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The Single Life
After an epic search, a Brampton bachelor upgrades from his childhood bedroom to a Mississauga condo By Bert Archer
The buyer
Dayalan Thevathasan, an administrative coordinator at St. Joseph’s Hospital, always figured he’d
live at home with his parents in Brampton until he got married, despite his daily commute into
the city. But as his 30th birthday approached, Thevathasan decided it was time to strike out on his
own, and he began looking around.
The dream
A west-end loft or townhouse condo with a balcony or patio and a parking spot.
The budget
$250,000.
Option 1
300 Manitoba St. (near Park Lawn and the Gardiner); listed at $259,900, sold for $263,000
In August 2008, Thevathasan’s agent, Vaheesan Theiventhiran of Sutton Group Admiral Realty, showed him a ground-level loft with a terrace in the former McGuinness Distillery building, part of the Mystic Pointe development. Thevathasan bid $250,000 with an inspection as a condition. But the market was overheated, and other buyers were making higher offers, without conditions. He didn’t get it.
Option 2
200 Manitoba St. (near Park Lawn and the Gardiner); listed at $279,000, sold for $275,000
Thevathasan decided he liked Mystic Pointe, so his second offer was on a 900‑square-foot apartment next door, in a newer building. It was above his price range, so he lowballed again—unsuccessfully. In October 2008, the housing market crashed, taking with it the 40‑year mortgage option Thevathasan needed. Frustrated, he suspended his search for nine months.
Option 3
9 Windermere Ave. (between Lake Shore and the Queensway); listed at $369,000, sold for $362,000
By the summer of 2009, Thevathasan was ready to start looking again. At Windermere on the Lake, he fell in love with a two-level townhouse with a private rooftop patio, but it was $369,000—way beyond his budget. He tried different banks and several brokers but couldn’t get a loan big enough. “It was my dream home. I tried every possible way to make it happen,” he says, “except asking my family and friends for money.”
The Buy
3055 Elmcreek Rd., Mississauga; listed at $250,000, sold for $243,500
By November, Thevathasan had expanded his search to Mississauga, where he found a corner townhouse unit near Dundas and Mavis. It had a 450‑square-foot rooftop patio and lots of windows. The day after the showing, he offered $237,500. “Everything was going so fast in bidding wars,” he says. “I didn’t want to miss an opportunity.” After two sign-backs in under an hour, the sellers accepted his offer of $243,500.
Photograph of Thevathasan by John Cullen; Houses by Caitlin Durlak
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