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Moving to Toronto?

2K views 21 replies 10 participants last post by  Manatus 
#1 ·
I may be moving to Toronto for professional reasons. Right now I don't know if I'll be there for longer than 2 years or so, so I'm looking to rent rather than buy a place.

So, Torontonians, any inside information as to what areas to look at/avoid? I probably wouldn't want to be further than 30-ish minutes from Union via public transport. I have a car but would prefer to be able to not have to use it all the time, especially not for commuting. So good public transport and a decently "walkable" surrounding area (e.g. grocery stores, some decent eating places etc) are pretty important, as well of course overall safety/atmosphere of the area. Not really looking to be in the heart of the all-night-party district.

Thanks!
 
#3 ·
I used to live in Forest Hill, and Bathurst and Eglinton. The only problem is that the closest big grocery store is at Bathurst and Lawerence. Not very walkable. But there were a lot of restaurants, boutiques and smaller stores that sell some groceries (just no supermarkets). Where I lived there were 4 bus routes, 2 of which were 24 hours, and it took about 10 mins to get to the subway by bus (about 25 mins to walk).

Other neighbourhoods to consider:
-The Annex (although I hear it's becoming a party neighbourhood)
-Anything close to Yonge Street (Yonge and Eglinton or Yonge and Bloor in particular)
-A lot of people like the Danforth, but some parts (esp. east of Pape) can be sketchy
-High Park or Bloor west Village (w. of High Park)

You might want to go to UrbanToronto and get some opinions from committed urbanites. Also, do some research on where most the jobs in your field are located. Maybe you can find a place within walking distance from that area. Lastly, visit and find out which neighbourhoods fit you the best.

Good luck!
 
#4 ·
You describe many areas in Toronto. :) I'd go so far to say most areas within the old city of Toronto.

If you are on the subway line (particularly the Yonge subway), you will be roughly 30 minutes-ish or less from Union. Most areas around any of these subway points are quite walkable. (Heck, I can walk from Union to Bloor in roughly 30 minutes.)

Once you start getting north of Lawrence, things tend to spread out a lot more and become less walker-friendly though it's not bad up near North York City Hall. On the other hand, parking tends to be more affordable and more readily available as you get further from the city core.

The other option is to go east or west... I *think* the Beaches is within your 30 minutes via transit deadline, and Leslieville certainly is. Both are nice, walkable areas, and quite safe. There's nightlife, but it's not a party zone. I'm less familiar with the west side, there are all those condos at CityPlace (safe, but IMO souless) and then you start getting into Parkdale which (while gentrifying) can be sketchy in places.

I'm not as sure about how long it takes to get to Union along the Bloor line, but the Danforth is nice. The Annex and Little Italy *can* be a party zone, but there are quiet streets in these areas as well.

Really... there's a lot available. My advice is to pick an area and wander around to get a feel for it.... most neighbourhoods within the old city of Toronto fit what you are looking for.
 
#5 ·
All the above areas mentioned are nice. As Sonal said, north of Lawrence starts to become less walkable. A really nice place that is within minutes of downtown by transit is the Danforth West area (Greektown). You want to be as close to Broadview as possible.

Here is a google map of Greektown: Google Maps

It has a really, really good restaurant and bar scene. It has a lot of young professionals (25-40), and is probably one of the best spots to be in Toronto during the summer. All around great neighbour and very affordable. Something about being East of the DVP scares people.

That said, I live at Lawrence and Yonge and I can get to Union station in 15 minutes on the subway.
 
#6 ·
That's some great advice, just what I was looking for... I'm definitely planning to go there ahead of time for a few days to stake out the various locations mentioned (and any other interesting places), as well as hopefully catch that King Tut exhibit.

How about in terms of actual properties? I've read some tenant-related Toronto forums and have seen a lot of comments that the way to go is to rent condos, preferably from a corporation or a professional landlord. Is that a good idea and where would be good websites/agencies etc to find these? My main concern is that it be a pretty painless experience, i.e. no arguing about whether or not such-and-such can be repaired etc, so from my point of view I would be willing to pay a little more for that level of service, rather than finding the cheapest one on craigslist.
 
#12 ·
Here's the landlord's point of view: it depends.

Condos are generally more expensive to rent, but they are more often rented out by an individual rather than a property management company. Then again, most condos tend to be newer buildings, so in some sense they are in better shape overall because not enough time has gone by for things to start fall apart in a big way.

Now I have seen properties managed by an individual that are absolutely stellar and I have seen properties managed by professional property management that are utter hellholes, and vice-versa.

Honestly, the best advice I can give is to feel out the person you are dealing with and find out if they are the one who is responsible for repairs or if they are just an agent. (Most likely the former.) If it's a building with a superintendent, that is the person you most want to meet and get a sense for, because no matter how good a management company is, it's the super that makes or breaks the building.

Also, take a look around the property. Is it clean? Does it look like it's in good shape? Is the landscaping neat and tidy? Is the snow clear? Does the parking lot look like it's in good shape? Those are clues as to how responsive a building is.

My favourite 'tell', though it's a bit early for it, is to look for flowers. Any building that spends money on maintaining something as non-essential as flowers is a building where someone cares that things are well-kept.
 
#7 ·
I'm biased towards Leslieville and Riverdale - I live in the former but both are great neighbourhoods. If you're an outdoorsy type then access to the lake is cool for biking, blading and strolling - and if you're into getting acquainted with the less typical bits of Toronto, then check out the Leslie Street Spit... feels very far away from the city sometimes when you're out there. If you're after tamer, more manicured parks for recreation, the Beach boardwalk is stupendous free entertainment and eye-candy... whether you're into people-watching or just enjoying the panoramic shoreline view of one Lake Ontario.

Rent-wise, I think it might be a bit cheaper to look into Leslieville than Riverdale. Either spot is likely cheaper than the Annex and many other west-end 'hoods ... the Annex is a fine neighbourhood with great shops and services but it ain't cheap. But then again, nowhere in central Toronto is it cheap. Little Italy still rocks but if you're not hugely into noise then locating a few streets away from College is not a bad idea.

Best of luck, by the way! Let us know where you end up.
 
#10 ·
Also, if you like to mountain bike/nature/outdoors the Don Valley has an amazing set of hiking/mountain biking trails and a really nice pedestrian trail that follows the river. That's another reason I like East end Toronto, it is right there. The trails run pretty much along the DVP. Best access is at Pottery Rd and Bayview Ave.
 
#11 ·
Just an update: I'll be in Toronto from March 13-16, thanks to an awesome deal for the King Tut exhibition by Tourism Ontario. So there'll be lots of time to check out all those areas. Thanks again for all the advice, and I'll keep you posted on our findings.
 
#13 ·
Has anyone heard anything about Vertica property management (vertica.ca)? It seems like they have quite a few buildings in good locations with a reasonable price point. More specifically we're interested in Grenadier Square (near High Park), Galleria (Yonge/Finch) and Bayview Village Place (Bayview Village). Any thoughts?
 
#14 ·
Re: Vertica. I lived in high park for over 20 yrs and know several people who live or lived in their High Park property at 40 High Park. They just did some extensive renovations to that building including new windows and balcony repairs. It's an older building, but impeccably maintained and with many long term tenants. It's a great area too and it's within your 30min commute. The subway is right at the back of this building. I would certainly have a look at this location.
 
#15 ·
Latest update: I'm in Toronto right now, hoping to close a deal. We're thinking of renting one of the North York (Yonge/Finch) condos. Area perhaps isn't the best, but the accessibility and price/size tradeoff seems to be better than what we've seen elsewhere. Then again, we haven't had a lot to choose from, since most landlords exclude pets (we have 3). Going again this evening to look around the area thoroughly. Any thoughts?
 
#16 ·
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