Detached house in Keswick ($332K)

Detached 2 storey house in Keswick, town of Georgina.

Location
Address: 37 Joe Dales Dr, Keswick, Ontario.
Major intersection - The Queensways South / Ravenshow Ave, Keswick, Ontario.
MLS area - N17.

Price
$332,000.


Footage
Near 2350 sq.feet (235 sq.meters).


House Age
Almost new house,
approximately 5 years old.


Property Type
A detached two-storey house with a half of finished walkout basement.
Two cars garage.


Lot Size
52 x 100 feet (16 х 30 meters).


Kitchen and Appliances
Everything is new and nice.

There is a central air conditioner.


Main Rooms
Carpet is everywhere - can be good and safe for children but dusty comparing to hardwood floors.
8 feet ceiling in the house.

The owners looked a bit strange because of heavy colors of walls and chandelier in washroom.


Bedrooms
There are 4 bedrooms upstairs.


Basement
As already mentioned the basement is walkout which is nice, and that's the reason it is bright and light.
Half of the basement is finished (there is a room that can be used as an office) but the major part of the basement remains untouched.

Driveway
Four cars driveway which is pretty usual in new houses these days.

Backyard
Backyard is very average and has no special features.

Neighbors are occupied all the sides so it doesn't look private.

Kind of nestling box.


Area
The are and neighborhood are brand new and very fresh.

The houses faces new construction development lot,
the construction supposed to be finished within a year or two.
That means you have to live on construction site with all the advantages like dust, dirt and noise.
To learn more about Keswick which is a part of town of Georgina please visit the municipality website.


Schools
Lake Simcoe Public School is within 5 minutes of walking.


Park
Tornelogde Park starts right behind the school,
and I have to say that Keswick is very nice and very green place.
Nature seems everywhere,
and Simcoe Lake is withing walking distance.


Shopping
Price Chopper and Zehrs are in 10 minutes of driving.
Big stores like Walmart or Canadian Tire - in Newmarket (20 minutes of driving).

Public Transit
Go and YRT (York Region Transit) buses are here.
Also there are some local Georgina buses.
For more information please visit Georgina website.

Property Tax
Near $4000 in 2008.
Comparing to other cities it's pretty high percent of property value.
That can be explained by not that much businesses here who can pay most of the taxes required for the town, so residents pay more.


Pros
Lake Simcoe is right here.
The property is not overpriced, much lower even comparing to Newmarket.
The town is small and nice.
The house is new.
The house is spacious.
Very bright walkout basement.

Cons
Far far away of civilization.


Resume
This real estate property looks almost ok but the main problem I see that it is too usual, there is no any salt in it.
I cannot find any particular fault in it but don't know why I didn't like it.
But I liked Keswick itself.
My personal mark - 5 out of 10.


Technical Details
Living room: 3.47 m x 6.40 m
Kitchen: 3.10 m x 3.35 m
Eating area: 3.90 m x 3.35 m

Family room: 4.16 m x 4.75 m

Laundry room: 2 m x 2 m
Master bedroom: 6.25 m x 3.73 m

Bedroom 2: 2.77 m x 2.77 m

Bedroom 3: 3.15 m x 3.22 m

Bedroom 4: 5.31 m x 3.18 m
Basement room: 4.44 m x 3.30 m

Detached house for sale in Sharon / East Gwillimbury ($740K)

Detached bungalow in Sharon, East Gwillimbury.

Location
Address: 65 David Wilson Trail, Sharon, Ontario.
Main intersection - Leslie / Green Lane, East Gwillimbury, Ontario.
MLS area - N15.


Price
$739,000.
The price has recently been reduced for $40,000 (the previous price - $779,000).

Footage
Near 2500 sq.ft (250 sq.m)


The House Age
Built in 1996, so now it's near 12 years old.

Property Type
A detached one-storey house (bungalow) plus started but not completely finished basement. Three cars garage.

Lot Size
98 x 233 feet (29 х 70 metres).


Kitchen and Appliances
Marble counter tops (renewed in 2007).

Spacious, bright and very clean.

All the appliances in very good condition.
Although you can see they are not new.

There are central air conditioner (CAC) and central vacuum.


Main Rooms
There are enough rooms and it looks that's enough for everyone.

Some rooms have strange green carpet.

Some other have hardwood floor, in very good shape, no even any scratch.

The house includes eight rooms including three bedrooms.


Bedrooms
3 bedrooms.

There are 3 washrooms - per each bedroom.


Basement
The basement is big and potentially nice, like the house itself.
The floor is just painted, and all the walls are covered by drywall (I guess some insulation stuff is hidden under it) - that's pretty much it.
But there is really enough space.
Not much light though.

Driveway
Driveway is professionally landscaped.
Can accomodate 6 or even 9 cars.
I also must say that everything in the house shows some expanse so no compromises in any rooms or even any detail.

Backyard
Backyard faces absolutely open space,
it looks like a farmer's field at the backyard.
We can guess such situation can be for a long time (or even forever) but the selling agent gave a tip to contact municipality and confirm plans about this area development.

To be honest we have to note the civilization is far far away so we can assume no builders will be here for a nearest (or even not only the nearest) future.

Area
The area is very nice and it looks the neighbours are doctors, lawyers, business owners, i.e. not newcomers and first time buyers.

There are no 300K houses in the neighborhood so paying this price you can be sure your neighbours are at the same level as you.


Schools
There is a school within ten minutes of walking.


Parks
Rogers Reservoir Conservation Area is in 15 minutes of walking.


Shopping
A few small convenience stores can be found in the area but more serious grocery stores are in Newmarket which is in 10-15 minutes of driving.

Public Transit
It's almost unbelievable but there is a line of YRT (York Region Transit) buses here. But for sure in such remote areas our own car is the primary way of commuting. 5 minutes of driving - East Gwillimbury Go Station where you can start you trip to Toronto downtown (approximately one hour of train trip).

Property Tax
$6245 in 2008.

Pros
Really nice and beautiful house,
very pleasant neighborhood.


Cons
Price.
No sewer system (there is a ceptic).


Resume
The house is very nice if you are ok with the price.

Far away from city's noise,
right on fresh air,
with all the advantages of modern life (all amenities are within 15 minutes of driving).

The owner is a lady 80+ years old so all the walls/floors/appliances are in just perfect condition.
Overall the price looks reasonable.
My personal opinion - 8 out of 10.


Technical Details
Living room: 4.90 m x 4.13 m
Dining room: 4.49 m x 3.42 m

Family room: 5.28 m x 4.27 m

Kitchen: 4.32 m x 3.91 m
Eating area: 2.30 m x 3.91 m

Master bedroom: 4.03 m x 6.12 m
Bedroom 2: 4.08 m x 3.35 m

Bedroom 3: 4.34 m x 3.35 m

Detached house in Newmarket for sale ($353K)

Detached two storey house for sale in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada.

Location
Address: 132 Lowe Blvd, Newmarket, Ontario
The major intersection - Davis Dr / Leslie St, Newmarket, ON.
MLS area - N07.


Price
$353,000.

Footage
Approximately 2200 sq.feet (220 sq.metres), plus finished basement.

The House Age
Near 15-20 years I guess.

Property Type
Detached 2 storey house in residential area.
2 cars Garage.
Central vacuum and central air conditioner, so everything is ready for a comfortable living.


Lot Size
50 x 100 feet (15 х 30 metres).
Slightly bigger than average (I would even say wider than average)

Kitchen and Appliances
The kitchen is spacious,
walls here are covered by brick fake but the colors are a bit heavy as for me...


But anyway the kitchen looks better than an average one.
There is a central air conditioner in the house.

Main Rooms
The rooms are big enough,
not sure if they are light and sunny enough but my claustrophobia was sleeping there.
Besides the kitchen there was a big dining/living room.

You can find another room (with a TV set and gas fireplace) at the opposite side of the house.

I must say 2200 sq.feet house is much better than let's say 1500.


Bedrooms
There are 4 bedrooms on the second floor.

Non-for-Lilliputians.
That's enough even for children,
much more space and comfort comparing to some average house.

Basement
The basement is walkout and partially finished.

A dog lives here (a huge cage is located in the basement), that might be not a problem but wooden stairs are a bit gnawed away.


Driveway and Garage
Standard 4 car driveway ends with a standard 2 car garage.

Backyard
Backyard has disappointed a bit.
Not so big as expected taking a look at the house.

Don't be fooled by the picture taken probably by a professional using a fisheye lenses :)

Area
Comparing to Toronto we can talk about Newmarket as a balance between being close enough to all amenities (including jobs) and being far enough from noise and dirt of a big city. Most of the people living here are born in Canada and civilization (I mean immigrants from around the world :) ) is not here yet.
This particular house is situated in "old Newmarket" area.
10 minutes of walking to one of the biggest hospitals in York region (Southlake Health Centre), 20-30 minutes of walking (5 minutes drive) to historic center of Newmarket (Main Street).

Schools
Very near by (few minutes of walking).

Parks
Charles Van Vant Park within few minutes of walking.
The neighborhood is very quiet and family-oriented.

Shopping
Busy plaza with supermarkets, restaurants and small shops is located on Davis Dr / Leslie St (5 minutes of driving, or 10-15 minutes walking).
Yonge St is withing 2-3 kilometers, and everything is there - Canadian Tire, Wal*mart, Costco, Brick and big Upper Canada Mall.

Public Transit
YRT (York Region Transit) buses - on Davis Dr (5 minutes of walking).
Newmarket GO Train station - in approximately one kilometer, it may take up to an hour to be on Toronto downtown, however there are 5 trains southbound (to Toronto) every morning (weekday), and all of them return back on evening, no trains on weekend.

Property Tax
Near $3500 per year.


Pros
Quiet area,
relatively big house (definitely bigger than average),
the house in good condition.


Cons
A bit far from Toronto (if you are going to commute every day).

Resume
If you are tired about multiculturalism then consider small remote towns like Oakville, Oshawa, Newmarket where the situation is still close to that being here before mass immigration of the last decades. GO train however can bring you back to life.
Real estate prices are noticeably lower than in Toronto, or you can afford definitely bigger/newer/better house for the same price.
So you can consider that if you are not scared by distance from Toronto.
My personal opinion - 7 out of 10.


Technical Details / Dimensions
Kitchen: 4.20 m x 3.70 m
Living/Dining room: 7.80 m x 3.50 m
Family room: 5.80 m x 3.50 m
Master bedroom: 5.80 m x 3.60 m
Bedroom 2: 3.90 m x 3.20 m
Bedroom 3: 4.10 m x 3.20 m
Bedroom 4: 4.30 m x 3 m

Townhouse for sale in Toronto, Beaches area ($700K)

Almost new townhouse in Toronto, Beaches area.

Location
Address: 1898 Lake Shore Blvd East, Toronto, Ontario
Major intersection: Queen St East/ Woodbine.
MLS area - E02.


Price
$698,000.
So townhouse still doesn't cost a million dollars... so world is not crashed completely yet :)

Size
Approximately 2300 sq.ft. (230 sq.m.) together with finished basement.


House Age
8-10 years.

Property Type
3-storey townhouse.
You can see Ontario Lake from a bedroom at the third floor.


Lot size
15 x 117 feet (4.5 х 35 metres).
Townhouse like a typical townhouse.
Pretty regular size - high'n'narrow.

Kitchen and appliances
The kitchen is beautiful and I have no question to it.
Fridge, stove, dishwasher, microwave oven.
No air conditioned though.


Main rooms
The rooms are scattered on the floors.
The wall colors are pleasant.
The common feeling of a new house.
There is a hardwood on the first floor, carpet on the second and third ones.


Bedrooms
Master bedroom is on the second floor.
There are two smaller bedroom on the third floor.


Basement
The basement is finished and looks livable.

I'm sure it's been decorated by a professional designer so even details look stylish.


Driveway
What driveway you are talking about? The new construction doesn't care about those details.
The house front faced directly to Lakeshore so entrance to the house is from a walkway.

Backyard
The backyard is located between the house and its garage.
The garage is for two cars.

There is some landscaping on the backyard but honestly I wasn't impressed by it.

Area
The heart of the Beaches. The beach is located across the street.
I think it is the major advantage of this townhouse.

Schools
Everything is near by.
There are few children playgrounds withing 5-10 minutes of walking.

Park
The main park is located across the street.

Shopping
Everything required for a life can be found near-by.
For all the rest feel free to drive to the nearest Walmart or Loblaws.

Public Transit
No problems with public transit so you can live here even without a car.
Because after purchasing this townhouse you may have no money for a car :)


Property Tax
$4500.00 for year of 2008.

Pros
Location.

Cons
All the rest.

Resume and Conclusion
I still cannot understand who is the target audience for this property.

The most of young families cannot afford it because of its price.
It can be not so attractive for a serious businessman/executive because of neighbors behind the walls.
And lack of some matter-of-course features like an air conditioner honestly a bit depresses.
My personal mark - 3 out of 10.


Technical Details
Living room: 5.41 m x 4.19 m
Kitchen: 4.50 m x 4.19 m
Family room: 7.54 m x 3.05 m
Office: 3.98 m x 2.18 m
Laundry room: 1.85 m x 1.73 m
Master bedroom on the 2nd floor: 4.19 m x 4.01 m
Bedroom 2 on the 3rd floor: 3.71 m x 3.43 m
Bedroom 3 on the 3rd floor: 3.35 m x 3 m

Detached house in Tottenham ($230K)

Detached 2-storey house in Tottenham.

Location
Address: 87 McKnight Cres, Tottenham, Ontario
The major intersection: Queen St / 5th Line, Tottenham, ON.
MLS area - N19.

Price
$229,900.00.
To be honest I am not so familiar with Tottenham real estate prices but comparing them to Toronto prices those looe very very good. At the same time if you have to commute to your workplace to Toronto / Brampton / Concord / Richmond Hill then this location (I mean Tottenham) is the same as Newmarket (where the real estate prices are 50% higher) - the distance to Highway 400 is almost the same.

The original price was $250K, then $235K, now it is $230K and I guess it's not the limit. It looks if you come and bring $220 offer the owner will be glad to discuss it, and maybe give you a tip for a beer. :)



House Size
Approximately 1600 sq.ft. (160 sq.metres), plus finished basement.

House Age
Near 10-15 years old.
I'm always surprised why usually an agent doesn't know (doesn't tell?) exact size and age of the property.
Mistyfing those questions like I'm asking about some military secret...
Maybe they don't know really?

Property Type
Detached two-storey house in residential area.
There are central air conditioned and central vacuum in the house.

Lot size
30 x 105 feet (9 х 30 metres).
By the way it's not so huge lot even for GTA, not saying about such far-far-away areas like Tottenham.

Kitchen and Appliances
Clean and nice.
Absolutely good "my own home" environment, and to live here would bring no negative points.


Main Rooms
Dining room and living room have no visible separators and are practically the same big room.

There are hardwood floors everywhere and it looks very organic with even not the biggest footage.


Bedrooms
There are three bedrooms on the second floor.
Looks pretty standard by Canadian tendency.


Basement
Basement is finished and spacious but unfortunately a bit dark.
No windows however nothing that looks wet or smells bad.


Driveway
The house has an attached garage for one car,
two more cars can be placed on paved driveway.

Backyard
Backyard is not very big but cosy and pleasant to be at.
Wood deck.
The backyard is bordered by tall wood fence.
Faces not to a neighbor but to a children playground which is very nice as for me.
No direct access to the playground though.


Area
The area is very nice, and it's not a surprise - so far from Toronto so good :)
Very clean and quiet.

Schools
Are very close to us, maybe 5 or 10 minutes of walking.
The area looks very safe (to allow children to walk themselves) because even cars are moving not so often. Like in any village in middle of nowhere though :)

Parks
There are few children playgrounds withing a walking distance, and a big park in 10 minutes of driving (Tottenham Conservation Area).

Shopping
Two big grocery stores are located on opposite ends of the town so no risk to die because of lack of food. Also the near-placed plazas have many small convenience stores that carry all the stuff required for life :) including few family doctors (it's hard to find one in Toronto, but here the situation is much better).

Transportation
Someone said there was a bus that can take you and move somewhere closer to the civilization. But I'm afraid living without a car is impossible in Tottenham.

Property Tax
~$2050.00 for the year of 2007.

Pros
Relatively low price.
Very nice neighbourhood - everything is very quiet, clean and near-by.
Far from noisy Toronto, another style of life.
Main manufactoring plant of Honda Canada (in Alliston) is withing 10-20 minutes of driving (that's regarding a job).

Cons
Anyway the house could be a bit more spacious.
The nearest hospital is in Newmarket (more than 30 km).
There is no variety of schools and after-school programs comparing to Toronto and/or suburbs.

Resume
Everythign depends on where you live and what style of life you prefer.
I mean for this house the question is not "I like the house or not", but "I like Tottenham or not".
The house is nice for a family with up to 4 people.
The price is good and you won't find anything like that in Toronto or GTA.
So if you work from home, or need to commute to Barrie, Alliston, Orangeville or Newmarket - this town can be suitable for you.
You can reach Hwy9/Hwy400 intersection in 10-15 minutes, there are steps to north Toronto from there.
My opinion - 7 out of 10.


Technical details
Kitchen: 4.42 m x 3.05 m
Dining room: 7.17 m x 3.05 m
Living room: no data but it looks that the previous demensions (7.17 m x 3.05 m) are for both Dining & Living rooms together
Master bedroom: 3.75 m x 3.35 m
Bedroom 2: 3.35 m x 2.52 m
Bedroom 3: 3.11 m x 2.67 m
Game room in basement: 6.86 m x 4.12 m
Laundry room in basement: 4 m x 2 m