64 Wales Ave., Toronto

The sad fact is that I can not, under any circumstances, afford to buy a house in Toronto. I can barely afford a new pair of runners or wine with dinner. Yet, like a tween girl (or boy) with fantasies of being whisked away by Justin Bieber, I can dream. And I have a serious real estate crush at the moment. It’s a peaked-roofed, brick Victorian row house in Kensington Market, with a garden in the front and bright, clean-lined interiors.

The frustrating thing is that the price, at $469,000, is actually cheaper than the average Toronto home (which, climbing steadily, now costs just over $500,000). It’s also cheaper than a dumpy place that I spotted a couple of weeks ago in Chinatown. But still, at my current rate of savings (based on my current salary), it would take me about 9 years to save up a reasonable 10 per cent down payment — and that’s in addition to what I’ve already saved since I finished university two-and-a-half years ago. Maybe by the time I’m ready, the home will be back on the market!

64 Wales Ave., Toronto

I love the warm hardwood floors and hardwood trim.

64 Wales Ave., Toronto

I wonder where the current owners bought those colourful Eames chairs? I wonder if they would throw them in as a signing bonus?

64 Wales Ave., Toronto

I’m already having visions of how I would renovate the kitchen. Instead of a table, I would put in a small island with a butcher block top. I love having a lot of counter space when I’m cooking, and I don’t like eating in the kitchen (that’s what the dining room is for). Plus, I would update the counter tops, which look like they’re peeling, and put in a lighter-coloured floor tile. Even if I got new cupboards, that colour might have to stay.

64 Wales Ave., Toronto

The two-storey house is over 1,100-square feet and has three bedrooms. For a starter home, which is what this would be more me, that’s pretty luxurious. But unlike a typical, futon-sized starter place (i.e. most newly built condo in the city), I would likely live here for a very long time. Now, I just have to sell some organs, win the lottery and get several promotions at work so I can pay for it.