This week, four more Toronto Community Housing Corporation properties were put up for sale. But most people would be hard-pressed to know that.

By week’s end, not one of the houses had a For Sale sign out front. There were no virtual tours to be watched online.

The MLS listings — the most basic tool in every realtor’s property marketing arsenal — didn’t even feature exterior photos, let alone a peek inside each of these homes which may not be for the faint of heart, but are in some of the most sought-after neighbourhoods in the city, Riverdale and Leslieville.

Photo Not Available, all four MLS listings said above a list of room measurements.

The realtor charged with selling the four semi-detached houses — his brokerage has been allocated a total of 17 by the cash-strapped TCHC — didn’t return calls and emails from The Star.

One of the homes, which the MLS listing touts as an “excellent location in demand Riverdale” makes no mention that the house, with its deep backyard, is close to Withrow Avenue Junior Public School, just steps from transit and a short stroll to the Danforth and one of the best views of the downtown skyline from Broadview Ave.

Earlier this month, the TCHC halted the sale of one of the most valuable of the 123 houses it plans to sell off to help finance a $2.6 billion backlog of repairs in assisted housing complexes over the next decade — a $1.375 million Beach duplex that drew three offers before it was disclosed that the property is zoned for parkland.

The upcoming sale of yet more TCHC properties has got some realtors questioning if the housing company is now more focused on simply cutting the costs of sales effort rather than ensuring the houses are marketed to get the most money possible.

“I’m frustrated, both as a realtor and a taxpaying Torontonian, that these properties are not being effectively marketed and presented in the manner in which they should be to maximize value,” says David Fleming, who recently raised the issue in a lengthy blog post.

Some 30 TCHC properties will be listed over the next few weeks by realtors offering deeply discounted commissions or flat fees rumoured to be as little as $1,000 to $5,000 per property.

At the same time, the TCHC has issued a new request for proposals looking for realtors to sell the next batch of 42 houses.

TCHC spokesperson Sara Goldvine declined to discuss any details of confidential sales agreements with realtors, other than to stress that experience and understanding of the local market are the top priority and that sales have exceeded expectations so far.

“All of the homes that have been sold so far have been at or above the independent appraised value,” says Goldvine. “From our perspective, that’s good value for the taxpayer. We’re generating much-needed dollars for capital repairs.”

Veteran realtors Leonard Fridman and Matt Elkind have taken a completely different tact.

The pair have been commissioned by the TCHC to sell 46 houses — an usually large allocation to one company that has been, in the words of one realtor, a “game changer” in the TCHC sales efforts from previous efforts when properties were divvied up in groups of five or ten.

But it’s those very economies of scale that have been critical to their success so far, says Fridman and Elkin. They were able to create a slick website to promote the 46 unique properties and even launched “Coming Soon” signs that they stake out front in the weeks they are getting the homes ready, at a staggered pace so they don’t flood the market, for showings.

“A For Sale sign works harder than any real estate agent,” says Fridman, a long-time realtor, investor and renovator.

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“It’s out there 24 hours a day and it doesn’t need to eat or sleep.”

This weekend the pair will hold an open house at what has to be one of the tiniest — and low-priced — semi-detached three-bedroom houses in the City of Toronto.

The dilapidated TCHC home at 1318 Gerrard St. E. in the Greenwood/Coxwell area, overlooks the streetcar tracks. It is listed at just $295,000.

Like all the 25 TCHC properties Fridman and Elkind have sold so far, some for up to 126 per cent of asking price, this one is expected to result in multiple bids. Under TCHC rules, they are irrevocable for five days and supposed to go directly to the housing provider in sealed envelopes for consideration.

The Gerrard semi will likely be snapped up by a buyer, probably a renovator, also represented by the pair, as have more than 50 per cent of the TCHC properties Fridman and Elkind have sold so far, a practice known as “double ending a deal.”

They say that’s because they are aggressive at following up with open house visitors, and have a stable of buyers and renovators who closely watch what they have to offer.

In at least one case, they took it one step further, selling a rundown TCHC house on Ivy Ave. for $550,000 last June — $31,000 over the list price — to a renovator/designer who turned it into a chic, upscale showpiece that Fridman recently listed for $899,000 and sold for $959,000.

“On Ivy, that was because of our marketing. I wasn’t that the contractor did it on their own,” says Fridman.

“The MLS may expose a property to a very large market, but a good skilled agent will take it to the next level and bring in another layer of profit to the seller.

“It’s just like anything that’s competitive — you can buy the same shoes and eat the same food, but some people get in the race and just run faster.”