Heaps Estrin's Blog - The Heaps Estrin Team

The Sandwich Generation

Features | The Sandwich Generation

Caught between caring simultaneously for aging parents and children or grandchildren, a growing group of Canadians is making up the so-called Sandwich Generation that’s straddling two generations in need. And the double-layered financial, physical and emotional pressures are spreading them too thin. 

Words by Alex Cyr

When Jane Allin retired in 2014 after a 30-year career in education—most recently as a high school principal in Toronto—she had grand plans for her golden years. She and her husband, Stephen, a retired entrepreneur who once helmed the largest garden furniture manufacturing company in North America, had mapped it all out: they would travel, get in shape and settle into a slower pace of life. And…

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Heaps Estrin Market Update | March 2026

March marks the moment we collectively spring forward – longer days, temperatures finally crawling out of the negatives, and traditionally, the start of the spring real estate market. This year, however, the market feels less like it’s sprinting out of the gate and more like it’s quietly gathering momentum, with buyers and sellers alike watching for the right moment to act.

According to the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board’s February report, 3,868 home sales were recorded last month, down 6.3 per cent compared to February 2025. New listings declined even more sharply, falling 17.7 per cent year-over-year.

What stands out in these numbers is the relationship between supply and demand. While sales have slowed modestly, new listings have…

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Building A City of Culture

Features | Building A City of Culture

There’s no shortage of high-profile art fairs or heritage institutions in Toronto, but pushing the city into capital-C culture takes more than a checklist of museums and international exhibitions. It involves giving space to diverse initiatives, providing fertile ground for burgeoning artists and getting financial backing from City Hall. The good news? Toronto is well on its way.  

Words by Maryam Siddiqi

Passing through the intersection of Lake Shore Boulevard and York Street, you might spot an odd sight: three boom lifts (construction equipment often found at the side of the road for perpetual repairs to the underside of the Gardiner Expressway) wrapped in bright blue, purple, green and red vinyl with…

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Toronto’s Upcoming Luxury Land Transfer Tax: What You Need to Know

Toronto’s Luxury Land Transfer Tax: What You Need to Know

We spoke with Christina Pinelli, a Heaps Estrin real estate agent, to break down what buyers and sellers need to know about the upcoming luxury land transfer tax in Toronto.

As of April 1, 2026, the City of Toronto will implement an increased municipal land transfer tax on residential property purchases over $3 million. The tax will be applied on a graduated basis, meaning the higher the purchase price, the higher the tax owed.

For buyers, this change means higher closing costs, which must be paid upfront and are not included in mortgage financing. As a result, planning ahead will be especially important.

According to Christina, there are often creative ways to navigate this change,…

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Heaps Estrin Market Update | February 2026

February began, as usual, with Groundhog Day – and much like the cult classic movie, this month’s TRREB update feels a little like déjà vu. The storyline remains familiar: cautious consumers, elevated inventory, and a market finding its footing rather than sprinting ahead.

TRREB’s 2026 Outlook points to stability more than spectacle. Sales for the year are expected to land between 60,000 and 70,000 transactions, similar to 2025, with the average GTA price hovering around the $1-million mark. Improved affordability is here, but confidence is still catching up. January’s figures reflected that hesitation – sales were down year over year and prices softened modestly – yet beneath those numbers we’re seeing important signs of life.

The most…

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Success Stories: From East to West

Success from East to West: Delivering Exceptional Real Estate Results Across Toronto

Toronto’s real estate market is defined by neighbourhood-level nuance. From the East End to the West End, market conditions, buyer demand, and optimal listing strategies vary significantly. At Heaps Estrin, we combine deep local market knowledge with a proven, strategic approach to help homeowners achieve top results when selling their homes in Toronto.

Recent home sales at 1 Ravina Crescent and 10 Paddington Place highlight how expert pricing, strategic timing, and tailored marketing can drive exceptional outcomes across Toronto’s most competitive neighbourhoods.

East End Success: Selling a Home in Toronto’s East End — 1 Ravina Crescent

The sale of 1…

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Back In Black

Features | Back In Black

Moody, dramatic and luxe, black is appearing more frequently in interiors to elevate spaces from the expected to the utterly chic. Here, four designers speak to how they used inky shades of black to create inviting spaces that will stand the test of style. 

Words by Alicia Cox Thomson

Fashionable folks know that if it’s an effortlessly chic look you’re going for, always bet on black. And as it turns out, this applies to interiors, too. Elegant, cool and mysterious, it’s a surprisingly hardworking neutral with unending possibilities. Depending on how and where you’re using it, much like its snowy counterpart, black can vibe with a variety of styles and aesthetics, whether you’re looking to modernize a space or infuse it…

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2025 Year In Review

Read the digital version here

Our 2025 Year in Review has been making the rounds – and landing in mailboxes across the city. Did you receive your copy? If not, send us a DM with your email or mailing address and we’ll make sure a physical version finds its way to you.

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The Lobby

The Lobby | Elemental Metaphors

Sandy Middleton’s show at The Lobby draws from the elements of sky, water and land to tell a story of personal and global transformation.  

Words by Marilisa Racco

“An artist’s journey is never a straight line,” says Sandy Middleton, a St. Catharines-based artist who uses her technical training in photography to create an inventive medium she calls photo encaustic paper sculpture, which will be on display at The Lobby by Heaps Estrin through the fall.

The medium came to her when, during the pandemic, she was cleaning out her basement and came upon 30 years’ worth of photography, prompting her to think about what she could do with it. It began by cutting up the photographs, painting over them with encaustic…

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The Bain House

Storied Homes | The Bain House 

A historic residential landmark in our city that speaks to a quiet reverence for Toronto’s past.

Words by Alex Corey,  Heaps Estrin Real Estate Agent and Architectural Historian

Riverdale, perched above the Don River, has been a bustling residential neighbourhood almost since its annexation in 1889. One of Toronto’s early streetcar suburbs, its streets are now lined by brick bay-and-gables and single-family houses, leaving few traces of its earlier rural past, thus making the home at 14 Dingwall Ave. a truly special property.

Dubbed the Bain House, it is a rare remaining example of a Georgian Revival farmhouse, constructed around 1860 for Robert Sargant, a dry goods merchant. The house was sold in 1869 to…

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