BARRIE, ONT. -- A blast from the past house for sale in Barrie, Ont. sold $259,000 above the asking price after just eight days on the market.
The retro-style Letitia Street home, listed by Matthew Kindou with the Sutton Group Incentive Realty, was built in 1971 and sold in 1980 to a woman who kept much of the original house decor intact over more than four decades.
The 2,240 square foot home is a kaleidoscope of colours, complete with wood panelling walls, a stone fireplace, eye-catching carpeting, a pink powder room, and the original green dishwasher, and caught the attention of buyers with over 150 showings and 32 offers.
Kindou said his first walk-through of the house took him back in time. "It reminded me of one of my favourite shows of all time, That 70's Show, which is why I call it 'That 70s Home.' Especially the basement with the awesome bar."
Kindou said the buyer is from Toronto and will appreciate the sizeable backyard surrounded by shrubs that isn't a likely find in the big city for the price. The flashback four-bed, three-bath house sold for $858,000.
"I really appreciated the way this home was built. It is in great shape, considering the fact that most of the interior finishes are original," Kindou said. "There are some people who would keep it the way it is and some people who would renovate it, as it has a great floorplan. To each their own."
There is hope the house might keep those 70s vibes. The new owner told Kindou they plan to maintain the nostalgic look and possibly even some of the old-fashioned furniture.
The housing market has been hot throughout the pandemic as more people move up the 400 from the GTA.
According to data from the Matrix™ System for the Barrie and District Association of REALTORS® (BDAR), Simcoe County house prices rose more than 40 per cent and sales transactions more than doubled in March from the same time last year.
