When the condo market went cold, these 20-somethings pounced to buy their starter home
By late 2024, Toronto’s glut of condos had created a buyer’s market, so Anna and Ethan set a budget of $750,000 and began their search
The Buyers: Anna Cianni, 29, who works in film, and Ethan Solomon, 27, an account executive at a legal software company.
The Story: After nearly six years as a couple, Anna and Ethan were ready to move in together. They’d been saving money by living with their respective families while watching the market closely. By November of 2024, Toronto’s glut of condos had created a buyer’s market, so they decided it was time. On their wish list were two bedrooms, a south-facing view, and above all, a kitchen built for cooking and hosting—a rarity in the city’s condos. They set a budget of $750,000 and began their search.
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Option 1: Yonge Street near Finch
Listed at: $699,000 Unsold
In their first few months of hunting, Anna and Ethan saw roughly 20 units with no luck. Then they came upon this two-bedroom condo in Willowdale and loved its open-concept design and 250-square-foot wrap-around balcony. But the amenities—including an ancient golf simulator and a party room with peeling walls—looked old and shabby. The death blow came during their second viewing, when they realized that one of the bathrooms’ toilets stood next to the balcony’s floor-to-ceiling window, which felt bizarre and invasive. They passed.
Option 2: Bloor Street near Parliament
Listed at: $699,000 Unsold
A month later, they looked at a newer two-bedroom condo on a stretch of Bloor sandwiched between Rosedale and the Danforth. The unit had floor-to-ceiling windows with a gorgeous view of the skyline and the ravine network, and the property even had a rooftop pool. But the kitchen was tiny, and the layout was impractical: there wasn’t a natural place for a couch and a TV; one of the bathrooms was oddly large, making for a waste of precious space; and the main bedroom could barely fit a double bed. They kept looking.
The Buy: Sherbourne Street near Wellesley
Listed at: $798,000 Sold for: $740,000
In May, they checked out this condo in Cabbagetown–South St. James Town. As they walked in, Ethan saw Anna’s face light up, and he knew the place was a win. It had everything on their wish list, plus a separate living room and built-in wooden kitchen cabinets that reflected the couple’s love of the outdoors. They made an offer of $720,000 before landing at $740,000. They were so excited to move in together that they asked to expedite the close. “We can’t wait to start a little herb garden on the corner balcony in the spring,” says Anna.
Lindsey King is a Toronto-based writer and editor whose work can be found in Toronto Life, Maclean’s, Canada’s 100 Best and more. She is interested in arts and culture, food and drink, architecture, design, and real estate stories
