‘Enamoured with the Hammer’: Toronto real estate agent rhymes about downtown Hamilton loft
The career trajectory of Arty Basinski is a somewhat head-spinning affair. First he was a musician, writing his own songs and playing in bands. This didn't pay the bills, though, so he went into real estate.
Early in his newfound profession, after struggling for a few months, he had a breakthrough - why not advertise the properties using the power of song?
The plan worked. Now, Basinski's listings go viral online on a semi-regular basis, thanks to the music videos he makes for his clients.
First it was Lil Yellow House," a duet he performed with the owner of a semi-detached bungalow in Toronto's east end. The video amassed over 66,000 views on YouTube and the house sold for just under asking price within a week.
His latest work is a promotional video for a mixed-use building in downtown Hamilton, which includes two apartments above a recently-abandoned vape store.
In Loft Mi Casa," which had just over 1,000 views on YouTube as of Jan. 22, Basinski makes the case for buying real estate in Hamilton.
It opens with a shot of Basinski standing before the Toronto skyline, CN Tower in the distance, evidently down on his luck. A man in a leopard-print onesie kicks him in the stomach for slapstick effect.
Leaving T.O., I've got nothing left to give. The bills are piling up, I can't afford to live," he tells us.
So off he goes to Hamilton, westbound along the QEW, to the land of cheaper real estate.
I'm enamoured with the Hammer," the Torontonian rhymes. Luxury condos are advertising; watch construction from your patio - quite mesmerizing."
Basinski's musical background has been a boon for his real estate career. I've wanted to do this for a long time, being a musician myself," he told The Spectator. Oddly enough, I didn't make it as a musician, but the real estate game turned me back into one, I guess."
He composes most of the music himself with help from his clients, many of whom have musical hobbies. The chorus in Loft Mi Casa" - seemingly salsa-inspired, impressively catchy - was recorded in his client's home studio. The client sings the hook.
When he's not selling property or rapping about it, Basinski is part of a roving circus act. He drums, he juggles, he spins sticks lit on fire and he walks around on stilts - sometimes all at once.
His novel approach to advertising lends itself to commercial property especially, which can take between six months and a year to sell, he said. It takes so long to sell commercial storefronts, so you have to keep the property at the forefront of people's minds. You have to come up with new ways to get people to remember these properties."
In addition to two apartments and storefront, the Loft Mi Casa building, at 17 John St. N., includes a storage room and an outdoor patio. Its namesake loft boasts a 25-foot-high ceiling and mezzanine bedroom with a walk-in closet.
A ROI guarantee," said Basinski. That's return on investment.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made properties harder to sell, so Basinski has also offered a few incentives. If you find the hidden cat in the 3D walk-through posted to his website, he'll shave off $5,000.
Jacob Lorinc is a Hamilton-based reporter covering business for The Spectator. The funding allows him to report on stories about education.