Curb Appeal Etobicoke - ISSUE 01 • 2026

2025 By The Numbers

JoAnne named among the top ten agents in Ontario in the individual category.

102 showings on various properties to potential purchasers

1 Hot water tank explodes at the office

6 Fire trucks arrive

3 homes sold off market (because the owners didn’t want showings)

1 Daughter, Carolynn, graduated with a Master of Nursing

2 mighty snow storms in Toronto resulting in school closures

3 properties sold in under a week

1 particularly happy client as I secured her dream suite

20 extremely hot days in Toronto 1200 Christmas packages mailed 1,481 condos sold across Toronto West in 2025

2,115 freehold homes sold in family-oriented communities

27% of Toronto West buyers in 2025 purchased homes within 3 km of a major transit hub

11,240 total new listings that came to market within the Toronto West boundaries in 2025

22% share of homes sold over asking 102 sales that closed above $3 Million, mostly detached homes on larger west-end lots

1 Son, David, establishes a lab at Cornell University

18 average showings per listing before salehigher for renovated family homes

$1.03 billion estimated value of all real state sold within the West End boundaries

39 Number of years I have been selling real estate in Toronto

0 Number of times this year I would have rather done anything else for a living!

20,000 Number of extra kilometres accumulated on my car visiting my two granddaughters, Ula and Yana, in New York State

7 Average number of times a day my website is updated

106 Average number of times the virtual tour for one of my listing properties is viewed

85 average number of emails read and responded to before 10 am

Many number of sales of rentals I transacted in 2025

132 Number of unique challenges I met and learned from this year

1 Daughter in law, Sarah, organizing short time move in while house was being renovated

6 Number of curious white tailed deer who were surprised I have enough bars of cell phone service to do a deal via cell phone in the belly of the night somewhere in upstate NY

7500 Average number of minutes on my cell phone I spend conducting business

0 number of days or times I am too busy to personally deal with your real estate transactions, questions or concerns

10 Number of pairs of shoes I have worn out in the process of selling real estate in 2025

0 Number of times I passed the outlet mall in Waterloo NY, without stopping to buy shoes

6 Sets of long time clients who referred their children to me

5 sets if first time buyers who told me they wished they had followed their parents advice and called me sooner

55 Number of complimentary home staging consultations provided to my clients

12 dozen doggy treats dispensed

0 Number of pets, wild animals or pedestrians harmed in the process of selling real estate in 2025, a personal best!

47,000 number of just listed cards sent to your neighbours in Toronto in 2025

120,000 Monthly Market Watch newsletters distributed

70 Minimum number of compliments and referrals received from Market Watch and Just Listed cards

13 Buyers and sellers who said they found their next homes through Market Watch

Numerous Times I was reminded that good marketing works

Countless number of times I am reminded how important my family is to me and my success in real estate.

Many favourable comments received for my Realty Sweep Program

Many Neighbourhoods I happily cover for my clients

124 Meals eaten at my desk over many late nights at the office

287 Times my Assistant has suggested I take a vacation

0 Times I did!

879 Files reorganized by my assistant

14 Letters of Opinion provided to my clients

1 New cell phone purchased

12 Blog Posts

165 Cups of coffee consumed at my desk with a keyboard still intact!

1 heartbreak - The day the Toronto Blue Jays lost the World Series

10 Different Publications I use to market my clients beautiful properties

300 Lunches eaten at our desks

129 Amazing past clients that called to catch up! Always makes my day.

1 New computer purchased

1 Daughter in law, Natasza, speaks at many institutions about cutting edge gut research studies

1 Grandson Gabrial discovered hockey and plays it well

1 Grandson Everett discovers his voice

1 Real estate license renewed

2 houses found for my clients in Niagara-on-the-Lake

Countless hours spent talking to my clients about selling strategy

Countless hours spent talking to my buyers about market conditions

2025 was another challenging and successful year.

A Heartfelt Thank You to All.

A Rare Corner Townhome Gem in Trendy Davenport Village

35 Foundry Avenue #38

Welcome to 38-35 Foundry. This beautifully maintained 3-storey, 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom corner townhome offers over 1,600 sq ft living space, flooded with natural light and boasting a functional, family-friendly layout. A full-sized eat-in kitchen with stainless steel appliances, The spacious open-concept living and dining area features a charming bay window, ideal for entertaining or simply relaxing after a long day. Primary bedroom features a large closet and its own ensuite bath. The top floor reveals a versatile den or family room that walks out to a fabulous south-facing rooftop terrace, your private outdoor oasis for morning coffees, summer BBQs, or evening stargazing. Located in a vibrant, family-friendly neighbourhood just steps to Earlscourt Park, TTC, schools, and a growing number of local cafes and shops including Balzacs.

CLIENT TESTIMONIAL

Counter to trend, this summer I was looking to move back to Toronto after 14 years in Northumberland County. A friend from Cobourg recommended Nutan and we clicked the first time we met. I loved her easy-going, forthright demeanor and, since we were ver y close in age, we discovered lots of common ground.

I needed to work quickly, since my house deal in Cobourg was closing on Sept. 2. I had been watching the Toronto market since January and was clear about my budget and where I wanted to live. The challenge in June and early July was a paucity of listings. Nutan was incredibly helpful arranging showings for properties that weren’t even on the market yet, and previewing houses while I was out of town.

Gradually I narrowed my search to stacked townhouses just west of Lansdowne and finally found the perfect spot on July 19th and put in an offer the next day. There were issues with the HVAC system that needed immediate attention, and Nutan was diligent in following up with the seller to address these – twice. She also connected me with a couple of contractors, who were prompt and efficient.

This is the ninth house I’ve purchased and I can honestly say it was the best experience with a realtor I’ve ever had. Thank you Nutan!

~ Denny

TUDOR MASTERPIECE- HIGH ABOVE THE HUMBER

Quintessential Kingsway! This is the first estate to be built in the Kingsway, located on the best and first lots in the Kingsway, selected for the most overall table land available on the Humber River ravine - 43 The Kingsway is the crown jewel of the neighbourhood. If you’ve ever driven through the neighbourhood, you already know this home - it’s the one with the glass atrium with copper roof, the one that glows at night & is full of light during the day. Since construction, the home has been meticulously stewarded by its owners and tastefully updated to blend modern sensibilities without losing the Kingsway feeling. From the outside, you’ll appreciate Jim Mosher’s dramatic Humber River stone landscaping, and the elegant, particularly Kingsway, styling of the rear extension is seamless. Enter the show-stopping glass atrium, complete with heated floors and a wrought iron spiral staircase. To your left is an oversized three-car garage with ample storage. Up the spiral staircase, the guest or nanny suite is built to impress - vaulted ceilings, floor-to-ceiling Humber River ravine views.

ROBERT STREET Residences

By Taylor Smyth Architects | Photography by Tom Arban Photography Inc.

Two adjacent contemporary houses in a Victorian Toronto neighbourhood, designed by the same architect and for the same client, subtly respond to the local vernacular and to each other, while expressing their own unique characters. Designed and constructed over a span of 10 years, the first house was completed in 2011, and the second house in 2021.

The 3,000 square foot residences are located on a unique street in the heart of downtown Toronto, which is a heritage district with mostly historically-designated houses. Here, approval to build is overseen by Heritage Preservation Services, which generally mandates a traditional style. However, the existing houses on both lots were 1960’s bungalows with no architectural merit.

PROJECT DETAILS

TEAM: Michael Taylor, Partnerin-Charge; Marco Bonatti, Project Architect

LOCATION: Toronto, ON

SIZE: Residence I: 3,000 sq ft; Residence II: 3,500 Square Feet

COMPLETION: Residence I: 2011; Residence II: 2021

Both the client and architectural partner, Michael Taylor, felt that trying to build a new house to replicate the style of the old houses on the street would not be successful, nor was it appropriate to attempt. Instead, he and his design team set out to find ways to reference the surrounding Victorian vernacular through scale, proportion, and colour.

A distinctive feature of many of the old houses on the block was a vertical gable and front porch. This inspired the configuration of ▹

the front façade of the first house with a projecting two storey bay window that picks up on the proportion of these gables, and the inclusion of a front porch. However, instead of treating these as two distinct elements, the porch and the bay window are unified into one composition that folds up from the porch overhang to become the surrounding frame of the bay window.

The second house also has a porch that continues the sequence of porches of the adjacent cottage-style Victorian houses. The tall second floor windows are each surrounded by a projecting metal frame, and set into a red brick façade. Randomly sized, they evoke the dormer windows of the neighbouring houses in a contemporary composition.

One of the challenges was to hide the garage doors, since there are no other garage doors

facing the street. The solution for both houses was to clad the surfaces of the ground floor façade—the garage door, walls, front door, and the soffit of the porch—with the same material. The team sourced a panel product called Trespa, a high-pressure compact laminate panel based on thermosetting resins, homogeneously reinforced with wood-based fibers with a printed surface layer that looks like oak and is virtually indistinguishable from real wood, except that it is maintenance free.

The client acted as the general contractor for both houses, as well as contributing to the interior design. Her intention was to occupy the first house and then sell it once the second house was complete and ready for her to move into. Lessons learned from the design and construction of the first house were applied to the second house, including design features

to improve energy efficiency. The ground floor features in-floor radiant heating, which provides significant energy savings during the winter months. Flat roofs were built with continuous insulation on top of the deck, rather than with insulation in-between joists, enabling a superior level of insulation and eliminating thermal bridging. The front driveway features a minimal footprint (2 parallel strips), built with permeable pavers to maximize natural water absorption. Both houses are organized around a central skylit atrium with abundant natural light, and have custom canopies above the terraces, which maximize passive heat gains in the winter, while also providing shade in the summer.

For more information - taylorsmyth.com

A Rare Offering in Swansea

16 Palisades, Toronto

A rare offering of a stone & stucco residence on one of Swansea’s most sought-after streets! This lovely home boasts outstanding curb appeal and a west backyard. It has a classic layout, timeless details and sublime original character. Features include a spacious foyer with wainscotting & leaded glass; an elegant living room with a working woodburning stone fireplace & large bay window; a formal dining room with wainscotting & plate rail; a bright kitchen with walkout to a deck with a BBQ gas line. The upper level offers four well-proportioned, skylit bedrooms & a modern family bath. The lower level features a rec room with a gas fireplace, 4-piece bath, laundry & ample storage. The private backyard is perfect for gatherings & play. A wide private drive and detached garage accommodate several cars. Enjoy the short walk to High Park, Grenadier Pond, Rennie Park, Bloor West Village, Runnymede subway & top neighbourhood schools - Swansea PS & Humberside Collegiate. An enchanting family home in a dream location awaits.

FINGERLICKING GOOD Short Ribs

EATING HEALTHIER DOESN’T MEAN GIVING UP ON YOUR FAVOURITES — EVEN ONES YOU WOULD NEVER THINK COULD BE MADE INTO SOMETHING GOOD FOR YOU.

Take this finger-licking-good recipe for Korean-style short ribs, which is low in sodium and could fit a kidney-friendly diet. It’s made by chef Kris Gaudet for the Kidney Community Kitchen, a Kidney Foundation website that offers tasty recipes, tips and expert advice on how to make cooking fun again, even if you have restrictions in your diet. If you’re looking to cut back on beef, you can substitute pork tavern ribs, pork side ribs or pork back ribs. Whatever meat you choose, serve with steamed jasmine or basmati rice and enjoy.

KOREAN-STYLE SHORT RIBS

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

• 2 tbsp white vinegar

• 2 tbsp granulated sugar

• 1 tbsp Sriracha sauce

• 1 tsp ground black pepper

• ½ yellow onion, finely chopped

• ½ bunch green onions, thinly sliced

• 4-6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 ½ lbs beef short ribs

• ½ cup water

DIRECTIONS

STEP ONE: In large bowl, whisk together soy sauce, water, vinegars, sugar, Sriracha and pepper. Add onion, green onion and garlic. Stir to combine.

STEP TWO: Add short ribs to a resealable plastic bag and coat with marinade. Remove as much air from bag as possible to get a tight seal. Let marinade for at least 12 hours; 24 hours would be preferable

STEP THREE: Line a large baking sheet with foil. Remove ribs from marinade and remove onions and garlic left on ribs.

STEP FOUR: Wrap ribs in tinfoil and bake at 250°F for three hours. Unwrap and serve ◆ newscanada.com

COVER HOME

Rarely does an opportunity arise to acquire one of the truly distinctive signature homes in the Kingsway! This grand,expensively renovated Old English Tudor residence nestled on its exceptional hilltop lot is one of them. Graciously appointed, professionally decorated, and landscaped, it truly embodies the pinnacle of refined living. The magnificent layout and design offer approximately 8000 square feet of bespoke living space. Stunning mature treed setting with circular drive and three garages. Multiple walkouts to serene stone patios amidst the complete privacy offered by its idyllic ravine location overlooking the river valley below. In a word, Perfection.

ASPIRATIONAL ADDRESS

Landmark Tudor Dream Home

16 Kingsway Crescent is, in a word, emblematic. In a neighbourhood characterized by stately homes and grand English architecture, 16 Kingsway Crescent remains a true aspirational address - perched on the intersection of the Kingsway’s two most prestigious streets, showcasing classic Tudor architectural elements, this is what making it in the Kingsway looks like.

WENDOVER ROAD

Charming Old English Architecture

Charming R. Home Smith original in prized location! Circa 1930, the Olde English architecture remains an enduring classic. In style then, and still in style today! The vestibule opens to a baywindowed living room with a log-burning hearth. Formal separate dining room. An updated kitchen and cozy family room open to the private rear garden. A convenient main-floor powder room completes the first level. Upstairs offers an oversized bay-windowed primary suite & two additional bedrooms & a four-piece bath. The lower level welcomes your own initiative.