Fake ad for $400-a-month Markham treehouse gets agents calling for showings

Rental prices have been coming down in Toronto but the city still has some of the most expensive apartments in Canada with a one-bedroom averaging around $1,800.

So when a place in Markham appeared on the Toronto Buy, Sell, Trade group on Facebook for $350 a month, people took notice.

"It's crazy to see the prices of what theses crooks try to get away with asking over 2 thousand for a house plus utilities," the post says.

The poster, Neil Sirrom, then says he has two bachelor apartments at affordable rates; very affordable rates.

The post says the "raised apartment," which appears to be a treehouse, is $400 per month. They throw in some current real estate terms such as "open-concept" and "wrap-around deck" to describe the place.

The second, a "bungalow apartment," looks suspiciously like a shed. The ad says tenants would have access to a hot tub, which looks very run down, and all the power would come from an extension cord.

The ad received a lot of attention online, and according to Sirrom, several inquiries from agents asking to book showings.

But for those into tiny houses and the like, they may have noticed they had a striking resemblance to some commonly found on advertisements for sheds and treehouses. 

"It was just a fun joke to poke fun at the Toronto pricing," Sirrom told blogTO.

The post has since been removed, but it is not the first satirical ad Sirrom has posted. A few weeks ago, he posted an ad offering "homemade tarot readings" for $15.

"I try and post a funny ad once or twice a month," he said.