Swansea is one of a few neighbourhoods in Toronto which, while located on a subway route, has also a wealth of parkland, upscale shopping in Bloor West Village, and a large proportion of bungalows.

• Swansea schools
• Swansea real estate statistics
• Listings in Swansea and High Park South

The only Toronto neighbourhood having a lake, a river, and a pond as its natural boundaries, Swansea Village is beautifully set on sloping terrain between High Park and Humber River, south of Bloor. This topography allows magnificent views from just about any spot within the neighbourhood, and supports wildlife. Typically, on any given day, a visitor is bound to encounter a gaggle of Canadian geese feeding in one of several parks and lawns gracing the location. Beware, though, and don't come too close - these birds are territorial and don't tolerate trespassers!

Swansea contains two types of residences. Majority of the area is occupied by freehold homes, varying greatly in size and style. Small bungalows and semi-detached two storey dwellings can be found in the centre of this neighbourhood. Some of the bungalows have been renovated, topped up with a second storey or re-built creating classy medium size homes. Large, sophisticated two and three-storey residences can be found by the Grenadier Pond to the east of the area, and along Humber River on Riverside Drive and Brule Gardens.

The majority of typical Swansea homes date from between 1905 and 1935. Although many of them are small, they often have nice wood finishes are are quite charming. They are often purchased with a goal to add a second storey when the circumstances allow. Convenient location and beautiful surroundings easily justify an expense of such renovation.

South part of Swansea is home to several condominium buildings.  The oldest are located on Ormskirk and Southport Avenues. A  somewhat newer condo complex sits a little farther south, at 20, 22 and 24 Southport. Southampton condo at 1 Ripley Avenue was built later - a classy condominium building with good size units many of which have fireplaces. At the top of Ellis Park a beautiful condo building overlooks the greenery of High Park and provides tranquil views of treetops with the lake in the distance. The newest additions along the Queensway include several recently completed buildings and townhouses, and more still under construction.

Swansea Village has its own Town Hall and community centre with a small gym, meeting rooms, and a small library. Centrally located Rennie Park has four tennis courts, an ice rink and a wading pool for children. High Park with its many attractions is nearby, and cyclists can enjoy the long stretch of a bike trail along Lake Ontario.

The following are some graphs illustrating the current state of real estate activity in Swansea Village, comparing it to statistical data since 2008.

The graph above shows the number of sales recorded each month in Swansea. It is interesting to see that the real estate activity in April of 2009 was identical to that of April 2008. After dropping by half in May, it picked up with strong sales in June, slowed down over the summer months, was very active in October and November only to drop again to the 2008 level in December. Activity in 2010 followed a more typical seasonal trend, and in 2011, after starting somewhat slower, picked up in March and remains reasonably close to the typical volume changes.

As the size and prices of residences in this fairly small neighbourhood vary greatly, we looked at the median prices instead of averages. In such approach half of the homes were sold above the price shown on the graph, and half below. 2008 started with high prices, which dropped rapidly in June 2008, recovered somewhat over the summer and early fall, dropped again in November and had a surprising recovery in December and January. After dismal February the prices have risen and remained higher than in 2008 most of the time.

February of 2011 had only three sales, but all three were of the larger, expensive residences, and thus the high median price for that month. Since March more smaller homes were listed and sold, bringing the median prices to a more typical level.

The graph above shows the relation between selling and asking prices.  It can be observed that, while in December of 2008 the homes were selling, on average, well below the asking price, during the remaining months this ratio is fairly high, and since March 2009 close to, or above 100%.

In the first two months of 2011 listings in Swansea were, on average, selling slightly below the asking prices. But since March many of the listings were selling above asking, some substantially higher. In April, one residence in the section close to the Humber River sold at 125% of the asking price, and at the beginning of June a small 1.5-storey home on a large lot sold for 121% of the listing price.

Looking at the graph above we can see that in the second half of 2008 not a single home in Swansea sold above the asking price. Compared to the previous graph, however, we notice that in most cases the selling price was close to asking. In a slower market the real estate prices are typically negotiated. The fact that the ratio is close to 100% shows that the asking prices were realistic, but also that the neighbourhood is popular even when the market is depressed.

In May 2011 out of 15 listings sold 13 were sold above the asking price.  That is almost 87%, and the highest proportion since the beginning of 2008.

And, finally, a graph showing the average number of days required to sell a reasonably priced residence. From the graph we learn that, since March 2009, homes in Swansea sell very quickly. 2009 seems to have stronger seasonal differences and February, August and December were much slower.

In 2011, while January's sales were fairly slow, they picked up in February and slowed down only somewhat in June and July.

For information on other neighbourhoods please contact Marisha and Ellen.