; political economy; globalization; activism; race, gender, ethnicity, ability and/or minority status. Theoretical approaches are also welcome. Candidates should have a PhD in a related field; evidence of scholarly promise will be a major consideration. In addition to conducting research, the successful candidate will develop courses in her or his area of specialization and supervise MA and PhD students. She/he will also be affiliated with Media@McGill, the university’s new hub for research, scholarship and public outreach on issues in media, technology and culture. Knowledge of French is an asset. Visit http://www.mcgill.ca/ahcs and http://media.mcgill.ca for more information about our programs. Applications should include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, three letters of recommendation, and two writing samples (20-30pp). The search committee will begin reviewing applications on November 15, 2007 and will continue to do so until the position is filled. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority. McGill University is committed to equity in employment. Please address applications to: Professor Jonathan Sterne, Chair, Department of Art History and Communication Studies, McGill University, 853 Sherbrooke St. W., Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2T6

Skipping Ahead to the Ending. . . .

People keep asking us if we found a place, and since we’re in the midst of moving, perhaps it’s time to flip the novel to the end before getting there the old fashioned way. YES, we found a place. The full story will have to wait, but it’s a floor of an old calendar factory in Villeray, very very close to the Jarry metro stop, which means it’s close to all sorts of things. And we’re moving into it next week. Which, combined with a busy time at the office, might account for unanswered emails, all manner of unfinished business, and a relatively sleepy blog.

Real Estate Part V: A Learning Experience

Note to readers who have tuned in with the program in progress: as I mentioned in my first entry for this series, my story is mostly in the past tense. In fact, we have purchased a place and are set to move in late August. The Verdun entry describes events from last August and September (2006). I also realize that this will go on endlessly at this pace, so I’m going to pick it up, as I don’t want to blog about real estate forever.

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Our first round of candidates in hand, and our first tour of Montreal complete, we mulled it over. Everything seemed so expensive and there was no perfect place though some were tempting. As fall approached, several sellers dropped their prices and we were ever so tempted to make an offer. But not quite ready. We still hadn’t figured out a lot of things (like the Canadian mortgage system, which is a whole other post). And we were determined to get a better deal. We thought that maybe we could get places listing for $350000 for $275000 or $300000. But we didn’t even get to the point of making an offer.

In the meantime, our agent Luc informed us that he was switching to another part of the business, appraisal, and that he would no longer be able to serve as our agent come the end of October. We got busy with school and didn’t see clear to make an offer. He “retired” and referred us to another agent, Sandra, who would carry us through for the duration.

Sandra sent us a list of new places to look at, and we asked her also to check on our top 3.

All of them had sold, for more than we were willing to pay. We were in for a long winter.

The first place we really liked with Sandra was in Rosemount, a neighborhood east of the Petit Patrie and full of tree lined streets, parks and even some houses. This place was on 3rd Av E., and while it was nice and big enough, it needed renovation of the kitchen and 2 bathrooms. And it was $355000. Oh, and the public transit situation to McGill was not particularly good. That said, if the transit situation were better, Rosemount would be a great option. It’s virtually unknown to our Anglophone friends; it seems like a Francophone NDG but cheaper: lots of beautiful old brick, pretty streets and neighborhood establishments. Still, nothing came of our brief flirtation with Rosemount.

From this point on, we basically entered our winter of discontent. Our time serverely curtailed by the school year and pickings getting slimmer, we went months without seeing anything we really liked. There was a place in Old Montreal with potential but it was too small and too expensive ($400000 for a place smaller than ours but in better condition, but with almost no services in close walking distance, and the taxes were high too). There was the psychologists’ office on St. Denis, just north of Rosemount. It was an old house (a house!) for $330000. Of course, we’d have to re-convert it back into a house from its mix of psychoanalysis and sexology services. Also there was a distrurbing crack in the stairwell. And it needed a new bathroom. And St. Denis is LOUD.

And so we looked when we could, and we really found nothing of much interest for months. We had our pangs of regret for not making offers on the places we liked. We knew the market better and knew what things we worth. We were ready, if only we could find a place.

Then the spring came. . . .

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) and was west of downtown. One ring out from St. Henri, it seemed like it might be a promising option. There’s a lot of “the next” talk in real estate, as in “neighborhood x will be the next Plateau.” Verdun is supposed to be the next St. Henri, I guess. I’m sure that there are many nice, normal homes in Verdun. However, when you get into the 2000 square foot range, things get a bit nutty.

5789 Verdun looked intriguing on paper. One of the pictures featured what appeared to be a grand piano.

And indeed, if you can fit a piano in a place, we want to take a look. But it was kind of confusing. For instance, there was this picture:

Yes, that is a giant mirror. It turns out that said mirror abuts a giant indoor hottub, right about where you’d expect to have a dining room. And where the living room was supposed to be, there was a bed on a stage. Within about 1 minute of entering the premises, the listing agent told us that the seller had “made over $100,000 renting the place out to the Quebec adult film industry.” Which explained the giant acrylic heels in the walk-in closet. The place turned out to have formerly been Verdun Auto Parts. So while the upstairs was refurbed as a loft/adult movie set, the basement was a whole other story. Huge and labyrithine, it was dark and contained many small rooms, as well as the remnants of an old conveyer belt. If adult movies were being made upstairs, it would be easy to imagine the basement as a horror set.

Needless to say, there was much immature giggling when we returned to the car, and our agent Luc dubbed it “the love nest.”

I no longer have the listing, but there was one other house of note in Verdun. Large and well-appointed on paper, it sounded promising. And it was an actual house. But when we arrived, we discovered that someone had put a group home for little old ladies up for sale. Sure, there was enough space, but first we’d have to buy a place and kick out a bunch of little old ladies. Very bad juju. Then we’d have to remove the locks on all the bedroom doors, the various safety railings and devices put in place, the second kitchen in the living room, the linoleum covering the hardwood floors. Well, you get the picture.

That was pretty much it for Verdun, though I will always return for the excellent big and tall clothing store.

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 from an economic analyst in the Globe and Mail who claimed that this boom was different from all other booms, that this time it’s sustainable and will go on indefinitely.

How stupid are people? The late 90s? The Asian Tigers? Boom markets never last. And indeed, one day after the loonie hit its peak (1), the stock market took a big dip as did the exchange rate.

This is one thing I will never understand. Or maybe I do understand it but I really don’t want to. Things like booms and wars are cyclical. With each boom, there’s talk of it never ending, until it does, and then there’s a lot of clucking and “never again.” Unless you work in parts of the tech industry, where the 90s appears to be some kind of cultural template. The same happens with wars, at least in the U.S. The government makes a big pitch and run-up to the war, flags are waved, the press is compliant, troops are sent off, people die, and then the scandals start coming out. By the end, support for the president is down, the press is all over the lies we were told to get us into the war in the first place, and there is much clucking and “never again.” That is, until the next time.

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1. A strong Canadian dollar is an ambiguous thing. It gives Canadians more buying power in the U.S., but industries don’t like it because it means that they’re less of a bargain for American investment. For consumers inside Canada, it’s ambiguous: some prices are set according to an older exchange rate (magazines are a good example of that), while others are set at the actual exchange rate. So if you buy a book on amazon.ca right now, you’ll pay more or less the American price at the current exchange rate. Meanwhile, if I walk into a magazine store and pick up the latest Vanity Fair, its Canadian price will be higher than if we’d just run the exchange rate on the American price. Maybe there’s a whole post to do on the cost of things in Canada. Another time.

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Carrie’s dad and stepmom are in town this weekend. Many movies will be seen, and much rest will be had.