The Front to Back Challenge

[Skook]

Kudos to wreckonomics for giving this a go which was a challenge given the format. I have uploaded the answers and added them to the bottom of the first post.

So, what was it about the front to back images that grabbed my attention? Well, try to image this…

I am going take these fourteen homes and transport and line them up along both sides of a single street. You see they are going to be the stars in my still to be written and filmed documentary titled:

‘Credit and Debt in the Early 21st Century and the Illusion of Wealth.’

I liken my imaginary street to one of those Hollywood towns build in the studio back lot. You know what I mean where it all looks so believable from the front but when you walk around back there is nothing there. So, that is what jumped out at me as I looked at those 14 listings pics; that their facades create this illusion of wealth but walk around the back and poof it disappears.

The three priciest homes in the Challenge are a perfect example with their beautiful wood trim and/or brick on the façade but around back and it’s just stucco or painted cement. Heck, the façade brick is likely just cladding and thus an illusion.

Just the other day I found this fine half a million dollar example from the Sunshine Coast. Do you think you would be able to pick out the front if you were shown the back first, blindfolded, dropped off in the street and told then to point it out? Probably not.

I can’t help but think this "challenge" could be a metaphor for the state of real estate in Canada.

So, when did we start buying into this and why? Has this been foisted on us by developers and builders as they save on building costs? Or, are we getting exactly what we’ve asked for? Has easy credit resulted in a drop in our standards? In other words, would we be more demanding or discriminating if we had to save longer and harder before buying.

Any thoughts?