Vijaya Kissoon wanted a home where she could live 鈥済racefully and elegantly鈥 that would her allow more time for travel, work and other things she enjoyed. Kissoon lived for 15 years in a renovated bungalow in East York and her wish-list for her next home was a townhome close to Sunnybrook Hospital. That’s not where she ended up.
Kissoon wasn鈥檛 actively searching for her new home, but she knew the time was approaching when she鈥檇 want to move, as maintaining her bungalow and yard took time and effort. She casually browsed properties online, then asked her daughter to introduce her to two realtors she had recommended.
鈥淎s soon as I met them and we talked about the possibilities, I said 鈥業 think I鈥檓 ready,鈥 鈥 says Kissoon, who spoke with Jason Mercieca and Sunny Mokha听听to discuss her options.
Although she was convinced she wanted a townhouse, this changed as she chatted with the realtors. After listening to Kissoon鈥檚 future vision for her lifestyle, Mercieca and Mokha suggested she consider condos, specifically Tridel鈥檚 Auberge on the Park, a condominium on the site of the former Inn on the Park.
They did take her to look at three-storey townhomes, but she realized the stairs and 鈥渃hoppy鈥 layouts didn鈥檛 fit with what she envisioned.
鈥淲hen I started exploring Auberge鈥檚 amenities and lifestyle, it opened my mind,鈥 she says. 鈥淭here was a perfect layout for me, similar to my bungalow鈥檚, and I thought, 鈥極K, this looks positive.鈥 鈥
After measuring her furniture to see if it would fit, she decided it was time to switch to a lifestyle that would enable her to find more time for her job and for herself.
Auberge on the Park condos range from $795,000 to $2.15 million in price, and from 912 to 2,028 square feet.听Kissoon听bought a 1,350-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bath condo with two balconies, as a presale unit in 2021.
Kissoon听loves to entertain, and the open layout her enables her to prepare meals while she chats with her guests. She appreciates that those she is hosting have their own bathroom. She also enjoys having a generous walk-in closet to accommodate her clothes and shoes.
Kissoon had confidence in the developer Tridel Homes, as she鈥檇 purchased from Tridel before. (Tridel partnered with Rowntree Enterprises on Auberge.). Her mother lives in one of their buildings. She says it’s well managed and maintained.
Kissoon听had time to prepare for her move, as she signed the agreement in April 2021, and moved in after the building was completed in August, 2023.
Because the condo was new, she was able to make choices to suit her taste. 鈥淚 got to pick finishings I love,鈥 including a 36-inch range, instead of the standard 24-inch condo model.
Her realtors enjoyed getting to know her and realized her kind of initial hesitation was something they had experienced before with other clients.听鈥淔or Jason and me, Vijaya鈥檚 journey was not a transaction; we still wanted to be invited for wine nights,鈥 says Mokha. 鈥淎s we sat with her, we realized we鈥檇 heard this story before. It鈥檚 hard to see your furniture fit somewhere else听鈥.
鈥淏ut freedom can come with change and we had to show her what we thought could be the right fit for her,鈥 he adds.
The journey spanned a couple of years, as there was the wait for the building to be constructed.听Mokha听and Mercieca helped to prepare Kissoon mentally for when to sell the family home, a year-and-a-half later, and tried to time everything to minimize the stress of the move.
They say the new location works well for听Kissoon. 鈥淭here is Sunnybrook hospital across the street, the transit line coming in (the crosstown LRT), and it鈥檚 a landmark location. It鈥檚 a quick Uber ride downtown and it鈥檚 north enough to make it easy to get out of the GTA,” said听Mokha.
“It checked a lot of boxes, and it鈥檚 loaded with amenities.鈥
Says Kissoon: 鈥淚t鈥檚 stunning. It doesn鈥檛 feel like a condo.鈥
It took a long time for her to decide to move. 鈥淚 was terrified,鈥 she says. The most important thing was finding the right realtors who understood her fears and the wish-list for her next home. 鈥淛ason and Sunny took the time to get a sense of what I was looking for.鈥
Her condo is less than 15 minutes from her daughter, mother and her job, allows her to work from home听鈥斕齭he鈥檚 a financial adviser听鈥斕齛nd is close to favourite brunch spots.
Kissoon was able to custom-design the walk-in closet to accommodate her clothes and shoes, and she loves how the 鈥渉ard wearing, easy-to-clean鈥 finishes in grey and white make housework simple. She likes the safety and security of having a concierge, and the responsive service if she needs to reach property management. She enjoys sitting on her balcony overlooking the park.
鈥淭he toughest part for me moving from a house to condo was the letting go,鈥 says Kissoon. 鈥淎 (detached) home can sometimes be an anchor. Now it is so freeing, and I can continue to let go. I can close the door and travel. I went to Japan, and Europe on a cruise. I am living the life.鈥
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