{"id":38818,"date":"2025-09-07T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/?p=38818"},"modified":"2025-09-11T10:27:42","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T14:27:42","slug":"toronto-condo-living","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/toronto-condo-living\/","title":{"rendered":"I Lived in Toronto Condos for 13 Years, Here\u2019s What I Learned"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I never imagined I\u2019d be a big city girl. I loved my hometown too much for that. I grew up in a big pink house on a corner lot at the top of a hill, a place I always thought of as my own Barbie Dream House<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I was five, I lost my first tooth on the driveway the very day we moved in. Ten years later, that same spot became the place where I had my first kiss, with the boy who lived just down the street. Who knew driveways could be so sentimental?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I always thought my family would stay in that house forever, the way so many of my closest friends\u2019 parents still live in theirs, even now, over a decade later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But life doesn\u2019t unfold the way we picture it. When my dad died, the house that once felt perfectly sized got a whole lot bigger. The yard, with its fruit trees, vegetable patch, and flowers from hibiscus to roses, became a bittersweet reminder of the seasons we\u2019d lost. I even dreamed of one day inheriting it, doing a gut reno, and raising a family there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new chapter in Toronto <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My family was ready for a fresh start. For me, that meant moving to Toronto for journalism school at 18. Admittedly, I never had a license, and I think that\u2019s what made me fall in love with the freedom of the city: streetcars and subways, walkable neighborhoods<\/a>, endless career possibilities, and yes, coffee shop meet-cutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I thought I would grieve the house more, but emotions don\u2019t always show up the way you expect. Leaving felt like the hardest thing in the world, until I actually left. Then, surprisingly, it felt easy. I like to think it was the universe that was nudging me toward where I was meant to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shifting from a sprawling house to condo living wasn\u2019t seamless, especially without the comfort of leaving things tucked away in a childhood bedroom. But over time, it got easier. And after 13 years of Toronto condo life, here\u2019s what I\u2019ve learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Be friends with your concierge<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Trust me on this one. They\u2019ll save you when you forget your keys (and you will), they\u2019ll know which friends and family to buzz up, and they\u2019ll make your life easier when it comes to packages, takeout, you name it. Plus, as a single woman, the extra peace of mind of additional security is worth it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) I\u2019m a low-rise girl, through and through<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I love a good view as much as anyone, but waiting for elevators? Hard pass. The pandemic sealed it for me; I\u2019ll never do high-rise living again. When I lived with my sister for a few years, we lived in a ground-level unit with our own street entrance.  It was the dream: house-level independence without the snow shoveling. If I can\u2019t take the stairs, I don\u2019t want it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) New builds = fresh energy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Condo life is all about compromise, but I\u2019ll take a new build any day. There\u2019s something about being the first person in a space. Sure, you\u2019ll deal with fire alarm tests and probably less square footage, but fewer things break, and if they do, builder maintenance usually has your back. Plus, it\u2019s fun watching a brand-new neighborhood come to life around you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n