As Canadian cities get older, their housing stock ages, creating new opportunities for revitalization.

This was exactly the case with this 1880s Victorian Bay & Gable residence in the West Queen West area of downtown Toronto. A sorry state of disrepair, it was substantially transformed in 2012, striking an inviting balance between traditional and contemporary styling. Five-inch-wide wood planks replaced shag broadloom, and original details like the vintage doors and the century-old staircase were carefully restored! The wainscoting in the hallways harks back to the Victorian age, but modern amenities, like heated floors and the swank gourmet kitchen, are each just five years old.

This turn-key contemporary classic residence was brought to market on a Wednesday, and by Friday it was sold, showing that premium properties are still selling amidst a shifting Toronto real estate market. Even more amazing, the first three Buyers through the door each submitted offers, fueling a bidding war that pushed the price up a further 24% to $2,100,000! That’s a 75% increase since its purchase just five years ago!

Check out a video of the property below:

Special thanks to the videographers at SilverHouse

Transformed with enormous attention to detail, this stately 1880s Bay & Gable Victorian semi has four low-maintenance outdoor spaces (front yard, courtyard garden, second floor street perch and rooftop city vista terrace), an oversized concrete block two-car garage, and a self-contained in-law suite. This heart-grabber offers the intangible beauty of scale, proportion and light in a Triple AAA location, and has become Home Sweet Home for one lucky Buyer!

While there’s plenty in the media about the shifting Toronto real estate market, it’s evident that dwellings which are ‘the best of the best’ remain very much in demand.

~ Posted by Steven Fudge, founder of canadianrealestatehousingandhome.ca and proprietor of urbaneer.com, a division of Bosley Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage.