The average selling price for a home in Toronto hit $1.12m in April 2023, but there are still exciting opportunities if you’re willing to think outside the box. Take this one-bedroom houseboat as an example.

Docked at 7 Brimley Road, in Boats Park Marina, the Toronto houseboat is asking $149,000 and has been fully renovated inside in a Scandi minimalist style. At 10-ft-wide, it’s larger than some of the skinny laneway houses that have hit the market in recent years, and its bedroom fits a queen size bed.

Storage has been built-in throughout the ‘floating cottage’ to maximise its floor plan, and the open kitchen and living room continue sight-lines through the boat, making it feel bigger.

Winter on the water in Toronto isn’t for everyone. Still, realtor Denise Doucet of Royal Lepage says it could be inhabited year-round or used as a summer house and is fitted with an electric heat pump and air conditioning.

Its biggest draw is, of course, the houseboat’s proximity to the water, with a large deck for morning coffees and entertaining and marina views from all the windows.

The price tag doesn’t include fees such as renting a dock space (which covers hydro, water and marina amenities) and a maintenance fee of approximately $600 per month. But a huge plus is its nomadic nature: it can be moved around the Greater Toronto marinas, which include Bluffer’s Park in Scarborough, Toronto Island Marina, Harbourfront or Port Credit in Mississauga.

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