Liberty Village is a neighborhood that’s very close to my heart. Not only do I work in the area, I’m also one of InLibertyVillage.com’s real estate experts – I’ve watched the neighborhood’s evolution over the last 5-10 years closely and have witnessed all of the remarkable growth that’s happened there. My clients who live there love it – the myriad of restaurants, gyms, coffee shops and other amenities make it its own self-contained mini city. If you have children there’s also plenty of daycare choices nearby.
You can’t beat its location either. It’s a short walking distance from the Lakeshore, Downtown, King & Queen West and Ossington so extremely accessible. The King and Queen streetcars are a stone’s throw away so residents who work downtown have a short commute. In fact there’s so much activity in the area that congestion is becoming an issue for residents. A new road is being proposed that would run east-west between Strachan and Dufferin just above the railway tracks which will hopefully relieve some of the congestion.
If you’re considering buying a home in Liberty Village the first thing I’d recommend is to drive around the neighborhood. It’s important to familiarize yourself with the location – where is the grocery store, how far is the walk to the streetcar, what’s the fastest way to get on the Gardiner, etc. Also, do you like the look and feel of the neighborhood? It’s not for everyone. All of the buildings are newer, having been built in the last 10 years so if you’re looking for old style character than it may not be the place for you.
You also need to decide, based on your budget and time frame, if you’d rather buy a re-sale condominium, a townhouse or a new development. There’s a slew of new developments going up in the area by 2012/2014: Liberty Place (150 East Liberty), The Tower (125 Western Battery), DNA 3 (on King) and King West Condos (a series of three towers slated to be completed in 2012/2013) to name a few.
If you’re looking to buy sooner rather than later you might want to consider a re-sale unit. One of the most well known buildings in Liberty Village (and one of my favorites) is the Toy Factory Lofts at 43 Hanna. It’s the former home of the Irwin Toy Factory which was converted in 2008 into 215 industrial residential units. I also like the townhomes on East Liberty and Pirandhello. They have a neighborhood feel and offer quite a few floorplan and price options. If you have pets and don’t want to be riding up and down an elevator frequently than townhouses may trump condo apartments as your property type of choice. I’m also a fan of 100 Western Battery (try to buy a unit that’s not facing west or your view may be blocked by 125 Western Battery – it’s being built right now), Liberty Towers (59 East Liberty) and Bliss Condominiums (55 East Liberty).
Pricing to buy in Liberty Village varies but the average price is just over $300,000. Rates, of course, depend on the square foot of the unit, number of bedrooms, whether it comes with parking, etc. I’d recommend you look at a number of different units in different buildings until you find the best fit in the Liberty Village real estate market for you.
