The Globe and Mail - 06.03.2020

H8 DONEDEALS O THEGLOBEANDMAIL | FRIDAY,MARCH6,2020

THEACTIONLate last year, this two-
bedroom corner suite was
cleaned, painted and staged, giv-
ing 17 potential buyers the chance
to visualize what it might be like
to make it their new home.
Though it was the sole unit avail-
able in the roughly 16-year-old
Bayview Mansions building, it
still took a couple of weeks for an
offer to emerge.
“[Buyers] in the general Bay-
view Village and Bayview/Shep-
pard area don’t appear to have
the same sense of urgency as the
downtown core does,” agent
Christopher Bibby said.
“Rather than wait until the
spring [market], we opted to go
on right at the end of December
because we figured there might
be someone looking at that time

and recreation facilities.

THE AGENT’S TAKE“The ease of ac-

cessibility to transit, highway

[401] and shops was a determin-

ing factor for families and empty-

nesters,” Mr. Bibby said.

“[Furthermore], in the area,

you’re going to get larger, more

expansive floor plans than you

would in the core, so the sheer

size, and the fact it has a split bed-

room plan, an eat-in kitchen and

detached balcony facing north

away from Sheppard, were really

what attracted people there.”

and we’d take advantage of what

appeared to be a period of low in-

ventory.”

WHATTHEYGOTJust a block west of

Bayview station and Bayview Vil-

lage Shopping Centre, this corner

suite is flooded by sunlight with

windows in the kitchen and both

bedrooms, as well as a balcony off

the open living and dining area.

The unit also comes with two

bathrooms, laundry machines

and a parking spot. Monthly fees

of $764 cover the cost of water,

heating, concierge and fitness

NorthYorkcondo

goesunderasking

2ClairtrellRd.,No.215,
Toronto
BAYVIEWVILLAGE

Askingprice:$695,000
Sellingprice:$667,500
Previoussellingprices:$305,000
(2006);$252,680(2004)
Taxes:$2,631(2018)
Daysonthemarket:25
Listingagent:ChristopherBibby,
Re/MaxHallmarkBibbyGroup
Realty

THEACTIONLast fall, the owners of this three-bedroom home

deliberated over the best time to sell, so agent Robert Nel-

son suggested they renovate the basement bathroom first

rather than leave it as is. In the new year, they welcomed

nearly 20 visitors in two days alone and had two solid offers

days later.

“If [sellers] miss the fall market or it’s getting late in the

fall market, I encourage them to go on in January because,

especially uptown, everyone shuts things down and gets

into holiday mode,” Mr. Nelson said.

“Usually by the end of November, nothing new is going

to come out, so if you come out in January, you’re satisfying

six to seven weeks of [pent-up] demand.”

WHAT THEY GOTThis 1,760-square-foot house was built on a

25-foot-by-106-foot lot about 30 years ago, but numerous

renovations have been carried out since then.

The current floor plan has an eat-in kitchen and central

dining area, as well as main- and lower-level entertaining

spaces with fireplace and double doors to the deck and

backyard.

On the second floor, the master suite has a walk-in

closet and one of four bathrooms.

THEAGENT’STAKE“It was a turnkey home, not even a speck of

paint needed to be done,” Mr. Nelson said. “For that part of

Yonge and Lawrence, a garage and private drive for that

price point is virtually unheard of.”

The short street is also insulated from traffic and noise

on major arteries nearby. “It’s an eight-minute stroll to Law-

rence subway and it’s in a tremendous school district, so it’s

a convenient spot on a quiet street,” Mr. Nelson said.

• SYDNIA YU

Salepostponedtonewyear

forbasementrenovation

findsreadybuyers

176GlengarryAve.,Toronto

LAWRENCEPARK

Askingprice:$2,059,000

Sellingprice:$2,125,000

Previoussellingprice:

$1,176,174(2012)

Taxes:$8,714(2019)

Daysonthemarket:Five

Listingagents:RobertNelsonandNigelDenham,Sotheby’s

InternationalRealtyCanada

THEACTIONIn Mimico, few units are as spacious and stylish as

this renovated two-bedroom penthouse and even fewer have

three balconies and southeast exposure overlooking Hum-

ber Bay Shores Park and Lake Ontario.

However, its roughly $2.1-million price was double or tri-

ple that of older suites nearby, so it was relisted with two suc-

cessive asking price drops of about $100,000 in the fall. Final-

ly, in November, a deal was negotiated for $1.7-million.

“What was being offered was quite uncommon, so we

couldn’t use any comparables in the building or anything in

the surrounding area,” agent Christopher Bibby said. “Noth-

ing has sold for over $1,000 per square foot, so we were will-

ing to take a chance and see how far we could push the price.”

WHATTHEYGOTIn a mid-rise building not quite 20 years old,

this 1,705-square-foot unit comes with many added extras,

from three-car parking and three bathrooms to 16-foot ceil-

ings in the principal room.

The custom Downsview kitchen also features a quartz is-

land and Sub-Zero, Miele and Wolf appliances.

Monthly fees of $1,324 cover water and heating.

THEAGENT’STAKE“In a lot of high-rise buildings, you’re not get-

ting a view until the 10th, 18th or 30th floor because you have

buildings in every direction. But for us on the [fifth floor], we

had a pure lake view,” Mr. Bibby said.

“It felt like you had a cottage. There were times when I was

on the balcony and the only thing you could hear were ducks

or birds taking off from the lake.”

The unit’s recent makeover was also standout. “Our clients

did a very high-end renovation and opened the whole place

up with a designer ... so it wasn’t just a matter of putting in a

new kitchen or floors, but all the electrical, plumbing, bath-

rooms, home automation systems and integrated lighting

and sound,” Mr. Bibby said.

–SYDNIAYU

Askingpriceteststhemarket

forwaterfrontpenthouse

80PalacePierCourt.,Ph503,Toronto

MIMICO

Askingprice:$1,895,000(Oct.2019)

Sellingprice:$1.7-million(Nov.2019)

Taxes:$4,376(2019)

Daysonthemarket:17

Listingagent:ChristopherBibby,Re/MaxHallmarkBibbyGroup

Realty

THEACTIONThis two-storey suite at
the River City building is only sev-
en years old, but agent Robin
Pope suggested to the owners that
its value could be increase with
some renovations, including ma-
keovers in the kitchen and three
bathrooms, and the conversion of
a den into a second walk-in closet
for the master bedroom.
After that work was done, the
marketing strategy – and price –
was altered three times to reach
more buyers. Several offers were
rejected, including initial bids
from one party that eventually
rose to $1.7-million in late Novem-
ber.
“We started at a higher price
based on all the efforts we had
made, but the problem was the
terrace had a lack of privacy be-
cause it faced units across the way.
But the same apartment with a
view and privacy would cost
$400,000 to $500,000 more,” Mr.
Pope said.
“My client wished to get more
[than $1.7-million], but it was a
business decision. The property
could sit on the market for three
or four more months and burn
through the costs of holding the
property and professional stag-
ing.”

WHAT THEY GOTThis 1,774-square-
foot suite has a wide and shallow
footprint, allowing for Juliet bal-
conies off three bedrooms up-
stairs. On the lower level, there are
walls of windows and two walk-
outs to a 703-square-foot terrace

off the living and dining areas.

Storage is ample with two

lockers and there’s parking for

two cars. Monthly fees of $1,103

pay for 24-hour concierge and

amenities, such as an outdoor

pool.

THEAGENT’STAKE“It was a beautiful

apartment,” Mr. Pope said.

“Apartments this size – with a

terrace and parking – are very un-

common ... so it was like selling

the most expensive house on the

street.”

Apartmentpricetweaked

threetimesbeforelandingbuyer

47LowerRiverSt.,Ph40,
Toronto
WESTDONLANDS

Askingprice:
$1,795,000(Nov.2019)
Listingpricehistory:$1,985,000
(Sept.2019);$1,845,000(EarlyOct.
2019);$1,495,000(LateOct.2019)
Sellingprice:$1.7-million
Previoussellingprice:
$761,239(2013)
Taxes:$6,355(2019)
Daysonthemarket:21
Listingagent:RobinPope,Pope
RealEstateLtd.