Rosemont Duplex Just Listed

I've just listed a duplex at 4439-441 St-Zotique, at the corner of 28th Ave. in Rosemont. The property consists of  two 5.5 room dwellings, each with three closed bedrooms and large eat in-kitchens with patio doors that give onto large  rear decks.

The property has one tenant living in the ground-floor unit, and a live-in owner upstairs. Both the tenant and the owner will be leaving by July 1, 2013.

The tenant pays $850 unheated and has use of the basement for storage and laundry. He also has an outdoor parking spot on the rear driveway. The upper could probably rent for between $750 and $800. The owner uses the single-width double garage and a cold room in the basement.

The property has been co-owned by the same two families since the mid 1960s. They are generally well maintained, with newer windows, repointed brick, new balconies, stairs and guard rails. The ground floor has a 200-amp electrical box, while the upper has 125 amps.

There's huge upside potential in the unfinished basement, with room aplenty for a fresh new laundry room and family room or extra bedroom, as need be.

The asking price is $475,000. The vendors are open to negotiation. Don't hesitate to call if you have questions or would like to schedule a visit.

Just Listed, Classic Rosemont Duplex

We've just pounded the sign in front of a classic Rosemont duplex - two bedrooms with an open living, dining and kitchen area on the ground floor and a semi-finished basement with a guest room and play area and exterior exit. There's just a shade under 1000 square feet of living space on the ground floor and a private yard with an above ground pool.

Upstairs there are two one-bedroom rentals with stable, long-term tenants who bring in a combined $800 a month.

The address is 5536 7th Ave., which is between Dandurand St. and Masson, the neighborhood's main shopping drag. If you don't know Rosemont, this is a nice  neighborhood, quiet tree-lined streets with folks who sit out on their stoops and balconies keeping an eye on things.

Alot of the action on the overheated Plateau has pushed north and east to Rosemont where prices are lower and there isn't quite as much carousing and clubbing.

The asking price is $419,000, very competitive for the neighborhood. We don't expect this baby to linger on the market at that price.

Open house Sunday, September 25, from 2-4 p.m. Tell your friends. MLS # 8616074

Montreal Shoeboxes

My pal Susan Semenak has a fantastic piece in today's Gazette about the charm of the "Montreal shoebox", those compact bungalows you find in the city's older neighborhoods. She's such a great writer and reporter that reading her stories is like slipping through a cool pool of water on a hot summer day. Effortless, refreshing. Plus, she talks to all the right people: urban geography maven David Hanna, another guy who grew up with two siblings in one of these two-bedroom homes and me!
We had a great morning a few weeks ago touring the neighborhood around Jean Talon market to admire the rococo architecture of these otherwise humble dwellings. We then had a delicious and cheap lunch in a Vietnamese resto on Beaubien St. Photographer John Mahoney took some lovely pictures to go with the story.
It's amazing to me that you can grab one of these vintage (1900-1930s) houses with all their character and style, usually in a really neat neighborhood, for less than $280,000.
The house pictured above was listed for sale in January at $259,000. It was snapped up like that in five days by someone who paid $267,000. It's on Bordeaux St. near Jean Talon. It has about 1,000 square feet of living space, two bedrooms and a finished basement with family room and laundry. It also has a nicely landscaped back yard with a gazebo. The photos show lots of vintage woodwork and plaster and a built-in china cabinet. All this and combined property/school taxes under $2,000. I'm in love.