Seventeen bidders drawn to Courtice home

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70 Abbeywood Cres., Courtice, Ont.

Asking price: $779,000 (January, 2024)

Selling price: $853,000 (January, 2024)

Previous selling price: $577,200 (July, 2020); $520,000 (March, 2019); $174,000 (July, 1989)

Taxes: $4,052 (2024)

Days on the market: Six

Listing agents: Stephanie Toufexis and Shawn Tessier, Harvey Kalles Real Estate Ltd.

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The action

Agent Stephanie Toufexis heard that a colleague had managed to get two offers for a property in Courtice, about 70 kilometres east of Toronto, and hoped to do as well with this three-bedroom house. She was pleasantly surprised to get 78 home tour visitors and 17 offers to purchase, ending with a sale for $74,000 over the asking price. The final offer came without conditions.

“A year and a half ago to two years ago, people were pricing homes $200,000 plus under what they were looking for,” said Ms. Toufexis. “We priced this home for $25,000 to $30,000 less than what we thought it was worth.

“We put the property out on a Tuesday morning, and within 25 minutes we had seven showings booked,” she said. “It was a zoo.

“Housing is incredibly expensive, and the cost of living is expensive, yet there are a lot of first-time home buyers out there that have the capability of paying $850,000 for their first home,” said Ms. Toufexis.

“That just shows you how much of an inventory issue we have – that it can still end up driving prices up.”

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What they got

This 34-year-old, two-storey house has an attached garage, a south-facing deck and a hot tub at the back of the 41- by 110-foot lot.

There are open living and dining areas, an updated, eat-in kitchen and bathrooms on each level, including the finished basement.

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The agent’s take

“It’s a pretty standard home in the subdivision,” Ms. Toufexis said.

“This particular crescent has a green space in the back, and there are no plans for development there.”