Condo of the Week: $590,000 to live in a floating house in Scarborough

Address: 7 Brimley Road South
Neighbourhood: Cliffcrest Agent: Denise Doucet, Royal LePage Signature Realty, Brokerage Price: $589,000

The place

A floating home (don’t call it a houseboat) in the Scarborough Bluffs. It has two levels of indoor living space and a 600-square-foot rooftop deck. It’s not technically a condo, but the monthly fees—which pay for garbage, water service and electrical hookups, among other things—are similar to maintenance fees.

Here’s the living room:

The kitchen is not fancy, but it gets the job done:

There’s a small dining area:

Lots of condos brag about lake views, but this? This is a serious lake view:

Some vintage purple carpeting on the stairs:

The master bedroom:

And this other bedroom is being used as an office:

Boats and bluffs:

The history

The boat was built around 2000 and has only ever had one owner, who lives there year-round, like the vast majority of her neighbours. While most of the finishes are original, the decks were replaced in April. Plus she’ll throw in a life preserver:

Big selling point

The retired and semi-retired never get bored here. In addition to obvious attractions like the beaches and boating, there are dominos, card games and dances at the Cathedral Bluffs Yacht Club, which has a restaurant open year-round. Younger residents find it easy to commute daily to and from downtown.

Possible deal breaker

Boats—even fancy floating houses—require regular maintenance. For instance, the buyer will have to pump out the septic tank every few months, or pay someone else to do it.

By the numbers

• $589,000 • 1,100 square feet • $1,000 per year in city taxes • $725 in monthly mooring fees • 9-foot ceilings • 3 decks • 2 parking spaces (included in mooring fees) • 2 bathrooms • 2 bedrooms • 1 electric fireplace

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