Viral Trinity Bellwoods fixer-upper sells for $675K

A Toronto house that went viral in January for looking more like the set of a Hollywood horror movie than a home in one of the city's hottest neighbourhoods has sold for $675,000.

The Trinity Bellwoods home at 15 Rebecca St. originally went on the market for under $700,000 by its owner, who hoped it would spark a bidding war, realtor Al Sinclair told CBC Toronto. But after proving unsuccessful, the home was relisted for $749,000.

Sinclair says the owner got market value for the property.

Despite the strong reaction the home got online, John Pasalis, a Toronto-based real estate broker and president of Realosophy Realty, said he was surprised that the property took so long to sell.

"The property is very unique. It's one of these small, affordable freehold houses downtown." Pasalis said. "I'm not surprised what it ended up selling for. I think someone can do a good job in renovating and still have a nice small home right downtown."

Home a condo-alternative, broker says

The home was advertised as a fixer-upper for "renovators and builders," and Pasalis said after renovations, the house could have cost as much as an 800-square foot condo.

"There's not a lot of homes around Ossington and Queen, that you get for under a million and forget in the $600,000s," Pasalis added. "This home is probably more of a substitute for a condominium rather than directly comparable to other single-family low-rise homes in the area, which are usually a lot bigger."

If you feel like you've missed out, don't worry, Pasalis says that there are likely other homes out there just like it.

"A lot of homes that have maybe no photos at all or maybe just have exterior photos probably look like they're in the same condition," he said. "It's just that we don't have access to the interior photos so we never really know what it looks like."