Toronto home selling for first time in over 70 years was actually built by hand

A Toronto home has been listed for sale for the first time in almost three-quarters of a century, offering some quaint competition to the many modern-looking builds for sale across the city.

“It was an absolute joy to bring this house to market,” realtor Erin Keaney told blogTO, who has been gushing about 226 Olive Ave. since August.

Typically, homes don’t warrant this much hype and enthusiasm, but this three-bedroom, two-bathroom home is definitely an exception. 

Keaney told blogTO that the land on which this house sits was first purchased by an Irish immigrant who moved to Toronto without knowing a soul.

The dining room. 

And this Irishman is definitely a character. “He had only one job interview and one job,” Keaney said, explaining he spent his entire career with the TTC. 

One of two bathrooms. 

He also built 226 Olive Ave. by hand without any prior building experience and raised his family there. 

A bedroom with a Murphy bed. 

And fun fact, all of his three sons also worked for the TTC. 

The kitchen with retro tiles. 

The owner lived in this house until he was 97, and now it’s on the market for the first time in 72 years. 

The basement recreation room. 

“It is a testament to what hard work, the love of family, and creating a life in Toronto is all about,” said Keaney

The second bathroom. 

The house itself is pretty typical of the 1950s, with way more broadloom than you’d ever expect to see in a modern home, colourful bathroom fixtures, and wood panelling in the basement. 

The dining room has a stained glass door in it. 

But that’s part of the charm that Keaney and the stager, Sarah Mavrou, tried to lean into when showcasing the home. 

Another view of the kitchen. 

“I didn’t want to bring in current modern furniture and art because it would fight with the style and memories of the home,” explained Keaney. 

The family room. 

“So we tried a different approach. The family room broadloom is such a fabulous focal point, so we wanted to showcase it.”

A bedroom. 

They used a mixture of the owner’s pieces and sourced some vintage finds from local small businesses to help tell the story of this happy home.

Another bedroom. 

While some people might still find it difficult to get past some of the dated interiors, this home has so much potential. 

The basement laundry room and a crawl space. 

It sits on a large 41- by 160-foot lot, and the home itself has been very well maintained if you’re in the market to retain and update the property. 

Even the basement gets good natural light. 

The home has tons of natural light, big principal rooms, decently sized bedrooms, and a fully finished basement. 

The backyard. 

The big selling point is the massive backyard, which, according to Keaney, has blue jays and the rare rabbit bouncing by, but more importantly, it has space to expand the house if desired. 

The family room has a fireplace. 

There’s also a detached garage, and the location is pretty great, considering detached homes in this area typically sell for over $2 million. 

The back of the house and detached garage. 

226 Olive Ave. is now listed for $1,580,000, after they bumped the price from $1,488,888.