840 Richmond St. W., Toronto
Asking price: $2,999,800
Taxes: $10,594.92 (2025)
Lot size: 15.5 by 100.7 feet
Listing agent: Merrick Bao, Re/Max Hallmark York Group Realty Ltd.
The backstory
Parents want the best for their children, and as home values have risen in Canada the bank of mom and dad has been called upon many times to help kids find a home.
Some folks had a head start on this concept, among them Chinese nationals who saw Canadian schools as a pathway to opportunity for their children. When Feng Liu visited Canada in 1994, as a translator for his boss, he was impressed by what he saw. When his English-teaching business began to grow in the northeastern Chinese province of Liaoning, he and his wife decided to see if their son could thrive in Canada.
Just inside the door, the main window is a slider, allowing a little indoor-outdoor living.Evereal Studio Inc
“Many people want to come out from China and experience overseas life,” said Mr. Liu. “Learning English is like a life change.”
They bought their first property in Toronto – a condo on the northern edge of the city – in 2012, and enrolled their son in a local high school. They could only visit a few times a year, typically for important holidays. “We don’t have any relatives or friends here; it was hard for him,” Mr. Liu said.
After high school, the next step was a Canadian university, and while they wanted something close to the school, they didn’t want another condo. They wanted more space for their visits. So they bought a recently built three-bedroom house on Richmond Street West. It became their son’s home base for his university years.
The front room is dominated by a wall of built-in, floor-to-ceiling walnut storage cabinets.Evereal Studio Inc
The house today
Much of downtown Richmond Street West remains commercial, but this stretch has a mix of townhouses (there’s one next door), semi-detached and row houses and low-rise office and retail (next door on the other side). It’s close to where Richmond Street terminates in the mainly residential area just north of Stanley Park.
The four-level house is tall and narrow, with grey brick on the upper levels and lots of windows in front. Just inside the door, the main window is a slider, allowing a little indoor-outdoor living.
This front room is dominated by a wall of built-in, floor-to-ceiling walnut storage cabinets. There is broad-plank white oak flooring that extends through this level and down the stairs to the main living area. The floor is currently configured to have an office space just behind the front room.
The primary bedroom has a window wall that slides to give access to a broad balcony.Evereal Studio Inc
The main living room has a double-height wall of windows that dominates the back half of the house. The bottom floor is dug down below the street level, so the back patio is in a sort of well. This semi-subterranean configuration is offset by all the light those rear windows draw in, which reflects off the polished concrete floor.
The kitchen has a long central island that provides prep space. Built-in cabinetry hides most of the typical kitchen clutter. Bar seating and a dining space between the kitchen and living room round out the amenities, with one more addition; a powder room at the back of the kitchen.
Mr. Liu admits his son may not have used this kitchen much, but he and his wife were happy to do so when they visited.
“My son, when he was in university, he was very busy; he had to eat restaurant food,” he said. “When we came here, we cooked for him every day so he could eat Chinese food. We spent a lot of time in here.” Happily, nearby Chinese supermarkets provided all the ingredients they needed to make dishes to remind their son of home. “Everything you can find in China you can find in Toronto,” Mr. Liu said.
The upper two levels are bedrooms: the second floor has two, a shared bathroom and the laundry room.
The third floor is the primary suite and has a large open closet storage system and an ensuite bathroom with a standalone tub, walk-in-shower and a double vanity. On the other side of a central hallway is the primary bedroom. It has a window wall that slides to give access to a broad balcony.
The ensuite bathroom has a standalone tub, walk-in-shower and a double vanity.Evereal Studio Inc
The Canadian dream
“We wanted to provide a good place for him to live,” said Mr. Liu, but investment was also a consideration. “For the past three decades, for the people in China, buying a house is a good investment. In Canada, it’s the same situation. Maybe in the future, we won’t need the house, but we can [always] sell it.”
And now, that future has arrived. After 16 years in Canada, their son is married and has permanent residency. Starting his new independent life meant moving out of downtown Toronto to a suburb with a little more space.
With lots of good memories and good meals behind them, they are ready to cash in the investment home and prepare for the next chapter.