22 Hillholm Blvd., Toronto
ASKING PRICE: $699,000
SELLING PRICE: $850,000
TAXES: $6,434 (2009)
DAYS ON THE MARKET: five
LISTING AND CO-OP AGENT: Bill Thom, Re/Max Realtron Realty Inc.
THE ACTION: After five days of exposure, 10 offers came in for this Richmond Hill residence, largely because of the strength of local institutions such as Bayview Secondary School, which has a well-regarded International Baccalaureate program.
"When that came in, it changed Bayview Hill's housing prices," agent Bill Thom says. "Then they turned Bayview Hill Elementary School into an IB school too … so that made Bayview Hill even more desirable."
WHAT THEY GOT: Built in 1987 on an 84-foot lot, this two-storey house contains four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a main-floor den, sunken living room, dining room and fireside family room with a wet bar, as well as an eat-in kitchen with a walkout to a 495-square-foot, two-tiered deck.
Upgraded appointments include a circular oak staircase, newer hardwood floors and pot lights, along with central vacuum and in-ground sprinkler systems.
The master suite upstairs has his-and-hers closets, a sitting area and a private bathroom.
THE AGENT'S TAKE: "It's one of a kind in many ways," says Mr. Thom, who cites a rear garage with access into a laundry room and 8.5 feet of headroom on the main floor as examples. "Every home was built with eight-foot ceilings, so they were ahead of the time."