399 Dickens Dr., Oshawa, Ont.
Asking price: $799,000 (July, 2022)
Previous asking price: $865,000 (June, 2022)
Selling price: $770,000 (July, 2022)
Taxes: $4,402 (2022)
Days on the market: Eight
Listing agent: Ryan De Kuyper, Coldwell Banker – R.M.R. Real Estate
The action
This three-bedroom house in Oshawa, about 65 kilometres east of downtown Toronto, had seven showings one week, a couple more the next and then inquiries dried up. In July, the sellers knocked $66,000 off the asking price from $865,000 to $799,000. The initial response was a low-ball bid of $690,000, which the sellers rejected, but days later a more malleable offer from another buyer came in and resulted in a negotiated $770,000 deal.
“One of our closest comparables was around the corner and it ended up selling for $820,000, but it was much larger and had a pool, which helped me re-educate the sellers about what the market was doing,” said agent Ryan De Kuyper.
“We had to get ahead of it because it would continue to slide with a couple of more interest rate hikes – and with another potentially in October – so the sellers heeded my concerns about [setting] a new price.
“We sold it a week after the new price, just before another rate increase was coming in about two weeks.”
What they got
This two-storey house with an attached garage was built on a 49- by 100-foot lot in 1979.
Over the past two years, the roof, heating and cooling systems were replaced, and a wraparound deck and gazebo were added off a sunroom addition that has a gas fireplace and vaulted ceilings.
There are bathrooms on each level, standard living and dining rooms and a recreation area downstairs.
The agent’s take
“It has a larger backyard, and a sunroom at the back added square footage to the home,” Mr. De Kuyper said.
“It also has a finished basement with a wet bar, which people liked.”
Popular schools, shops and Lake Ontario are all nearby.
“It has a prominent park and a dog park down the street as well,” Mr. De Kuyper said.
“It’s one of the nicer areas in Oshawa with a lot of detached homes and large trees.”
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