Done Deal, 68 Grace Cres., Barrie, Ont.
68 Grace Cres., Barrie, Ont.
Asking price: $579,000
Selling price: $565,000
Previous selling price: $228,500 (2002); $174,004 (1999)
Taxes: $4,600 (2017)
Days on the market: 24
Listing agent: Lucais Shepherd, Everland Realty Inc.
The Action: This detached house on a 49-by-116-foot lot in Barrie, an hour north of Toronto, couldn't secure a buyer despite months of exposure last summer. Relisted with a new agent who ordered photographs with brighter interiors and distributed ads in and out of town, it took three weeks to cut a deal in November.
"In a market that's going through a correction – or downturn – it's now becoming a buyer's market all across the GTA, so it's becoming difficult to sell houses," agent Lucais Shepherd said. "They are on the market longer."
"If that property was down in Newmarket, it would probably be $850,000 or more, and if it was in Richmond Hill, it would be over $1-million."
What They Got: Over the years, the four-bedroom has been refreshed with new windows and new hardwood floors, as well as a remodelled kitchen and lower level recreation room.
There are separate living and dining areas and a family room with a gas fireplace.
There is a central vacuum system and a main-floor laundry room with access to the garage. Of the three bathrooms, one is renovated with a new soaker tub, shower with slate floors and a walk-in closet.
The Agent's Take: "You can walk to a Loblaws, Zehrs, LCBO, the bank, library and parks, and it's maybe a 10-minute walk to the GO train station too," Mr. Shepherd said.
"And it's on Lake Simcoe, so there's a lot of recreation there."
While many two-storey homes in the area were built over a decade ago, this one benefited from a modern makeover. "It had a finished basement with a bar, and also a recording studio," Mr. Shepherd said.