Toronto Real Estate with the Julie Kinnear Team

• 6 Bertmount Ave.
• Asking price: $499,900
• Selling price: $607,000
• Taxes: $3,207 (2007)
• Lot size: 19 by 87 feet
• Days on the market: eight
• Listing agent: Julie Kinnear, Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd.

This renovated semi-detached house in Leslieville was priced "aggressively" to attract multiple bidders. Several young professionals made offers, according to agent Julie Kinnear, but she didn't expect the selling price to go quite as high as it did - $107,100 over asking.

"We were pleasantly surprised that the market was so strong," she says. "It has gone through the roof. That area has probably gone up 20 per cent this year alone."

The street on which the house is located is desirable for its tree-lined sidewalks and proximity to trendy shops, restaurants, streetcars, schools and parks. "It's a beautiful street - one of the nicest in the neighbourhood," Ms. Kinnear says. "It's nice and close to Queen Street."

The nearly 1,300-square-foot house was built in the 1930s. In the past few years, the previous owners repaired the roof, updated the wiring and plumbing, and remodelled the bathrooms, kitchen and basement. Outside, a new deck and perennial garden were added.

"They meticulously renovated it," Ms. Kinnear says of the overall improvements.

The living room features a wood-burning fireplace with a new mosaic marble tile surround and mantel. The space is illuminated with pot lights, while the open dining area gets natural light from a bay window.

The kitchen at the rear features a breakfast bar, maple cabinetry and a floor-to-ceiling pantry, in addition to a rare powder room in the corner and an exit to the deck and parking.

A staircase along an exposed-brick wall leads to the second floor where there are three bedrooms with broadloom and a four-piece bathroom.

The lower level offers a recreation room and office area, both with ceramic floors, as well as a large laundry room.