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40 OAKLANDS AVE., NO. 303, TORONTO

ASKING PRICE $749,000

SELLING PRICE $755,800

TAXES $4,896 (2013)

DAYS ON THE MARKET 87

LISTING AGENT Linda Ing-Gilbert, Re/Max Hallmark Realty Ltd.

The Action: Just south of De La Salle College, this two-bedroom-plus-den corner suite carries a distinguished provenance, having once been owned by acclaimed author Robertson Davies. However, even though it was staged to compete against newer condominiums nearby, it sat on the market for six months. Then, by chance, two house hunters lodged bids at the same time, with the winner offering $6,800 more than the list price.

What They Got: About four decades ago, Macy Dubois designed a boutique building with a central atrium and multilevel suites, such as this southeast-corner model with two floors, entrances on both levels, three bathrooms and laundry facilities, plus a locker and parking.

The over-1,900-square-foot interior is fairly original with nearly nine-foot ceilings, linoleum floors in the eat-in kitchen and pantry and wood floors in a fireside living room and a dining area with sliding balcony doors.

Unlike other units, the level below houses two carpeted bedrooms with four-piece bathrooms, and one also features a walkout to a terrace. Monthly fees of $1,437 covers water and concierge.

The Agent's Take: "This is the third-largest layout in the building, but compared to others in the GTA, this offers a lot of value as it equates to $379 per square foot and the going rate in the GTA is $500 to $550," says agent Linda Ing-Gilbert.

"What's unique about this space is that there are two balcony walkouts … so you're able to step outside and get some light, and since we're located on the prime southeast corner, it feels like a treehouse."

Buyers were also enamoured by reminders of the unit's first owner, Mr. Davies. "You'll see there are a lot of bookcases he had custom-built and had actually taken out the handrails around the staircase that leads down to the bedrooms to construct some bookcases," Ms. Ing-Gilbert adds.

"A lot of the other units in the Oaklands have been refinished and they're selling well over $1-million, so we did get feedback this was dated, but you can add value to it."

Done Deals contain information gathered from real estate agents, home buyers, home sellers and sale prices that are publicly available from government sources. While we try to publish Done Deals as soon as possible after the transaction has occurred, long closings can cause delays.

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