A couple of weekends ago I decided to do a little bit of homework and dragged my friend KC along to look at some places with me.  With my Buyer Clients, I typically don't like seeing more than 4 or 5 properties in one session because they start forgetting what they saw or associate features with the wrong houses.  Following my own advice, I booked 4 appointments for properties, two in E1 and two in C2, that looked pretty good from the MLS descriptions and pictures... well, that was until we actually set foot in them. 

House 1 - YUCK!

Location: E1 at Coxwell and Gerrard

Details: 3 bed, 2 bath (1x4, 1x2), 1 kitchen, 2 storey semi-detached with 16.5 foot frontage

List Price: $229,000

Days on Market: 1

Things that Interested me from the Listing: the price

The first house we was was undoubtedly one of the nasiest houses I've ever seen in my career and life. Oh my gosh, I feel dirty to have even set foot into that place!! BAAAAH!!! What did I expect though? It's way under valued at $229,000 for a semi-detached 3 bed, 2 bath house at Coxwell and Gerrard. You can't even get a 1 bedroom condo up North for that much these days. Well, I thought how bad could it be since I'm not one to shy away from fixer uppers and like the potential for improvements, but this one was truly bad to the bone... I mean, really, really bad.  The house was totally dark inside in the middle of the day - not because there was no natural light, but because it was just that dirty.  Oh and it stank so bad that I didn't even want to breathe in there and I had difficulty breathing after.  Suffice to say, we walked in, took one look around and walked out.  I didn't even bother to go upstairs or explore any further in fear that I would catch something.

House 2 - The Small Do It Yourselfer (DIY)

Location: E1 at Danforth and Greenwood

Details: 2 bed + sunroom (used as main floor laundry room), 2 bath (1x4, 1x3), 2 kitchens, 2 storey semi-detached with only 12.5 foot frontage!

List Price: $329,000

Days on Market: 16, relisted - 20something days at previous price of $349,000

Things that Interested me from the Listing: the price, proximity to subway, renovated, 2 units already with a separate entrance

The second house, which was also on the east side around Danforth and Greenwood, was much, much better than the first.  In contrast to the first house, you would think that I'd be ready to pull out the paperwork for this one, but this place just wasn't right for me.  While I appreciate the fact that people put sweat equity into their homes, it also makes you question how well the job was done.  The last thing I want is for the insides of my house to start falling apart and when you can visually tell that work is done sloppily (i.e. tiles aren't straight, floor tiles are used as wall tiles, gaps in floors, etc.), that's not a good sign.  It's sometimes more expensive to fix the problem than it would be if the improvements were never done in the first place since you're technically paying for the improvements, but have to do them again.  The second issue for me was that the house met my criteria, but just barely.  It was a really small house with only two small bedrooms and a studio basement apartment.  I need at least 2 bedrooms since I work from home, so this house would have been just enough for me with no room to grow - oh, and I couldn't fit a dining room table in there because of the size and the layout.  NO GO!

The next two houses were on the west side by Christie Pitts Park at Bloor and Christie.  Close to the subway, close to a park and close to shops and restaurants - all plusses for me.  The negatives? The houses! 

House 3 - The Estate Sale

Location: C2 at Bloor and Christie

Details: 3 bed, 1 bath (1x4), 2 kitchens, 2 storey semi detached with 13.5 foot frontage

List Price: $348,000

Days on Market: 2

Things that Interested me from the Listing: the price, proximity to subway, parks and shops, separate entrance to the basement, DETACHED GARAGE!!

The third house was an estate sale, so there was rubbish all over the front, which I don't mind because that doesn't stay with the property, but there was only one kitchen and the basement ceiling height was too low for living.  That was an automatic no.  There was also a big huge fireplace right when you walked in, which was pretty weird and the house was quite dated, but I absolutely loved the fact that there was a detached garage! KC also pointed out that it's bad karma to buy a house from someone who has passed... I personally don't mind all that much, but I hear what he's saying, so I might have to cross those off my list.

House 4 - Disaster DIY

Location: C2 at Bloor and Christie

Details: 3 bed + 1 (studio in the basement), 3 bath (3x4), 2 kitchens, 2 storey semi-detached with 17 foot frontage

List Price: $389,815

Days on Market: 8, relisted - 20something days at previous price of $399,000

Things that Interested me from the Listing: proximity to subway, parks and shops, separate entrance to the basement, some new updates (wood floors), already separated into 2 units (was previously 3), DETACHED GARAGE!!

Now the last house... this house was a worse DIY than the second house - hence the name Disaster DIY!  The front of the house didn't even have a railing, so I was afraid I was going to fall before I even got into the house.  Definitely not good curb appeal.  After walking in, you could visually tell that the owner had done the improvements himself.  The baseboards were all different heights and along one of the walls, it looks like he just stuck a bunch of small pieces that didn't even fit together.  The main floor washroom was poorly built on the backyard deck just off of the kitchen, so there was no entrance to the back yard anymore!  The upstairs and downstairs wasn't all that bad, but the poor renovations were obvious across the entire house.  The washrooms were another story... one of my favourite colours is pink, but not all over a washroom!  I just couldn't stomach this house.

These were not my first viewings of homes as I have seen a couple here an there between appointments or just out of curiousity.  I've been toying with buying a house for awhile.  Out of everything I've seen, obvioulsy nothing has fit the bill yet.  I really think I'm going to have to refine my criteria or fork out more loot to get something feasible.  We're not even talking about getting what I want right now... we're just talking about a house that I can even commit to.  After seeing these houses, KC even laughed at me and joked that he doesn't know if he can see me in a downtown house.  I almost believed him. I mean, I'm not the cleanest or extravagant person out there, but I just can't understand how people live in some of the conditions they live in.  Eeeesh... I'll have to spend a blog talking about that one.

Anyway, after this set of houses, here are some of my refinements to the search and my observations:

• Must be west of Leslie - while I don't mind the Beaches, I'm not ready for a Downtown-Suburbia life yet as it's too far east
• If it's around Christie, I want to be south of Bloor
• You need to feel out the neighbourhood and the house - if it doesn't make you feel good or comfortable, you shouldn't be there
• I need to lower my standards