My connection to Midtown Toronto runs deep. It all started when my mom was dating a man who lived in the neighbourhood. After I finished university at McGill and moved back home, she sold our house in Markham and bought a place near Yonge & Eglinton, on Helendale. When she eventually married her boyfriend (now my stepdad), I moved into the basement apartment of that house for a few years.

Eventually, it was time for me to find my own space. I rented an apartment on Lascelles, but it wasn’t long before I decided to put down stronger roots. With a little encouragement from my mom, I bought a pre-construction condo on Merton Street. Living there, I even joined the condo board to better understand how a building’s financials really worked.

From there, my real estate journey truly began. I sold my Merton condo and purchased a small two-bedroom semi on Soudan. A few years later, with investing on my mind, I bought another home around the corner that had a basement apartment. That’s the house I still own today. My old place on Soudan was eventually bought by a developer, but my husband and I continue to enjoy the home I purchased back in 2008.

Even our love story is rooted here. For our first date, my now-husband and I picked The Keg at Yonge & Eglinton — the perfect halfway point between where we both lived.

It’s been over 30 years now, and I’m still proud to call Yonge & Eglinton home. This neighbourhood has shaped my life, my career, and my relationships, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.