The Sell: two Blue Jays–mad Thornhillers ditch the burbs for an apartment in the city
The sellers: Michael Belz, a 49-year-old partner at Deloitte, and his wife, Melanie, a 45-year-old nutritionist.
The property: A four-bedroom, 3,500-square-foot house on a Thornhill cul-de-sac.
The story: Michael and Melanie, both lifelong surburbanites, often trekked downtown to shop, eat and see the Jays (they attend at least 35 games a season). Last summer, with their elder son at Laurier and their younger one about to join him, they decided to give city living a try. Rather than leap straight into a condo purchase, they found a two-bedroom rental in the Heathview, a new apartment complex near St. Clair and Spadina. The only thing left to do was sell their Thornhill house, bought in 2007 for $810,000.
The prep: After a mammoth purge, Michael and Melanie tackled a five-page list of cosmetic fixes assigned by their realtor. But they refused to dismantle their Blue Jays shrine—a royal-blue room full of baseball memorabilia—which they roped off with velvet cordons for viewings.
The offers: Their agent suggested they list for $1.249 million, but the couple thought that was steep: a previous realtor’s estimate had been 150 grand lower. They settled on $1.195 million and, three days and 14 showings later, had two bids, including one from a neighbourhood couple who had always admired the house. After a few back and forths, the neighbours offered $1.25 million with no conditions and won the place. Michael and Melanie move into their rental this month, just in time for a Blue Jays playoff run—they hope.
(Photograph of Belzes by Erin Leydon)
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Caroline Aksich, a National Magazine Award recipient, is an ex-Montrealer who writes about Toronto’s ever-evolving food scene, real estate and culture for Toronto Life, Fodor’s, Designlines, Canadian Business, Glory Media and Post City. Her work ranges from features on octopus-hunting in the Adriatic to celebrity profiles.
