Subway access, great bars, emerging retail, and more indie coffee shops than a caffeine addict can handle. The stretch of Bloor West from Christie through Wallace Emerson over to the Junction Triangle is coming up.
WALLACE EMERSON: 371 Wallace Ave., Unit 1. #JNT (pictured above)
The price: $298,000, plus maintenance fees of $268.
Last sold price: N/A.
The draw: This former stamp factory has lots of style: 14-foot ceilings, exposed brick walls, and new hardwood floors. Across the street, the former Glidden Paint Factory is soon to become townhomes.
The catch: The studio unit is less than 600 square feet and has no closets (a locker and two wardrobes are included). The GO train is noisy, although it does offer those with a monthly pass (it’ll set you back $153) an eight-minute commute downtown.
DUPONT: 32 Wiltshire Ave. #COR
The price: $388,000
Last sold price: $318,900 (2011).
The draw: A first-time buyer’s dream, with three bedrooms, dark hardwood floors, original moldings,
a new deck, and a finished basement. All that, plus it’s at the end of a row, making it practically a semi.
The catch: The backyard is slightly scrubby, the kitchen is unremarkable, and one of the bedrooms is only 84 square feet. The subway is almost two kilometres away. And, of course, the place will probably sell for way over asking.
DUPONT: 22 Wiltshire Ave. #COR
The price: $589,000
Last sold price: $67,800 (1998).
The draw: Done up in pale beiges, this three-bedroom semi has a long backyard with mature trees, a 275-square-foot master with an ensuite, and another upstairs bathroom with a hot-pink clawfoot tub.
The catch: The Lansdowne bus is unreliable and the walk to the subway will feel long in the winter. The street is right in the crux of two rail lines,which are scheduled to handle 400 diesel trains a day starting in 2015.
DOVERCOURT: 1036 Shaw St. #BCT
The price: $399,000
Last sold price: $111,000 (1997).
The draw: This rowhouse has hardwood floors and a cute backyard. It’s on the eastern edge of the neighbourhood, close to Christie Pits, Little Korea, and cult-favourite grocer Fiesta Farms.
The catch: The parking spot is a grandfathered parking pad—meaning a bricked-over front yard. The master bedroom is upstairs, but the two other potential bedrooms are on the main floor, and one is 85 square feet.
