Separate But Together: Buying a Duplex with my Ex-partner so our 5 Children Always Have Access to Their Parents
Having more than 2 kids in Toronto definitely turns heads, so with 5 kids, including two sets of twins, we seem to turn heads more than the average family! This includes “oohs” and “ahhs” and unsolicited questions about our family planning – including questions around if our two sets of twins are natural! As soon as we got used to all the attention, our situation changed, and now our family turns heads in another way…
When my partner and I came to terms with the fact that our relationship was over, we made our children our priority. We may not be in love anymore, but our children need us, and frankly, with five kids, we also need each other – 5 kids are a handful! Most divorces end horribly and the idea of living even remotely close to each other is unimaginable. To most people’s surprise, we decided to buy a duplex together – we wanted to live under the same roof, with our five children, so that our kids would have access to both parents 24/7.
My first experience with a realtor was not great. She hardly sent any listings, didn’t invest time to understand our needs and left us feeling all alone in the search. After this experience, I felt weary about working with a realtor again. Finding an agent and buying a house is stressful enough. Now throw in the idea of trying to find a house that allows me, my ex-partner, and five kids to live under the same roof, and with enough privacy that things don’t get awkward… and even more complicated, felt nearly impossible.
Lucky for us I met Reece in the school yard. He picks up his kids every day and we had chatted several times along with other parents. One day, I discovered that he is a Realtor, and he kindly offered to answer any questions we had about our current home or any future homes we become interested in. Reece was so honest, professional and helpful that I immediately thought to contact him as soon as we decided on our new living arrangement.
I called Reece and he patiently asked questions (and even probed further) to get a better understanding of our needs. He was very understanding and respectful of our situation and didn’t judge. He simply and genuinely cared about giving us what our family needed, even if our desires and living situation were “unique”. Because Reece spent so much time to understand exactly what we needed, he was able to walk into a home and know immediately if it would work for us, and told us honestly if he thought it didn’t. He also took special care with things we didn’t think of, such as looking at the electric panel. He knew our needs so well and took so much care to meet them that I felt he was moving in with us!
Fast forward a few weeks, Reece helped us buy the perfect duplex that met all the needs of our unique family. Because we bought before we sold, we had a lot of work to do to prepare our home for its sale. Reece took care of everything in that respect, from staging, to window cleaning, to photography, to videos – all out of pocket! He really spent a lot of time getting our house ready for sale so we weren’t surprised when it sold quickly.
What’s different about Reece? In addition to his patience, finding us the perfect home and treating us like his family, Reece is different in that he doesn’t disappear after the sale. He recommended the contractors that we used for our renovations and he continues to stay in touch to ensure that we are happy in our home.
Our experience with Reece was incredibly positive, and made the stressful process of buying and selling a home enjoyable. He put us at ease every step, and most importantly, our five children have the support and love of both of their parents every single day.
May 1, 2020
