High Park fails to entice Leslieville couple



...It was only when they returned to Leslieville and began preparations to put their old house on the market that they began to have second thoughts...

...They had listed it for $585,000. Then the bids came in, rising at one point to $615,000 – which is when the couple threw in the towel.
“I just couldn't take it,” Ms. Purcell explains. “I had fallen back in love with my own house.”...

Leslieville has undergone somewhat of a renaissance recently,” says Toronto real-estate agent Irene Kaushansky, who specializes in the area. “It is now a destination with literally dozens of fantastic restaurants, shops, cafés and specialty food shops – a far cry from the bleak strip it used to be. It is now also seen as a viable alternative for families with young children.

“In the past, Leslieville was where you bought a home only if you were young, somewhat carefree and couldn't afford to purchase in Riverdale or the Beach.”

“For us, Leslieville is home sweet home,” says Ms. Purcell. “The kids are embedded in their schools and their community programs. They now have all the amenities that I thought we had to move to find. Leslieville has become its own drawing point, as far as I'm concerned. I feel that I may never have to move.”

Mr. Randmaa seconds that emotion: “Our existing house has become exactly what we were looking for in another house. Except it's located in downtown Toronto. No family should ever feel afraid living there. Because we don't.”
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photo of Degrassi Street