How to Buy Property in Toronto There’s no foreign buyers’ tax, but there are other taxes to consider Toronto, a diverse and cosmopolitan city, is popular with buyers from all over the world. “Toronto is Canada’s largest city, with a well-deserved reputation for a high quality of living, low crime, generally favorable weather, vibrant arts and cultural institutions and a multitude of ethnically-diverse neighborhoods,” said Paul Johnston, a Toronto broker with Right at Home Realty.

The growing interest in modern architecture can be seen on practically every street in most Toronto neighbourhoods. The form seems to work equally well on narrow lots next to skinny Victorian houses, on wide lots beside rambling clapboard beach homes, or as striking counterpoint to stolid Edwardian bricks in North Toronto. Such interiors are awash in natural light and feature uncluttered inte- rior details. With their ability to offer sweeping views through a home from

Mingle all the way: There’s a small-town vibe on the street where the two Pauls live. “You see all these dinner parties going on and it’s incredibly animated,” says Paul Johnston. “We wave to our neighbours from the sidewalk. And when we’re inside having dinner, it’s great fun to realize there are people walking by.” Johnston and his partner Paul O’Brien credit the large, multiple windows in their contemporary townhouse for fostering the everyone-knows-everyone feeling.

Demand for homes in downtown Toronto has never been higher, with neighborhoods like Rosedale, Forest Hill, Trinity-Bellwoods, West Queen West and Yorkville having grown exceedingly popular, said Paul Johnston, a real estate agent with Right at Home Realty in Toronto. “I really do believe that Torontonians really walk the walk in a lot of that talk about walkability and pedestrian access to area amenities,” he said. “This is a pretty high priority for buyers.” Mr.

Paul Johnston, a real estate agent who specializes in high-design, contemporary architecture, also sees the emergence of a unique-to-Toronto style. And he’s excited about it. “Five to seven years ago I was pleading with developers for decidedly modern townhomes,” he says. “There was an apprehension, but now the market has responded.” Mr. Johnston suggests that the turning point was 2006, with the opening of Jack Diamond’s Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts (another building