Toronto’s Best Houses & Condos Of 2017 By Urbaneer

Annex / South Annex / Seaton Village, Buy of the Month, College Street / Little Italy, Dufferin Grove / Bloorcourt Village, High Park North / The Junction, Leslieville/Riverside, Midtown, Roncesvalles Village, The Danforth, Yorkville / Summerhill / Rosedale

Welcome to 2018! 

I – and the Urbaneer team – wish you health, joy, and prosperity throughout the coming year!

As we kick off 2018, we’d like to continue our tradition of showcasing the past year’s ‘Homes Of The Month’. In the spirit of our favourite zines like Toronto Life and their ‘10 Most Popular Sales Of The Week Of 2017 / Condos Of The Week Of 2017‘, we hope this roundup gives you a better sense of the kinds of properties we recommend Urbaneer’s Buyers purchase, along with the reasons why.

Spanning several of the neighbourhoods across the City of Toronto, here’s 12 examples of the dwellings we bought this past year! When you click on each link, you’ll get the full story on each Buyers’ journey to homeownership!

 


 

 

January 2017 – Home Of The Month – Leslieville  • Listed at $949,000, Sold for $1,148,100.

In this month’s feature, we share the journey of a professional couple who climbed the property ladder from their swish one bedroom condo at The Hudson on King and Spadina, into a four level freehold townhouse in Prime Leslieville. Although they weren’t originally seekingt a dwelling with nearly four time more square footage than their condo, this strategic property purchase appealed to our Buyers for its turn key condition and superb location. This post is ideal for those looking to climb the property ladder, or who wonder why east side real estate has historically been cheaper.

 

 

 

February 2017 – Home Of The Month – Dovercourt Village  • Listed at $678,000, Sold for $876,100.

In my February buy blog, I helped a professional couple living in the suburbs who decided now was the time to pro-actively purchase an investment property that could serve as future accommodation for their daughter, should she choose to attend university in Toronto once she’s completed high school. Like many forward-thinking parents today, acquiring a residence that can be both an investment and serve their own future needs is a big (and smart!) consideration. If you, like these Buyers, live outside the city, this post explores how old Toronto’s downtown housing stock is (and the repairs often required), and how location factors into value, and rents.

 

 

 

March 2017 – Home Of The Month – Roncesvalles Village • Listed at $1,099,000, Sold for $1,401,000.

In my March installment, I share the journey of clients who had located to Toronto only a few years earlier and – although they owned a Yorkville condominium –  weren’t intimately familiar with many of the city’s neighbourhoods. This post offers two great insights. It’s a terrific read for those who are fairly new to Toronto, and how to best determine which downtown community will best suit your lifestyle and next family home. And it’s also an informative post for those trying to resolve whether you should consider selling your property first and renting. Because my buyers did, they had 3 advantages. Selling their condo first established the exact amount of capital they had for the next purchase; it provided cash liquidity to compete in a bidding war and match a Seller’s preferred closing date without duress; and they could take a one year rental lease which provided sufficient time to secure a property and then complete their renovations!

 

 

 

April 2017 – Home Of The Month – Danforth Village • Listed at $779,000, Sold for $981,411

This April post shares the acquisition of a legal duplex with an additional lower level suite in The Danforth Village, purchased by an investor with a long term view to building his financial portfolio. Looking to spend under $1million, and generate a reasonable return on investment (in this case a cap rate of 5%), this semi-detached dwelling on a corner lot with two car garage and four car parking near Mortimer and Coxwell Avenues offered a turn-key dwelling in a location that boasts a ‘small-town’ emanating from this tight-knit community-centric neighbourhood. If you’re an investor, this post identifies some of the criteria we believe makes for a prudent investment.

 

 

 

May 2017 – Home of the Month – Ramsden Park Near Yorkville • Listed at $1,700,000, Sold for $1,750,000.

This month of May buy explores how my buyer, reconciling a move into smaller digs, still wanted to have space to accommodate her adult children if necessary. Like any down-scaling buyer searching for a next ‘chapter of life’ residence, it’s about securing less (but enough) space in a more accessible less auto-reliant location. In this journey our buyer zeroed her search into the central core of the City – ideally Deer Park, Summerhill or Rosedale – near Yonge Street where she could engage in a pedestrian-friendly daily urban-village life. After all, why shouldn’t you life in the heart of the city where you can walk to all the cultural-amenities you crave?

 

 

 

June 2017 – Home of the Month – The Annex  • Listed at $3,295,000, Sold for $3,280,000.

Our July buy – completed by Urbaneer team member Carl Laudan – is about Buyers who were willing to compromise – and even renovate – a dwelling provided it was within a specific geographic location, which in this case was The Annex. Some must-haves for these Buyers included ample parking and spacious rooms (which was the basis for their draw towards the Victorian housing stock in The Annex) but more importantly because several family members already resided in the neighbourhood. This post demonstrates how patience is sometimes essential, when you’re waiting for ‘the one’ in your preferred neighbourhood.

 

 

 

July 2017 – Home of the Month – Clairlea  • Listed at $335,000, Sold for $369,000.

Our July buy – expertly steered by Urbaneer team member Kellye MacMillan – shows how a realtor can help a Buyer prioritize his needs. While “a shorter commute” was a priority, having some flexibility on location meant he could obtain other preferences on his wish list within budget, including securing 2 bedrooms and a den, an intelligent layout with 10-foot ceilings, and a private terrace that led to the building’s green space – perfect for his active canine! This post is terrific for those having to balance location, condition and size, and whether it makes sense to sacrifice location to get more space.

 

 

 

August 2017 – Home of the Month – Parkdale  • Listed at $999,000, Sold for $1,051,900.

In our August buy – steered by Urbaneer team member James Ormston – we offered insights on how Buyers can strategically purchase well-situated well-built properties which offer the flexibility of being a principal family home with the added security of an accessory apartment, or alternately, an income property to form part of their real estate investment portfolio. For those wanting to learn how to analyze Income & Expenses, address Repairs, Upgrades & Renovations, and how to identify which properties are best-suited to convert into income producing dwellings, this is a terrific read!

 

 

 

September 2017 – Home of the Month – Harbord Village  • Listed at $999,999, Sold for $1,038,000.

Our September buy – negotiated by Urbaneer team member Carl Laudan – shares the challenge of finding a city house for less than $1,000,000. Because Buyers with down payments of 20% or less are limited to dwellings valued under $1,000,000 (if they want to secure conventional mortgage-insured financing) – even when a couple’s combined incomes qualify them to afford a more expensive dwelling – it can make for a tough search, especially because the pool of available housing stock in downtown Toronto often requires significant capital improvements for upgrades or renovations. This post shares the succesful search for a turn-key residence which satisfied our Buyers’ desires in a dream home.

 

 

 

October 2017 – Home Of The Month – Little Italy  • Listed at $1,999,000, Sold for $2,000,000.

In October I shared the tale of clients who were seeking a downtown Toronto dwelling that offered them access to the best of urban living. Splitting their time between Toronto and their residence in the United States, they sought an easy-care property that wouldn’t require too much maintenance. Although they initially expressed interest in purchasing a generous condominium, there were a few must-haves that were otherwise deal-breakers. The first was that the building must be pet-friendly. The second was that the building allow the suite to be rented for periods of around six months when they were spending time out of country. The third need was ensuring they had enough outdoor space for seating and a barbecue. This blog is worth reading if you’re trying to balance the benefits of condo living with the freedom that accompanies owning a house!

 

 

 

November 2017 – Home Of The Month – Scarborough  • Listed at $1,495,800, Sold for $1,501,000.

Our November buy – navigated by Urbaneer team member James Ormston – shares the tale of a move which occurred because of circumstance, rather than by choice. When our clients endeavoured to install an electric vehicle charger near their underground parking spot  (at their own expense – in their reputable ‘house-in-the-sky’ Don Mills condominium complex) their efforts were met with confusion and resistance by the condominium board. After initialling searching for a townhouse for themselves, our couple began to consider how they might age-in-place, which prompted them to shift gears and buy a larger dwelling with their Son and Daughter-In-Law that would accommodate two generations, where they could integrate collective support, nurture familial bonds, while retaining some independence. For those considering Multi-Generational Living, this post is a Must-Read!

 

 

 

December 2017 – Home Of the Month – Bloor Sherbourne  • Listed at $579,999, Sold for $560,000.

In my December post I share the tale of a client who, after living in a substantial multi-unit Victorian on the central west side for nearly three decades, decided to downscale into a city vista two-bed/two-bath condo in the centre of the city. While the Dufferin Grove manse had served as an intelligent investment, the ongoing maintenance and repair had become too onerous. Furthermore, this client was beginning to find it difficult to manage all the stairs. Sound familiar? For those who are also finding it challenging to manage house and health at the same time,  this post is how being in proximity to friends should be a factor of high importance in your housing search. If you’re single and down-scaling, this post shares how critical we be near our social world so we can support and take care of each other as we age in place.

 

Did Any Of These Properties Speak To You?

These 12 diverse Toronto properties provide a snapshot of the kind of Homes urbaneer sells. Serving first and move-up buyers, investors building their long term property portfolios, and down-scaling Zoomers, our mandate is to help our clients choose property which will realize the highest future return on their investment while ensuring the property best serves their practical needs and their dream of “Home” during their ownership. At Urbaneer, we identify a property’s best qualities, features and insouciant charm in the context of your wishes and wants, plus your future target market. Although searching for the right property can be an intense and sometimes lengthy process it is, without fail, rewarding both to our clients and the Urbaneer team. We are so grateful to be the realtor of choice for both Torontonians, and the newly arrived.

If you, or someone you love, has specific real estate needs, wishes and desires, and would enjoy the personalized service of Top Producing boutique real estate outfit who subscribe to a pressure-free approach, please know we’re here to help at urbaneer.com. Here’s our Testimonials which showcases our commitment to service.

~ Steven

Steven Fudge and the Urbaneer Team
Bosley Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage • (416) 322-8000
http://www.urbaneer.com • info@urbaneer.com

– earn your trust, then your business –

 

Celebrating 25 Years As A Top Producing Realtor

 

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