85 Russell St - $299,000

The Essentials

A two-bedroom home that’s been completely renovated in recent months. It’s smart, well-priced under $300,000, and it’s still downtown. That makes it the rarest of rare birds these days. An auk disguised as a house.

The Bigger Picture

The important thing is to look forward to arriving at home. To round that last corner, dog-tired, and be pleased at the prospect of kicking off your shoes, putting on some favourite new music. 

Much of that has to do with the people in your life, of course, and whether there’s food in the fridge when you open it, and a couple of drawers in the bedroom full of clothes you like. Enough money in the bank to more or less comfortably pay the mortgage and the gas bill. You don’t want this part of your life to be a constant struggle. There’s enough of that in the world already.

At 85 Russell St the table has been set pretty nicely for you. There really is nothing to do here. Not in the maintenance and repair department at least. You can think about other things. Maybe just just a slow walk downtown in the sunshine to support your local businesses (speaking of struggle). Or a barbecue on the weekend, your friends all keeping their distance and just their laughter filling up all that new space between you.

A two-bedroom home nearly rebuilt, that’s what we’re looking at here. With a fine, level deck strapped across the full width of the back of the house and overlooking a lawn greener than your friends' faces when they see what you've just bought, and the price you paid. 

It's been difficult for a couple of years now to find a good downtown home for under $300,000. And we like this fine little house for that reason too. It doesn’t make us happy to see young buyers priced out of the downtown core.

What’s nearly impossible is to have that sub-300 home also be detached from its neighbours and come with parking and a great yard. And it’s fleetingly rare for it not to need a pile of work when you move in. 85 Russell St is different. 

The plumbing and wiring and insulation and windows and flooring and brilliant kitchen and bath and appliances and siding are all new. And tastefully chosen. The work well-done with permits. There are potlights and laundry. Sunlight glides and shimmies through a space that's been opened up and completely reorganized. 

Imagine yourself in the smartest of ground-floor condos, only without the monthly fees, and you'll come close to the effect here. Picture yourself at the stove rustling up something you saw in a magazine, those same new tunes on again because you just can’t stop listening to that album. The fireplace is on because it’s one of those weird cool June evenings. But the patio doors are open as well, so you have no excuse. And there’s a bird you don’t recognize on top of the shed. Some messages on your phone you haven’t listened to yet, because all of a sudden there’s no hurry. You’re happy for things to stay just like this for a while. You’re home.

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The plan is to review any offers on Friday June 19 at 3 pm, so you have a few days.

The full iGuide, for your real estate pirouettes, is right here.

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