House of the Week: A Riverdale townhome with a rainbow wall, listed for under $1 million

Neighbourhood: Riverdale Price: $989,000 Size: 1,900 square feet Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 2 Last renovated: 2019 Agent: Jacqueline O’Keefe, Royal LePage

The place

A brightly painted semi-detached Victorian townhome tucked away on Allen Avenue, built in 1900 and renovated in 2019.

The price point

It’s rare to find a move-in-ready house of this size, in a central location, listed for under $1 million. Realtor Jacqueline O’Keefe says that the unprecedented 44 per cent decline in home sales over the past year influenced the list price.

“Buyer psychology right now is to see when the bottom comes so that they can score a deal,” she says. “The result: way fewer active buyers, so I have to manage expectations when selling.” O’Keefe hopes that listing the home under a million will elicit a small bidding war—likely among young professionals searching for a spot in a family-friendly neighbourhood with easy access to transit and plenty of green space.

The tour

The house stands out from Toronto’s typical brown-brick architecture with its fun paint job.

Large windows and white walls illuminate the foyer and living room, with vintage light fixtures adding a pop of personality. The ceilings are close to 10 feet high.

The sellers gutted the main floor in 2019, removing walls to connect the living room to the dining room, which sits just beyond the stairs.

And here’s that dining room, which is spacious enough to add seating for larger gatherings.

The kitchen has brand new appliances, Caesarstone countertops and a custom ceramic-tile rainbow wall.

The upstairs has three bedrooms, all with hardwood floors. The dressers are, of course, new.

The bedrooms and bathrooms are all painted in bright rainbow hues.

The basement, also upgraded, serves as a laundry and storage room. “Allen Avenue has existed since 1875. The sellers put in a lot of unsexy work to fortify the plumbing and waterproof the space,” says O’Keefe.

Restaurants like Lady Marmalade and Completo on Broadview, as well as Chinatown East on Gerrard, surround Allen Avenue with downtown energy. But the home’s future owners need only venture to their cozy 100-square-foot backyard for peace and quiet.