Juan Carlos Gaona didn’t intend to buy. He was happily renting a condo in the West Queen West area just north of Liberty Village. He’d been there for a year when his landlord sent him a message.
“My landlord emailed, ‘Hey, just so you know, I’m looking to sell the place.'” But instead of giving Gaona notice, the landlord said that if he was interested in buying the condo, he’d give him a deal.
Gaona wasn’t actually looking to buy.
“It’s the kind of thing you know you could do, but his email was the thing that pushed me to do it. Plus his offer inspired me to look at a couple of places to see what I could get, and that made me realize that this was a good deal.”
He and the landlord negotiated the sale of the condo.
He’s happy with his purchase, especially since the value of his condo has jumped 20 per cent since he bought it. He’s contemplating replacing the floors. They’re a bit too dark for him, and he wants to bring more light into the space.
Wish list
“Location first and foremost, which I got. Amenities, which my building has. Other than that, I was looking for a decent-sized place for one person, so I pretty much had what I wanted.”
What he got
A 550-square-foot unit, one bedroom, one bathroom in the DNA 3 condos at King and Shaw, with a concierge, a “very cool” gym, locker room, outdoor barbecues, party room, business centre and terrace.
Number of places seen
Two or three units just to make sure he wasn’t missing out on anything.
Original budget
His landlord originally asked $320,000.
What he paid
$300,000.
What he says about the neighbourhood
“It’s central, very easy to get everywhere, and the people are diverse and interesting. There are a lot of cool new things popping up all the time, like restaurants and bars. Ossington’s just up the street, which always has something new. I can walk to Trinity Bellwoods in three minutes, but there’s also a Starbucks, Metro and West Elm in Liberty Village, so I think the neighbourhood has everything.”
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