858 Grierson St

The thing to understand about this house is the word registered. Half the listings in Durham that mention an in-law suite are a finished basement and a hopeful sentence. This one is on the City's books as a two unit dwelling, and that changes what a lender will do with the rent when they are working out what you can afford. If you are a first time buyer trying to get into a detached house in this market, that is not a nice-to-have, it is the whole path. The lower unit has its own entrance at the side, so nobody is walking through your kitchen to get home. It is a proper one bedroom down there with a rec room that runs 14 by 22, its own kitchen, a bedroom and a four piece bath. The updating is done and it is the expensive updating. New kitchen with quartz counters and stainless appliances, both bathrooms taken back to the studs and rebuilt, luxury vinyl right through both levels. Those are the four things that eat a budget and somebody else has already paid for them. Upstairs is a bright two bedroom with the living and dining rooms open to each other and original arched doorways that give it some character. The lot is 50 by 123, which on this street means a real backyard, flat and fenced with big trees at the back. Four cars fit on the driveway, which matters when you have a tenant. It is a quiet street a quarter kilometre from Northway Court Park and four minutes from the hospital. Come see it Saturday or Sunday.

Shawn Hinchey

Broker, Owner | Hinchey Homes Real Estate Team