How to make a condo treely feel like a home

How do you “home-ify” a bland-looking row of new condos (the 3200-block of Sheffield Avenue)? Simply add trees, and mix! You could also try those other timeless developer ploys, such as kitting out the tiny front yard with a BBQ that has a carefully worn cover, and a little set of table and chairs that has seen better days (the developer in question has also tried both of these tricks). I passed by the development this morning, in time to witness an impossibly good-looking bi-racial couple standing on the steps of one of the condos, introducing themselves to a Chad in a Cubs baseball cap. I’m not convinced that they weren’t actors, hired to stand there and wait until someone of my demographic walked past, then launch into their “happy-chat, howdy neighbor” routine – after all, the hardwood floors aren’t even installed yet in most of these units. What are these people? Yuppie squatters? Mr Developer, we get the message: it’s a REAL HOME. Oh, and yes, as a woman, it was really gratifying to watch these workers squirm while I took photos of them planting the trees.