How a $302,000 over-asking bid stopped the competition

The Action: Late last month, the supply of available homes in Bedford Park was discouragingly low. So, when a “Coming Soon” sign popped up on the lawn of this renovated three-storey house, house hunters moved fast. One of the first ten visitors through the door made a $302,000-over-asking bid to secure the property.

What They Got: At the end of a row of 90-year-old houses, this 1,745-square-foot residence has a traditional porch and brick façade, but a row of windows hint of extensive renovations inside.

A third floor was added, a former bedroom converted into a third bathroom and walls removed between the fireside living room, central dining area and rear kitchen also revamped with slate floors, stainless steel appliances and a walkout to a deck with an arbour and parking off a mutual driveway off the fenced 19-by-125-foot lot.

For more privacy, there are two second-floor bedrooms and a lower-level recreation area with storage and laundry rooms.

The Agent’s Take:

"Part of the sale of the house is location: This was an easy walk to Yonge Street, the subway and school, Bedford Park," agent Julie Kinnear says.

"What was so good about it was they had opened [the main floor] up, which is very modern … but they kept the original window trims and stuff."

In addition, what did change was unique, notably the third floor built in collaboration with the neighbours.

"I don’t see this happen very often, but now I’ve got three different clients talking about doing it," Ms. Kinnear states.

"So this kind of house is extremely rare, almost impossibly rare … [because] it’s like the size of detached, but it was a semi because it had the third floor, and it was an amazing third floor with a huge living area, bedroom area, en suite, walk-in closet, great ceiling heights and Juliet balcony."

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Published in Globe and Mail,Apr 28, 2016

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