congrats! an affordable 2-bedroom duplex? where are you?

Thanks, amberglow.

I'm in Toronto. It's not a "duplex" though, technically, I don't think, as it's not a house. It's two floors above a store. I'm in Toronto. I'd guess it's about 850-900 square feet.

Rent is $950.

It sounds lovely. You'll have to take pictures for those of us who have been following the saga. :)

Excellent!

Yeah, I'll take pix in May when I'm settled in. This is the first time I've moved in 12 years. Kinda frightening.

Congrats!

How's the view?

The view's not so hot as it's the back of the unit so there's an alley beneath. However, beyond the alley there is a park which I imagine will look nice in the spring/summer. At least I'm not staring at a brick wall. All the windows are on the south side of the building.

Here are some pictures but they don't do the place justice as they were taken during renovations. All the carpet is now gone so everything is hard wood floors and fresh paint.

It'll look much better when I get my mitts on it.

that's cheap tho, even for there? that's like 800 US. (unless TO is as cheap as Montreal?)

cool : >

Heh.

I'm hoping to buy a house at Woodbine and Danforth in the near future, and I also plan on getting a dog once I move and get settled in.

Perhaps I'll see you around the 'hood.

Congrats, Dobbs!

I just arrived in Toronto yesterday afternoon, so my apartment hunt begins in earnest tomorrow.

Maybe you have some tips for me?

nice--a built-in breakfast nook thing?

i like it--that would cost like 3k plus here in manhattan.

Wow, dobbs! Great deal! A friend of mine just moved and had a hell of a time trying to find something around $1000 that was a decent size -- as in, bigger than my kitchen. Of course, she was looking in the Annex... You did very well!

yeah, that nook thingy is kinda weird. the doors at the bottom open up and the bench park then can flip open on a hinge and turn into a bed (the board rests on the doors). Inside the bench is bedding / mattress.

not sure what rental prices in montreal are like. Toronto varies from somewhat reasonable to ridiculous. The place I'm being kicked out of (they're tearing it apart) is amazing. 1150 square feet 2 br floor of a house. $850. in a ritzy part of town close to downtown. I couldn't find anything in my preferred parts of town under $1000 that was even half the space I have now unless it was in a basement, which I didn't want. For instance, my neighbor in an *identical* apartment to mine (same house design next door) pays $1750! (Toronto's had a on again off again affair with rent control so since I've lived here 12 years (and moved in with someone, initially, who had been here 5), the rent's been rock solid. I moved in and it was $600!)

sasshat, the most popular online resources are viewit.ca, nowtoronto.com classifieds, thestar.com classifieds (though they took a sharp turn for shit not too long ago) and of course craigslist (where I found this place).

If you can go over $1000 or to, say, $1250, you can find a good place in a great part of town. I looked at these two (grr, they removed the pix!) and was seriously considering both. The second one without the pix has a huge yard, like 400 sf and a deck and a garage as well as a big kitchen and working fireplace. I *really* wanted a yard.

However, because I'm being evicted for reasons that aren't my fault, my landlord has to give me 3 months rent (under the law) and since the place I got is only $950 ($300 less than those, or $3600 a year), I figure I'm "ahead" $6k (even though technically I'm spending $1200 more in rent for a year), which means I can avoid working longer and write more in 2006, which was my goal until the eviction fucked everything up.

one other thing, my landlord has told me that if I want to move back here after they gut and redo this place (it's a new landlord and they say the wiring and pipes aren't up to code), they'll let me with a 10% increase, which would still only make it $935. However, they don't know if it'll be a month of work or 3 or what (they are doing all 8 units--it's a huge fucking house built in 1926), which is why it's great i'm on month to month at the new place.

I'd have to give back 2 of the 3 months rent under the law, though.

Though that is definitely NOT my plan as I do need a change, at least it's an option if I absolutely cannot stand the new area or find out I've got an evil neighbor or something.

Oh, and sasshat, I can't say for sure but one tip: sign up for viewit's email listings to get notified of new properties. Do it from 2 different addresses, one at night and one in the day as it mails every 24 hours from when you sign up. So, if you do that, you'll get doubles for sure but you'll also make sure no one posts an ad more than 12 hours before you see it, which gives you an advantage on places that go fast.

wow dobbs it looks like a great place even if not an ideal location. who knows, it may be a good change that sparks other cool things? I'll be up in Toronto in July. I'll have to look you guys up!

Oh, man, I am sooo jealous. Congrats, dobbs!