Scarborough Listing Highlights Deteriorating State of 'Affordable' Detached Housing

A new listing at 54 Westbourne Ave. in Scarborough has surfaced for $688,800, a price point that, as BlogTO first reported, is increasingly rare for detached homes in Toronto. While the property offers a six-bedroom, four-bathroom layout on an oversized 45-by-105-foot lot, the low asking price reflects a home in significant disrepair.

According to BlogTO, the property is not move-in ready and is specifically targeted toward builders, investors, and first-time buyers. Visible issues include missing siding on the exterior and a dated interior that requires substantial work. The home does feature a private double driveway, an attached garage, and a second kitchen located in the basement.

The pricing of the Westbourne Ave. home coincides with a sharp downturn in the surrounding neighborhood. BlogTO reports that detached home prices in the area have fallen approximately 20 per cent year-over-year, while overall property values have decreased by about 15 per cent over the last 12 months. Recent sales for detached homes in the vicinity have ranged from roughly $695,000 to $1,087,500, with an average sale price of approximately $785,925.

This local decline is tied to the stalling of a massive redevelopment plan for the Golden Mile area. As reported by the Toronto Star, the downturn in the condo market has upended plans that once envisioned the area being repopulated with as many as 75 towers, sparked by the arrival of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT. BlogTO notes that as developers rethink projects and condo presales dry up, the certainty of the area's transformation has diminished.

While the $688,800 price tag may attract attention, BlogTO suggests it could be a strategy to generate multiple offers, and warns that buyers must account for the potentially high costs of renovating the crumbling structure.