Sale of the Week: A Moss Park cottage that proves it’s possible to find a decent downtown house for under a million

Address: 266 Ontario Street
Neighbourhood: Moss Park Agents: Michael O’Brien and Michael Grant, Sales Representatives, Bosley Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage Previously sold for: $225,000 in 2000      

The property

A surprisingly spacious 19th century cottage.

The history

The seller, who worked as director and curator of Toronto’s First Post Office, a national historic site, is recently retired and moving to Prince Edward County. This Cabbagetown home, built in the 1870s, is believed to have been among a group of cottages originally used as lodging for workers at a nearby dairy that was demolished in the 1980s. A previous owner made a second floor addition and expanded the back of the house.

Here’s the living and dining area:

A closer look at the dining area:

The kitchen looks a little dated:

There’s a family room at the back of the house:

There are two bedrooms on the main floor. This is one of them:

The other is set up as an office:

The master bedroom is on the second floor:

It has its own reading nook:

And an attached office space:

Plus a private patio:

And here’s the backyard:

The fate

The buyers are young professionals with no kids. They had been looking in the area for six months. The surprising size of the unassuming home is what sold them. They plan to expand the upper floor eventually—but not before they put in new flooring and upgrade the kitchen.

The sale

The agent, who represented both buyer and seller, wasn’t expecting a lot of interest in the house, because it’s a bit smaller than the average family home. There was no fixed offer date. The buyers made their initial bid after the property had spent three days on the market. After a counteroffer from the seller, they upped the amount slightly and sealed the deal.

By the numbers

• $918,000 • $4,580 in taxes (2017) • 1,700 square feet (including the basement) • 4 days on MLS • 3 bedrooms • 2 bathrooms