Sale of the Week: The $2.35-million Trinity Bellwoods home that proves foreign buyers don’t always win

Address: 121 Markham Street
Neighbourhood: Trinity Bellwoods Agent: Cindy Schaefer, Slavens & Associates Real Estate Inc., Brokerage Previously sold for: $980,000, in 2016, prior to a rebuild

The property

A newly built modern home on a narrow lot near Dundas and Bathurst.

The history

The seller is a builder who has done work in upscale enclaves like Yorkville. He bought the original townhouse in 2016 for just under $1 million, then teamed up with an architect and spent the next two years rebuilding before putting the new home on the market in September.

The living area is at the front of the house:

There’s a breakfast bar by the kitchen:

Another view of the kitchen:

The dining area and family room are combined:

The family room has a fireplace and doors to the backyard:

There are two bedrooms on the second floor. This one has no external windows, so the builder opted for a glass wall with a view of the first floor:

The master suite is on the third floor. Here’s the bedroom, with its own fireplace:

The master ensuite:

And the master bedroom’s private terrace:

There’s a rec room in the basement:

And a two-car garage in the backyard:

The fate

The buyers are newly engaged professionals in their late 30s who are upsizing from a condo.

The sale

The seller originally put the home on the market in September for $2,588,000, but he terminated the listing after 27 days and re-listed the property at a lower price in October. Last month, two sets of buyers—a pair of non-Canadians and the newly engaged couple—made competing offers. The foreign buyers originally won out, but ran into complications with financing and had to pull out. That gave the current buyers a second chance at the property. The seller accepted their offer for $145,000 under asking earlier this month.

By the numbers

• $2,350,000 • $5,278 in taxes • 3,600 square feet (including the basement) • 83 days on MLS • 5 bathrooms • 4 bedrooms • 2 parking spaces