What the stars’ millions could buy here
The same money doesn’t get the swankiest digs in this superheated housing market
How would you like to live in a house as expensive as a movie star’s?
As Toronto’s housing prices continue to rise, real estate listings for homes in the GTA have begun to rival those in Hollywood and Manhattan in asking price.
Celebrities looking to offload their costly L.A. pads are welcome to move up here, although they may find their money doesn’t go quite as far.
Jared Leto What he’s got: Actor and musician Jared Leto recently listed his four-bedroom home in the Hollywood Hills for the equivalent of $2.7 million (Canadian).
Built in 1955, the home boasts a leafy vine-covered façade, more than 4,000 square feet of living space and an in-home recording studio.
The 12,500-square-foot lot is blocked from public view by a wall and gate and features a backyard pool lined with palm trees. What he could have in Toronto: Oscar winner-Leto can take the money he makes on the sale of his Hollywood home and buy a three-storey Victorian house in Parkdale currently listed at just under $2.6 million.
Used until recently as a multi-unit rental property, this home is being marketed as a potential investment opportunity for an aspiring landlord or, with a little conversion work, a single-family home.
It is just a block north of a gradually gentrifying section of King St. W., near Jameson Ave., but backs onto a parking lot and an outcropping of apartment buildings.
Rufus Wainwright What he’s got: In November, singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright paid the equivalent of approximately $1.95 million (Canadian) for a 2,100-square-foot, three-bedroom “storybook cottage” in L.A.’s Laurel Canyon area, Variety has reported.
The 1920s-era hill-top home offers a clear view of nearby mountains. It features a tree-lined backyard pond and two patios linked by a small, rustic-looking bridge. What he could have in Toronto: Had Wainwright been willing to shell out just $30,000 extra, he could have bought a storey-and-a-half house near Yonge St. and Steels Ave. W., listed for over $1.98 million.
The four-bedroom house includes approximately 1,600 square feet of living space and a 6,200-square-foot lot that backs onto the property of Newtonbrook Secondary School. Amy Schumer What she had: The comedian recently sold her penthouse on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for the equivalent of nearly $2.2 million (Canadian), the New York Post reports.
The 850-square-foot unit takes up a full floor of a brownstone just steps from the American Museum of Natural History and less than two blocks from Central Park.
It features two wood-burning fire- places and a rooftop patio with a view of the New York skyline. What she could have in Toronto: For a little under $2.3 million, Schumer could scoop up a split-level house near Yonge St. and Shepherd Ave.
This five-bedroom home offers 1,250 square feet of living space. It sits at the end of a dead-end residential street, next to Willowdale Park, and is just a 10-minute walk from Mel Lastman Square. Leonardo DiCaprio What he had: In December, Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio sold his home in L.A.’s Studio City neighbourhood for just over $3 million (Canadian), Variety reported.
The ranch-style bungalow, built in the 1930s, is humble by movie star standards, but features an open-concept, 3,400-square-foot floor plan and wood-beamed ceilings.
Best of all, the sprawling 15,000- square-foot lot comes complete with a backyard swimming pool, vinecovered gazebo and lush trees. What he could have in Toronto: DiCaprio could have traded his California pad for a two-storey home near Avenue Rd. and Lawrence Ave. W, currently listed around $3.08 million.
This four-bedroom house offers just under 2,000 square feet of living space, on a 3,750-square-foot lot.