If you feel extra eyes watching as you peruse a Richmond Hill open house, they may not all belong to fellow prospective homebuyers.
That’s because the listing agent for has positioned more than a dozen handmade dolls in the two-bedroom heritage home. They peer up from doll-sized furniture, one grins from the home’s only bathtub and a few doll heads gaze down from shelves.
Dolls peer up from tiny furniture in the home’s living room.
Wylie FordThe dolls are the late owner’s handiwork, said Roddie Saunders, the home’s salesperson with Century 21 Heritage Group Ltd.
The dolls are the late owner’s handiwork, said Roddie Saunders, the home’s salesperson with Century 21 Heritage Group Ltd.
Wylie FordSaunders said he hoped the dolls would draw eyes to the listing — and the gamble paid off, with more than 22,000 views on since he posted the property on Monday.
While the open house, which will also include the dolls, isn’t coming until after the long weekend, Saunders said his staging choices have startled passersby and even the professional photographer.
“The reaction is like, ‘Whoa, what’s going on here?’” he said.
Saunders said the cheekiest doll placement is the one placed on the edge of the bathtub in the listing photos.
“That was a really dirty doll — it was on the floor in the back of the closet,” he said. Now, she’s presumably ready for bath time.
Roddie Saunders, the home’s salesperson, said he posed a doll in need of a bath on the edge of the home’s bathtub.
Wylie FordPlaythings aside, the late owner’s sister is looking for a buyer who appreciates the home’s historic charm, including stained glass windows, plus its “coveted” address in the city’s Mill Pond neighbourhood.
Details like stained glass windows are a nod to the home’s heritage charm, said Roddie Saunders, the home’s listing agent.
Wylie FordThe home needs “a lot of TLC,” Saunders added, which he said is reflected in the $899,000 listing price. That TLC includes repairs to the exterior, new flooring and a new hot water tank, he said, plus “lots of landscaping.”
But the house has been in the family for more than 100 years, Saunders said, and the late owner’s sister hopes that the future buyer will enjoy the home like generations of her family have.
117 Lucas Street has been in the family for more than 100 years, Saunders said, and the late owner’s sister hopes that a future buyer can enjoy the home the way generations of her family have.
Wylie Ford
117 Lucas Street, in Richmond Hill is a one-level living option for seniors, the home’s salesperson said.
Wylie FordProspective owners could also make use of the home’s large lot that spans 50-by-184 feet, the realtor said, adding it’s also a solid one-level living option for seniors.
Saunders said he’s “not really” concerned people will come away from viewings with a sense that the house is haunted — at least, not because of the dolls.
“It’s already an old home,” he said. “It already has that factor.”
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