SOLD OVER ASKING! 59 Brooklyn Avenue

Congrats to our seller clients who just sold their beautifully renovated Victorian home in Leslieville!

Close to 80 showings booked, 9 offers and an epic end result! We’re so happy for you guys and glad that we could help you with the sale!

For more info on this recent sale, check out 59Brooklyn.com

Planning to sell? Reach out for more info on how our full-service approach combined with our expert neighbourhood knowledge will get you the best results!

RECORD SALE!* 58 Myrtle Avenue

Congrats to our clients who just sold their beautiful home in Leslieville!

So happy for you guys on this epic result and glad that we could help!

Planning to sell? Reach out for more info on how our full-service approach combined with our expert neighbourhood knowledge will get you the best results!

*Highest sale ever on Myrtle Avenue

SOLD OVER ASKING! 13 Empire Avenue

Congrats to our seller clients who just sold this beautiful 3 bedroom home in Leslieville! Always so great working with you guys and happy that we could help!

Planning to sell? Reach out for more info on how our full-service approach combined with our expert neighbourhood knowledge will get you the best results!

SOLD OVER ASKING! 1238 DUNDAS ST E #612

Staged and sold over asking with multiple offers! Congratulations to our client on the sale of her awesome Leslieville loft!



For more information on this recent sale, please visit www.1238Dundas.com

JUST SOLD! 124 BROOKLYN AVE

Congratulations to our buyer clients who just purchased this beautiful Victorian home on one of the best streets in Leslieville!


Tons of character with a sun drenched main floor featuring hardwood floors, high ceilings, crown moulding and a main floor family room. Two and a half storeys with three spacious bedrooms, a professionally landscaped garden and two car parking! Steps to Queen Street East and all the best that Lesieville has to offer!

How laneway houses could help solve Toronto’s real-estate woes


The GTA housing market has been operating within a policy of intensification for more than a decade now. This has caused a shift away from ground-oriented homes and moved the market toward higher-density housing, such as condominiums.

Our real-estate market has seen consistent increases in the cost of housing, with the average price of a detached home in Toronto increasing by over 32 per cent this past November from the same month last year, according to the Toronto Real Estate Board.

While those who prefer urban living have embraced higher-density housing, folks looking for traditional ground-oriented housing must move farther and farther away from the city to find it.

So what if there was a way to introduce new ground-oriented housing in the heart of Toronto that could accommodate up to 100,000 people, and the solution was literally in our backyard all along? That is, if your backyard is along a laneway.

Laneway housing is an innovative concept first introduced in Toronto back in 2006. And while it ultimately went nowhere here, it did inspire Vancouver, Ottawa and other cities to introduce policies that embraced it.

The original concept a decade ago contemplated a separate dwelling being legally severed and requiring new municipal services, resulting in the digging up of laneways.

The new groundswell of interest in laneway housing (call it laneway housing 2.0) is focused on taking a different approach, where the new structures will be treated as secondary dwellings on the existing property.

That means the garage at the rear of the property could be rebuilt by the owner to include a secondary dwelling unit, potentially serviced through the existing municipal connections, limiting neighbourhood disruption and creating new appropriately sized, ground-oriented housing units that could range in size from 700 to 1,500 square feet.

This could represent one of the most innovative solutions to a wide range of the city‘s housing needs, including multi-generational households where the owner can provide accommodation for parents or children or introduce much needed rental housing stock and help generate new income from their property. And it would be creating new ground-oriented housing in areas close to transit and existing community amenities, with minimal neighbourhood disruption.

There is no silver bullet solution to solve all of our housing challenges in the GTA, but with approximately 300 kilometres of laneways in the City of Toronto, laneway housing could be a good start.

But this innovation will require that everyone works together: citizens, government and industry. And community consultations are underway. If you’re interested, you can participate by going online to: lanescape.ca/survey to learn more about the initiative and provide your input.

Remember: The best way to predict the future is to help create it.

SOURCE: THE TORONTO STAR

Knock, Knock. How to Avoid Door-to-Door Scams

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It’s early in the evening and there’s a knock on the door. You answer and are greeted by an official-looking man who claims he needs to see your utility bill to confirm you’re getting your energy rebate.
Do you let him in?
While he may be legitimate, he may also be using deception to sell you something you don’t want. Here are some suggestions for finding out:
• Ask for a business card. Then, check if it has an address, phone
number and website. If the salesperson refuses or just shows you his
ID card (which anyone can fake), that’s a red flag.
• Ask for the name of his employer. Sometimes salespeople will say
they “represent the phone company”. That doesn’t mean they
actually work for it.
• Ask if you can call his company to confirm details before buying. If he
refuses, or says the office is closed, shut the door.
• Ask if you can consider the offer and call the office the next day to
place your order.
• If you’re really suspicious, ask him to come back later. Then, call the
non-emergency police number. Police are aware of common scams
in the area.
Most importantly, use your common sense. Door-to-door salespeople can
be pretty persuasive, but if something doesn’t seem right to you, trust your
gut. Say, “No thanks.”
Of course, if everything checks out with the salesperson, and the offer is a
good one, consider taking advantage of it.

Getting Ready To Sell This Spring? Here Are Some Household Cleaning Tips!

cleaning
1. To clean bathroom tiles and grout naturally, try a solution of 1/2 cup of baking soda in 2 gallons (approx. 8 litres) of warm water. Apply with a clean rag or soft toothbrush.
2. To scrub out or blot a stain on a cushion with a slip-cover, put a sheet of plastic between the cushion and the fabric, to prevent the stain from becoming absorbed by the cushion.
3. Most shower curtains are machine washable. Wash yours with some water, detergent and a bit of bleach (for disinfecting), plus add a few towels for abrasion.
4. To clean your dishwasher, consult your dishwasher manual for cleaning instructions, as the methodology may differ based on the interior finish of your machine. Most recommend running the machine with either vinegar, a light bleach-in-water solution, or a brand-name cleaner recommended by the manufacturer.

TOP 5 LOFTS IN LESLIEVILLE

Top5LoftsInLeslieville
Working in the Leslieville/Riverside area, we often have clients ask us which condos and lofts we think are the coolest in the neighbourhood. After a recent meeting with a new client who asked us this same question, we decided it would be a good idea to write a list of our Top 5 Lofts In Leslieville. It wasn’t easy because there are a lot of great ones to choose from but here’s our top 5!
1
68 Broadview was built in 1914 and the building originally served as a Rexall Warehouse. In 2007, The Sorbara Group converted this building in to true hard lofts that are absolutely stunning! They salvaged several of the building’s original fixtures and hardware, and redistributed them within the building.

images_broadviewlofts

What makes The Broadview Lofts so cool?
• Tongue and groove wood ceilings
• Exposed brick walls
• Fantastic management with current maintenance fees around $0.39 per square foot
• Roof top terrace and large party room with unobstructed views of the Toronto skyline

# of units: 154
# of storeys: 6
Walk Score: 86

2
The Wrigley building dates back to the early 1900s and was once home to a Wrigley’s chewing gum factory. The building was converted to hard lofts in 1998 and maintains its authenticity from top to bottom. As soon as you step inside the front entrance and onto the original elevator, you feel like you’ve gone back in time. The Wrigley Lofts have been known to attract photographers, fashion designers and entrepreneurs to name a few.

images_wrigley

What makes Wrigley so cool?
• Massive warehouse windows
• Concrete mushroom columns
• A wide array of different sized units with different finishes
• Open concept living
• 14 foot ceilings
• Live/Work building

# of units: 79
# of storeys: 5
Walk Score: 95

3
The Garment Factory was converted into residential units in 2008. Atria Developments did a phenomenal job of integrating the old and new parts of the building seamlessly with a combination of traditional old brick and modern additions of steel and glass on the upper levels.

images_garmentfactory

What makes The Garment Factory so cool?
• Exposed concrete ceilings
• Restored concrete floors
• Large terraces and balconies
• Strong community feel
• Extremely pet friendly
• Live/Work building

# of units: 150
# of storeys: 8
Walk Score: 95

4
The Sync Lofts were completed in 2013 by Streetcar Developments. The exterior of the building is an esthetically appealing mixture of brick and glass and the interior is sophisticated and chic with modern advancements including built-in iPod docking stations and pre-wired speakers. You can’t beat this location with so many great shops, restaurants and bars just minutes away as well as Dark Horse Espresso Bar conveniently located on the main floor of the building.

images_sync

What makes The Sync Lofts so cool?
• Great layouts that maximize usable space
• A dog wash on the main level
• High-tech modern finishes
• Private rooftop terraces
• Large communal rooftop terrace with views of the iconic Riverside Bridge and the downtown skyline

# of units: 98
# of storeys: 8
Walk Score: 97

5
The IZone lofts were converted to residential units in 2002 by Atria. They are a cultural hub to artists, tech professionals and entrepreneurs. As you walk down the halls, you immediately look up to the industrial style lighting and exposed ducts that compliment the industrial and raw feel of the building.

images_izone

What makes IZone so cool?
• Ceilings ranging from 16 to 30 feet
• Skylights in many units
• Roof top decks on some of the units
• Large industrial double doors
• Open concept floors plans
• Live/Work Building

# of units: 104
# of storeys: 2
Walk Score: 95

WHAT TO CHECK ON YOUR FINAL PURCHASER VISIT

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When you purchase a home in Toronto, your Realtor will likely include at least 2 purchaser visits in the agreement of purchase and sale to occur before you close on the property. These visits can be used to make sure furniture fits, bring your family to see your new home, select paint colours, etc. You should plan to do your final purchaser visit a day or two before the closing date to ensure that everything is in order. Your Realtor will attend the purchaser visits with you and can help to answer any questions you might have. Now remember, you don’t own the home yet so there is a good chance that you will see moving boxes scattered around and the place might seem to be in disarray. This is normal (within reason). If your final purchaser visit takes place a day before closing and the house is full of garbage, no furniture has been moved and there is a car in the driveway with no tires on it, your realtor should definitely investigate further as it’s not likely that all of this will be resolved in one night.

Here is a list of things to look for during your final purchaser visit:

• Inspect ceilings, walls and floors for any damage that did not exist at the time you made your offer
• Turn on and off every light switch
• Test heating and air conditioning
• Test any exhaust fans
• Test all appliances
• Open and close all windows
• Test all of the outlets
• Check around all visible piping for leaks
• Run sink and tub water. Flush toilets
• Test the garage door opener
• Check for things that you thought would be included (appliances, light fixtures, etc)

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