The Single Life
After an epic search, a Brampton bachelor upgrades from his
childhood bedroom to a Mississauga condo
Published: February 2010
Bert Archer
Articles on torontolife.com written by Bert Archer.
Clean Sweep
An east Riverdale couple hires a stager and sells their semi for $100,000 over asking
Published: March 2010
The Upsizers
A couple trade in their peculiar two-bedroom Annex house for 25 acres on Georgian Bay (and make a killing)
Published: January 2010
All Together Now
As prices dip and banks get stingier, first-time buyers are breaking into the market by pooling their cash. They’re also carrying sibling rivalry and roommate drama well into adulthood
Published: April 2009
An Artist’s Abode
Bland Equity
What sells when no one’s buying? Designing condos for the post-crash market
Published: July 2009
Bubble Trouble
Castles in the Sky
How many of the
287 proposed condo
towers will survive
the downturn?
Published: March 2009
Happy Decampers
Northbound boomers with dwindling RRSPs are selling in the city
and opting to call the cottage home
Published: August 2009
Hello, Good Buy
All it takes to resuscitate a market is a little confidence. How first-time buyers could save the over-leveraged set
Published: June 2009
Less Is More
Moving On Up
From $168,000 to $980,000 in eight resale-savvy steps.
What one consummate house flipper learned about unstable markets while fluffing for a
big payday
Published: March 2009
Nobody’s Home
Small Is the New Big
It’s not just the economy that’s making McMansions tougher to unload.
Blame it on aesthetics, or reverse snobbery, but the smart money is
going small
Published: January 2009
The New Rental Frontier
Condo owners who can’t sell their units are morphing into landlords to ride out the storm. The good news? The rental market is hopping
Published: May 2009
The Next Hot ’Hoods
Agents and analysts agree: these three enclaves show early signs of gentrification, promise big returns and are simply great places to live
Published: March 2009
The Pillager's Guide to Real Estate
Remember when bidding wars lasted late into the night, agents had mysterious powers over the laws of nature, and the few relatively affordable houses were uninhabitable shacks beside the tracks? A year and a gutted economy later, we’ve returned to reality. Those same agents are lonely, and there’s a glut of houses priced cheaper than we’ve seen in a decade. Here’s what you need to know to find the jaw-dropping bargains, the neighbourhoods that promise big, fat returns, and the condos that will actually get built. It’s official—the buyer’s market is back.
Published: March 2009
Totally Flipped Out
Buying dumpy houses to fix up for the reno-averse was a foolproof
way to make a buck. Not anymore
Published: February 2009
Under-Asking Miracles
Bargains are suddenly everywhere, with sellers eager to sweeten the deal. Here, three case studies
of the new rules of the game
Published: March 2009
Artful Lodgers
A growing contingent of wealthy Torontonians are opting for the unencumbered life of the permanent renter
Published: April 2008
Crash Test
As the U.S. market tanks, Torontonians are getting creative about recession-proofing their properties
Published: May 2008
Demolition Derby
McMansions, once the scourge of Lawrence Park, are migrating south. Is the age of the reno dead?
Published: September 2008
Flophouse Fixer-Uppers
In this crazy market, multi-unit properties—from charming Annex apartments
to Cabbagetown rooming houses—have become the last hot deals
Published: January 2008
Foreign Aid
Why hasn’t Toronto’s housing market tanked like London’s or New York’s?
Just take a look at who’s buying
Published: February 2008
Forget the 416
The GTA’s latest frontier for extreme commuting is in the exurbs—Cambridge and beyond. Say hello to the 519
Published: June 2008
Free Agent
It’s tempting to sell your house without an agent and pocket the five-figure
commission. It may also be nuts
Published: March 2008
Green House Effect
Suburban developers are peddling eco-friendly construction.
And buyers, hoping for cheaper gas bills and a better-built house, are
lining up for it. Can new homes really save the planet?
Published: July 2008
How Bad Do You Want It?
Despite the softening market, some houses are still generating bidding wars.
Are homebuyers being duped?
Published: November 2008
Snow Jobs
Steeltown Revisited
It’s easy to joke about Hamilton (The factories! The smell!), but word is drifting down the QEW of a revitalized downtown, detached homes for less than $150,000 and an influx of Queen West refugees. Who’s laughing now?
Published: October 2008
The Many Trials of Robin Kay
The enemies she made on her climb to the top of Toronto fashion are calling for her head. Her friends say it’s a smear campaign organized by a jealous wing nut. Inside the big fugly at fashion week
Published: April 2008
Less Is the New More
Is the 500-square-foot condo the insane brainchild of greedy developers
or a triumphant symbol of the new downtown?
Published: October 2007
The Next Level
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