In 1985, Ann McGill was nearing 30, and she had a good job as an administrator 
at a big-five bank. She decided to buy a house on her own, but she didn’t have enough for a down payment, so she moved in with her parents for a while 
to save up.

Months later, Ann’s brother suggested that she buy his two-bedroom semi, 
near Main and Gerrard—which she did, for $95,000. At the time, for someone 
as young as she was, it was a lot of money. And borrowing wasn’t cheap: mortgage rates were in the double digits. To pay off her loans, she rented out a spare bedroom.

By the late 1990s, Ann had been promoted to a team leader at work, which came with a substantial raise. She fell in love with a three-bedroom home on Beech Avenue, in the Beaches, but the owner wouldn’t accept less than $200,000, which at the time seemed outrageous. (Today, of course, nearby houses go for upwards of $1 million.) Instead, she bought a three-bedroom semi in the less-fashionable Upper Beaches for $189,000.

In 1998, her boyfriend moved in. They were both working from home, and the semi suddenly felt too small. Ann decided to look at the eastern edge of Leslieville, pre-gentrification. Her partner didn’t think it was safe, but he wasn’t contributing any money to the purchase, and they had agreed that he would have no claim on the new house. Over his objections, Ann bought a three-bedroom in the area for $293,500.

The house outlasted the boyfriend, and, by 2008, Ann’s mortgage was paid off. She retired at 55 and bought Fred, her golden retriever, who is currently her only housemate.

The first buy

Osborne Ave. (near Main and Gerrard)
Purchased for $95,000 in 1986
Sold for $145,000 in 1996

Ann bought this two-bedroom brick semi from her brother. It was in rough shape, but her dad helped her sand the hardwood floors and rebuild the deck, and she repainted the cupboards.

 

The second buy

Kingsmount Park Rd. (near Woodbine and Kingston)
Purchased for $189,000 in 1997
Sold for $283,000 in 2002

This three-bedroom semi had only two tiny closets, but a trip to IKEA solved any storage issues. Ann sold the house when it started to feel too small for her and her boyfriend.

 

The third buy

Woodfield Rd. (near Dundas and Greenwood)
Purchased for $293,500 in 2002
Estimated value $1,000,000 in 2017

This three-bedroom detached home needed some work, but the real problem was the rooming house next door. The landlord ended up selling the place to a family in 2004.

The bottom line

Ann, now 61, managed to build a million dollars in equity on a single income. Thanks to early retirement, she’ll have plenty of time to enjoy it.

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Address: 1888 Bayview Avenue, Penthouse 16
Neighbourhood: Lawrence Park
Agent: Barry Cohen, Re/Max Realtron Barry Cohen Homes Inc., Brokerage
Price: $2,995,000

The place

A south-facing penthouse in a new building near Sunnybrook Hospital. The spacious unit includes a library and a dining room, and it has enough room for both a piano and a billiards table. It’s just one conservatory away from being the perfect setting for a real-life game of Clue.

Here’s the foyer:

The dining room, with billiards table:

There’s space for a piano in the sitting area:

The living room has an electric fireplace:

There’s a breakfast area next to the kitchen:

Here’s the den and/or library:

The guest bedroom:

The master bedroom:

The master ensuite:

And the master bedroom’s walk-in closet:

The history

The building is three years old. The owner upgraded nearly everything in this suite, from the herringbone hardwood floors in the foyer to the custom drapery throughout.

Big selling point

The kitchen has marble countertops, soft-close drawers, built-in speakers, illuminated cabinets and a huge sink—plus appliances by Sub-Zero and Miele. With a new Whole Foods just down the street, the buyers will have no trouble hosting dinner parties:

Possible deal breaker

The view is a cemetery, which is considered bad luck in some cultures and just plain creepy in others. There is an upside, however: no other condo building will ever block that view.

By the numbers

• $2,995,000
• 2,280 square feet
• $1,428 in monthly maintenance fees
• 3 bathrooms
• 2 balconies
• 2 bedrooms
• 2 parking spaces
• 2 lockers
• 1 den
• 1 electric fireplace

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Address: 33 Mill Street
Listed for: $450,000
Sold for: $459,900

The property

This two-bedroom condo is located on the eastern edge of the Distillery District, close to shops, restaurants, and one of the city’s fanciest Beer Stores. The owner enlisted realtors Melanie and Joanna Wilson to put the place on the market.

The stager

After completing George Brown’s interior decorating program in 2011, Casey Taylor-Panet started her company, 184 Decor, out of a 100-square-foot storage locker. She now works out of a 2,000-square-foot office and warehouse space.

The strategy

Because of budget constraints, Taylor-Panet had to work with the sellers’ existing furniture, adding new pieces sparingly. Her goal was to create as much space as possible by reconfiguring the furniture and decluttering.

“Even though the main room was open-concept, they had positioned the furniture to make the living room feel like a separate space,” Taylor-Panet says. By moving the TV against the wall, removing one of the seats, and shifting the remaining seating around, she was able to open up the room. She added a few accessories to brighten up the colour palette.

The dining room is an example of budget staging. There’s no new furniture here. All Taylor-Panet did was some decluttering and repositioning. The bright centrepiece matches the white accessories in the living room.

The master bedroom was one of the few areas where Taylor-Panet had control over the colour scheme. She added bright, modern bedding and cushions (“HomeSense is always my go-to store for bedding and pillows,” she says) and tied the room together with an art piece and a variety of candles in different shades of blue.

This space was being used as a storage room, but Taylor-Panet wanted to make sure buyers could envision it as a second bedroom, so she brought in a bed. She added some green and purple pillows and accessories to brighten things up a bit.

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Greg Prozanski, 41

Retail assistant manager

Where: Regent Park
How big: 466 square feet
How much: $262,000

Four years after moving to Toronto from Russia, Greg and his wife, Daria, decided they were done with renting. Their strict $250,000 budget locked them out of most downtown one-bedroom options, but, thanks to Toronto Community Housing’s Boost Program, which covered a sizeable chunk of their deposit, they were able to afford a tiny pre-construction unit. To ensure the tight space would be as airy as possible, Daria picked light-coloured finishes, including birch-hued cabinetry and grey floors. Greg scored most of the furniture from the ReStore, Habitat for Humanity’s shop for donated goods, where he works. He didn’t need much: the stone kitchen island takes up a third of the apartment. Guests (a maximum of two at a time) sit there while he prepares dinner.

In Yekaterinburg, Russia, Greg worked as a gemologist. He brought his microscope with him when he came to Canada, and he made a jeweller’s workbench out of an old desk and some plywood:

 

The 52-square-foot balcony doubles as storage space for whatever won’t fit inside:

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The renter: Mike Landry, a 28-year-old software developer.

The story: Mike moved to Toronto in the summer of 2016 and, after a couple short-term leases, ended up at a two-bedroom apartment in the Coffin Factory lofts. (Built in the late 1800s, the former factory at the corner of Niagara and Tecumseth was once owned by the National Casket Company, which churned out coffins until the early 1970s.) The apartment had 18-foot ceilings and a friendly housemate, plus it was a piece of Toronto heritage. Best of all, Mike’s half of the rent was just $760. Unfortunately, the place also came with his housemate’s chinchilla, Popsie. The rodent was cute, but it had an annoying habit of kicking the foul-smelling contents of its cage onto the concrete floor, which was difficult to clean. As a result, the apartment had a general veneer of grunginess about it. By early 2017, Mike was fed up with shared living. He was ready to forfeit his sweet pad for a bachelor apartment, so he set a budget of $1,300 and began shopping online for places south of Bloor, from Lansdowne to Spadina. Thanks to his month-to-month lease, he was in no rush to find a new home.

Option 1

A bachelor apartment at Augusta and Dundas, advertised for $900 per month

This place was in an alleyway off of Augusta Avenue, in Kensington Market. Mike liked the idea of living in such an exciting and walkable neighbourhood, but the ground-level apartment only had one tiny window, and it was hidden behind the fridge. He decided the location was worth it and expressed interest, which is when the landlord informed him that the rent was actually $1,000, which was $100 more than she’d advertised online. Still, Mike got a letter of employment from his boss and submitted an application. He never heard back.

Option 2

A one-bedroom condo at King and Portland, listed for $525,000

During his rental search, Mike toyed with the idea of investing in a property with his brother and dad. On a whim, they visited an open house at this King West building. The complex had a beautiful courtyard, with a long stone table perfect for summer entertaining. The unit itself was a bit small for the price, though, and it only came with one bedroom—not ideal for sharing with a sibling. While the idea of jumping into the housing market was tempting, Mike decided it was out of his price range for the moment.

The choice

A bachelor at Jameson and Leopold, advertised for $900

Mike stumbled across this Parkdale bachelor apartment on Bunz Home Zone, a Facebook group for renters. The apartment was initially advertised as an April lease, but was later switched to May. The other 40 or so people who’d commented on the Facebook post were thrown off, but Mike, with his flexible lease, was still interested. He visited the place a week later. It was small, but he liked the slanted ceilings and the big window overlooking Leopold Street. He got his paperwork together the next day and moved in on May 1.

Here’s the kitchen:

The living area:

And the sleeping area:

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Address: 44 Rainsford Road
Neighbourhood: The Beaches
Agents: Aleks Oleksak and Amir Shahi, Sage Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage
Price: $1,389,900
Previously sold for: $710,044 in 2014

The place

A semi with a distinctive triangular window and 30-foot ceilings.

The history

The home is owned by architects who completely renovated it. They added a central atrium and gave the exterior a grey, modern facelift (though it still blends in well with the neighbouring homes). The interior has an open floor plan, with oak hardwood flooring, a 16-foot island in the kitchen and bridges that span the atrium to act as hallways on the upper levels.

Here’s the living area:

There’s a bit of space for a couch by the kitchen:

A closer look at the kitchen:

There’s a breakfast area with a door to the back deck:

And here’s the back deck:

There are three bedrooms on the second floor. This glass bridge spans the atrium:

Here’s one bedroom:

And another:

And another:

All three second-floor bedrooms share this bathroom:

The master bedroom has the third floor to itself:

Here’s the master ensuite:

And there’s a private balcony:

The basement is finished:

Big selling point

The atrium is topped with a large skylight that allows natural light to reach all three floors.

Possible deal breaker

The bridges on the second and third floors have glass guardrails. They let natural light pass through, but they might make families with young children nervous:

By the numbers

• $1,389,900
• $4,240 in taxes (2016)
• 2,500 square feet
• 19-by-125-foot lot
• 4 bedrooms
• 3 bathrooms
• 2 fireplaces
• 1 skylight
• 1 parking spot

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Address: 18 High Park Boulevard
Neighbourhood: Roncesvalles
Agent: Graham Connaughton, Sotheby’s International Realty Canada, Brokerage
Price: $9,000 per month

The place

An unfurnished three-bedroom century home near High Park.

Here’s the backyard, accessible by an automatic gate:

The glass doors in the kitchen open onto the patio:

Here’s the dining room:

And this is the living room:

The sun room:

And another lounge-y area on the main floor:

Here’s the first of three bedrooms:

The second:

And the master:

Which has a spacious ensuite bathroom:

But it’s not the funkiest bathroom in the house:

Downstairs, there’s storage, a furnace room and this recording studio:

The history

Built in 1910, this house was almost completely gutted and redone 18 months ago by the owner, who works in the entertainment industry. The owner was keen on avoiding the condo-within-a-home layout he found common in renovations nowadays, instead finding inspiration in the Arts and Crafts movement. The $1.3-million reno left only the fireplaces and three brick walls upstairs intact.

Major perks

The 400-square-foot master bedroom has cavernous 16-foot ceilings. The basement studio is completely soundproofed, and could be used for recording or as a home theatre. The lease also includes yard maintenance and snow shovelling.

Possible deal breaker

Before he officially downsizes and moves out, the owner plans to occupy an adjoining one-bedroom studio at the back of the property. Not everyone may want their landlord living in their backyard.

By the numbers

• $9,000 per month
• 1,700 square feet
• 4 bathrooms
• 3 bedrooms
• 3 parking spots
• 2 fireplaces
• 1 sunroom

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Calvin Huynh, 36

Risk manager

Where: Corktown
How big: 455 square feet
How much: $274,000

When Calvin Huynh sold the Yorkville penthouse he shared with his ex-husband, he decided to buy a new place using only his half of the proceeds. He knew he’d have to settle for a tiny apartment, but he didn’t care. “What North Americans consider a small space houses a family of four in Hong Kong,” he says. The first time he viewed the studio unit he now lives in, it was unfurnished and uninviting, and he decided not to bid. Then he saw a similar unit fully furnished and had a change of heart. A month had passed since he had originally viewed the studio, but it was, miraculously, still on the market—so he snapped it up. His only complaint, now that he owns the place, is that the bathroom takes up too much square footage. He’d rather have some of that space allocated to a dining area, where he could entertain.

He sourced much of the furniture from CB2, including the sectional bed frame, which doubles as a shelf:

 

BoConcept designed this geometric wall-mounted storage unit:

 

Calvin wishes the bathroom were a bit smaller, so he could use the square footage as living space:

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Sonya Terek, 26

Transportation planner

Where: Harbourfront
How big: 420 square feet
How much: $230,000

Sonya was living with her parents in Mississauga when she decided to buy this one-bedroom condo near the downtown waterfront. The place was small, but it seemed roomy enough to sustain life, at least for the time being. While renovating, she measured the apartment and realized it was, amazingly, even tinier than advertised. (Its L-shaped layout and wall of windows create the illusion of more space.) Should she ever outgrow her home—she admits it’s nowhere near big enough for her to share with a partner—she thinks she’d like to rent it out to a tenant, rather than sell it. With a steady stream of rental income at today’s increasingly crazy prices, she believes there’s a decent chance she could net a tidy profit while paying down her mortgage.

The credenza is both a TV stand and dish storage:

 

She left many of her possessions at her parents’ house, keeping only the items she uses regularly, like her turntable:

 

When she took possession of the condo, the first thing she did was renovate the bathroom:

 

The condo is a one-bedroom. (When Sonya’s friends come in from the burbs for the weekend, they crash on the couch, which pulls out into a double bed.)

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With patio season around the corner, now is the perfect time to get your backyard, deck or balcony in top shape for a summer under the sun and stars. Check out some inspiration from the latest trends now being seen in homes across Canada.

Grow your own garden. No space is too small for enjoying nature and cultivating your own produce, with condo dwellers even planting micro gardens. Join the grow-it-yourself movement with some traditional flower beds or an herb garden you can use in your cooking. A natural dye garden is a new favourite, featuring vegetables, fruit trees and pollinator-attracting flowers that can be used to dye textiles, yarn and clothing.

Solar-powered lighting. Environmentally friendly decorating is growing in popularity both inside and outside the house, with attractive features like smart design and energy efficiency. Upgrade your outdoor living space with solar-powered lighting, which is now available in a variety of styles like string or fairy lights, lanterns and rustic lamp posts.

New greenery. Plants are having a major moment in design, especially in urban environments as city folk look to escape the concrete jungle. Potted houseplants look great in any outdoor space too, and if you have a bigger lawn, shrubs or dwarf shrubs can help you scale the trend upward. Virbunum Kilimanjaro Sunrise and Hebe are excellent low maintenance shrubs for suburban yards.

Natural materials. The look and feel of concrete is out this year, replaced by wood, wicker, rattan, teak and terra cotta. These natural materials create more visual and tactile interest, and suggest a rustic, weathered environment that feels more lived in and comforting. For a bold look that’s very of-the-moment, try furniture in these materials in non-traditional colours. Think a wicker chair in turquoise or a wooden stump that serves as a side table in orange.

Unexpected florals. While florals in an outdoor living space are anything but surprising, what’s new and now are oversized flowers in industrial materials that work as wall art. For example, a large bloom made of layers of rustic, galvanized iron in a bright red or yellow makes for a fun focal point and conversation starter.

Anything DIY. Do-it-yourselfers rejoice, because accessories with an upcycled, repurposed, vintage or antique vibe are still super fashionable. Browse Pinterest, blogs or Instagram for thousands of projects you can complete in an hour or weekend, like a DIY wine bar made of painted wooden crates and patio tiles, a homemade terrarium in a mason jar, or latticework lighting.

Family-style fire pits. Many of our favourite memories involve gathering around a fire at camp or the cottage. Recreate this positive energy in your own backyard with a fire pit that’ll bring friends and family together. Plus, fire is a natural element that can help connect you to nature and destress after a long day. You can find this trendy yard feature in any home improvement store, or you can make your own using online tutorials. If space is a concern, a decorative tabletop fire bowl is the perfect solution for enjoying your garden long after the sun goes down.

 

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