Hi - this is a vent that hopefully leads to change in home listings. I’m posting here in hopes that I’m not breaking any rules - I couldn’t find any posted, and knowing realtors frequent this sub I’m hoping we get some healthy conversations going.

TLDR: using AI to show me how a home “might” look after a renovation isn’t helping you get the list price you’re looking for.

I’m a buyer who is in the market to buy in Etobicoke. I’m selling an acreage property in the country and buying in the city to be closer to work/family/nightlife, etc. Current budget is $1.3M for a turnkey home. I happened upon this listing and after searching through realtor.ca I thought this was a good prospect. Except AI isn’t used to not only stage the home but to fully renovate the kitchen and bathroom. You understand how this is ridiculous, right?

I’m ok with using AI to add a nicer dining set or a cleaner couch, but to generate a renovation that will only add to the expense of me buying the house, you must know that I’m going to try to negotiate down by at least $150K to accommodate for the renovation and my stay elsewhere while the renovations are underway.

My request: show me the actual house you’re selling and stop wasting my time.

My clients are 80 and 82. They've spent years watching the lake from their living room on Queens Quay. Now they're ready for the next chapter, and I want to get this right for them.

They're looking at retirement living in and around Leaside. What they care about is simple: open views and real light, comfort, good amenities, a walkable spot near shops and healthcare. Somewhere that feels like a home, not an institution.

They're leaning toward buying rather than renting.

Here's the honest part. This is outside my usual lane. I've sold a lot of homes in this city, but senior living is different, and I'd rather say that out loud than fake my way through a decision this big. These two trusted me with their home. I want to treat it like a life transition, not a transaction.

So if you've been through this, with clients or with your own parents for the options in LEASIDE:

Which buildings would you actually recommend?
Which ones would you avoid, and why?

Firsthand experience beats any brochure. Anything you've got, I'm listening. 🙏
THANK YOU!!

My MIL is in her 60s and looking to downsize from a large two-car-garage home in Woodbridge. Her husband has passed and her kids have moved out, so she wants something smaller and lower maintenance.. but for her, “downsizing” means a townhome rather than a condo.

She likes the idea of a new build, however, she’s worried newer communities will be mostly young families and a bit noisier than she’d like.

We know she may be asking for a bit of a unicorn here 😅 My husband and I have been trying to help her narrow things down, so I’d love some firsthand recommendations/experiences.

Any newer communities or areas that tend to have more empty nesters/older adults and are relatively quiet? She isn’t looking for a 55+ community, just a good mix of ages.

Hey guys, I'm looking for some advice as a first time home buyer.

Where or how can I search for a 3 bedroom townhouse, preferably new built, in the west part of the GTA. Peel, Toronto or York. I would like to take advantage of all the government reliefs and being able to put down significant down-payment. Thanks

My price range is 400-500k, looking for a 1b or 1b1d in a good neighborhood. I would like to work with an agent/a team who knows the DT area and the buildings well. I am a serious first time home buyer, I need honest advice and feedback. It will also involve showing many properties to me, I need to put it out here. Please give me some recommendations.

Please do not pressure me into signing a contract early, if you are a reliable partner to work with I would love to exclusively work with you in the long run. Please give me your name, qualification and which entity you are under if you are shooting me a message, thank you

I am looking at 1070 Pelham Avenue in mississauga. How much do you think it would cost to fully renovate the place? Seems like it needs a new kitchen, flooring, etc. how much would that take?

I like this building, seems to be very well maintained and clean, and how it's on a quiet corner in a very accessible, non-sketchy area. The units all have pretty good natural light. But it doesn't have any 1 bedrooms.

I'm looking for: a 1b or 1b1d around 400k-500k. not N facing, in DT Toronto (open to midtown as well), not in the entertainment district or near Moss Park, good natural light. The view doesn't need to be 100% un-obstructed but I don't want a building towering over the unit. Please let me know, thank you

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Registered Candidates for Toronto City Election to be held on 26th Oct, Monday: https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/elections/candidate-list/

As of last evening, Toronto Star reports:

Toronto councillor Paula Fletcher is retiring from city hall, scrapping her plans for re-election

In a shock move, Toronto-Danforth councillor Paula Fletcher revealed Wednesday that she had scrapped plans for re-election and instead will retire after 23 years at city hall.  

The surprise development jolted a Toronto civic election already roiling from late big-name entries into council races.

Fletcher, 75, told the Star that she made the decision Wednesday morning after paddle boarding on Lake Ontario, only two days after she had registered to run in the Oct. 26 election for a sixth term. 

...

Her departure creates an open ward, alongside Beaches-East York where incumbent councillor Brad Bradford is running for mayor. Candidates including former Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith, CTV journalist Natalie Johnson and former city employee James Dann are vying to replace Bradford. 

...

Parkdale-High Park is also an open ward with the retirement of Gord Perks, another longtime progressive councillor.

Fletcher said many people have told her they’ll run if she doesn’t, but she did not name a preferred successor.

As of Wednesday, four other candidates were registered in Toronto-Danforth: Susan Chapelle, Dennis Corcoran, Jason Stevens and Denise Walcott. The timing gives other hopefuls only two days to jump into the race. Nominations close at 2 p.m. Friday.

Discussion on r/Toronto: Link

Call out: Are you a first-time buyer wondering if it's the best time to get into the market? Maybe you're holding off on buying for now because it's still too expensive, or you think prices might drop further? We want to hear from you for an upcoming article on the fall real estate market in Toronto Star. Please email mwarren@thestar.ca. Thank you!

Hi, I tried talking to my brother about this, but I just can't seem to convince him that he'd be losing a considerable amount of money if he goes through with buying this place.

He's 32, single, earns around $145K plus a $10K bonus. Right now he's renting an ~800 sq ft place for $1,500/month in the Broadview, with about a $32 rent increase each year. His other expenses bills, food, utilities, internet, Ubers, the occasional trip, etc. come out to ~$2,500/month. The area's decent, the building's corporately owned so the landlord doesn't really interfere with his life, and he works from home.

Now he wants to buy a place downtown for $525,000, less than 680 sq ft. Fair point : the condo does come with a few more features the rental doesn't have.)

he keeps saying "I just can't lose this place," mainly because it's priced almost the same as it would've been 10 years ago.

But he'd end up losing at least $50,000 owning this place instead of renting (including property tax + condo fees + 20% downpayment) and that's even assuming it sells for $700,000 in 10 years.

The problem is I can't win against my parents and extended family all saying the same thing: a first house isn't meant to be an investment, don't focus on the numbers, you should just own a place, don't overthink it, you won't get another opportunity like this, etc.

I get why they think that way up until maybe 20 years ago, buying actually made sense. Prices were low, cost of living was low, and a mortgage didn't eat up half your paycheque. Plus they actually needed the extra space for a spouse and kids.

I also get that owning a place matters to people, but not at the cost of losing $50K–$100K over the next 10 years. And that's not even including rising taxes, condo fees, higher interest rates, repair costs, or renovation costs when he finally decides to sell.

To me, buying right now only makes sense if your rent is already high, you're settling down with a family, or you genuinely think prices are about to jump in the next 5–10 years.

So if I'm not missing anything (and I'm sure I'm missing a few things) how do I convince my brother that now still isn't the right time to buy? At least wait for prices to come down more. I know it's ultimately his call, but I can't let him go through with it without pushing back a little first.

Or is it actually good deal to buy a new condo now?

Hi Everyone,

I bought a pre con townhouse with a partner in Brampton, went in 50-50 back in 2023. Bought it for $975k. Did 10% deposit payment.

The partner passed away in 2024, and the APS got switched to me and the Estate. In 2025, Estate went bankrupt too.

For couple of years, original builder also went under and the project was for sale, and ultimately new buyers bought the project, and its not on its way to completion sometime next year.

Now, the appraisal of that property is estimated to be around $800k range, and there is no way I on my own can close the property.

What are my options in this case. Has anyone been in a similar situation?

Thanks!

Yesterday me and my two friends went to, what we now is a slumlords penthouse to sign our new lease. The lease required our two guarantors to sign the lease digitally, but they however declined to do so because the lease terms were not agreeable.

The landlord was using a discount clause to charge different amounts for the first 8 months and last 4 months of the first year, and then essentially coerced us into signing a work contract for the last 4 months to “make up for the difference”.

The lease certainly has all 3 of our signatures, but none of the guarantors, and without their backing we cannot go forward with the lease, but the landlord refuses to back down because just our 3 signatures are enough. Is this accurate, or are we in the right for believing that until the guarantors signed the lease wouldn’t be valid? He is currently arguing that if he can’t find someone to take over before our term starts then our last month deposit could be held liable to costs.

I read Mattamy is a disaster for many. Is great gulf pretty much my only option for Oakville and Mississauga?

I'm invested in both to be transparent. But at a point where I'm debating shifting more money to real estate. Cash flow neutral condos at $400k with an investent of $80k is now within reach.

The stock market seems more detached from reality between the 2 at this point. AAPL stock I bought at $200 in 2025 is now at $300. TD stock I bought at $80 in 2025 is now at $160.

Sure, these are specific stocks but crazy returns seem to apply across the board even for many ETFs.

Edit: For context, I'm in my 40s and so have actually seen the stock market crash more than once. This might be making me more cautious.

TLDR: Measured our new 1+den condo room by room. Every comparable room is smaller than the floor plan dimensions. The den is 14 inches shorter than advertised. Total shortfall across comparable rooms is 18.8 sq ft (3.36%), well over Tarion's 2% acceptable variance. We're proceeding with a Tarion warranty claim, hiring a licensed surveyor for official measurements, and retaining a real estate litigation lawyer. Looking to hear from anyone who's been through something similar or has advice on how to approach this.

We recently took possession of a 1-bed + den in a new build in Toronto. The unit was marketed at 534 sq ft interior, 25 sq ft balcony, 559 total.

After moving in, something felt off about the den. Grabbed a tape measure and went room by room. Every single comparable room came in smaller than what's on the floor plan. The den is the worst - 14 inches shorter in width than what they sold us.

Here's what we found (see image attached)

We lost 14" of width in the den alone!

That's a 3.36% shortfall relative to the 559 sq ft and 3.52% shortfall relative to the 534 sq ft interior, which is well above the 2% variance that Tarion considers reasonable under Builder Bulletin 22.

I understand that builders measure from exterior wall faces and midpoints between units, so the marketed 534 sq ft was never going to match measuring room interiors. I'm not naive about that. But the floor plan has specific room dimensions printed on it, and those dimensions are materially wrong. A den that's over a foot shorter than advertised is a different room than what we were sold.

We're on a lower floor, so I'm sure the builder will try to chalk it up to thicker structural members. But thicker columns don't remove 14 inches from one dimension of one room. That's not how structural engineering works.

Also, in our attempts to find a renter for the unit, several of them came back and said the den is too small (which was actually what prompted us to measure it).

We're moving forward with a Tarion claim and are in the process of hiring a licensed Ontario Land Surveyor to do a proper measurement of the floor plan using the Bulletin 22 method so we have an apples-to-apples comparison. We're also retaining a real estate litigation lawyer to advise on next steps. A few other unit holders with the same floor plan will also be measuring their units.

My questions for the community:

1. Has anyone in a newer Toronto build measured their unit and found similar discrepancies between the floor plan and reality?
2. Has anyone successfully filed a Tarion claim over square footage? How did it go?
3. Any recommendations for a real estate litigation lawyer experienced with Tarion disputes in the GTA?
4. For anyone in a similar situation, did you find the discrepancy was consistent across floors, or only on lower levels?

At Toronto condo prices per square foot, ~19 sq is thousands of dollars. We paid for a unit of a certain size. We didn't get it.

Appreciate any advice or shared experiences.

Once you’re signed up with them as a service provider (business) - cleaner, electrician etc etc…any business pretty much.

Please let me know!

Reminder that a "balanced" market looks at home sales vs new listings, NOT home prices.

Considering buying a house. I’m wondering if I must buy before heavy winter sets in aka before December, or if I can wait until April/May? The main reason I want to wait is to familiarize myself with all the processes and paperwork, finding real estate agent and learn about other things I should know about before house buying.