Toronto house with wooden planks barring entry is going for under $400,000

If you've been feeling personally victimized by Toronto real estate prices lately, this one might make you do a double-take.

Because yes, a detached house at 54 Westbrook Ave. is currently listed for only  $399,000.

Located in East York, this property is being marketed as a redevelopment opportunity, and from the outside, things already feel a little ominous.

The front of the house. 

There are no interior photos, which is never a great sign. 

Also, the front entrance is literally barred shut with two wooden planks screwed across the door. 

It's giving strong "do not enter under any circumstances" energy, and the listing confirms as much.

The backyard. 

The home is being sold in as-is, where-is condition, which, in this case, means you're buying the land, not the house.

That said, the land itself isn't nothing.

An aerial shot of the property. 

Sitting on a clean 25-by-100-foot lot on a quiet residential street, the property is positioned as a solid opportunity for builders, contractors, or anyone looking to start from scratch.

The surrounding area is already seeing plenty of reinvestment, with older homes being replaced by modern builds, which gives a pretty clear hint at what the future here looks like.

So while the house itself might be… uninhabitable (to put it generously), the neighbourhood isn't a dud.

Detached homes in this pocket of East York typically sell anywhere between $720,000 and nearly $1.8 million. 

And location-wise, you're within walking distance of transit, including the subway, plus all the cafés, restaurants, and shops. There's also easy access to parks, schools, and the Taylor Creek trail system, which adds a bit of nature into the mix.

An aerial shot of the neighbourhood. 

So seeing a detached property pop up for under $400K in this area in 2026 is, at the very least, attention-grabbing.

But between the boarded-up entrance, the lack of interior photos, and the heavy emphasis on redevelopment, it's pretty clear this isn't a hidden gem waiting to be polished.

It's a project. A big one. And it won't be cheap. Construction costs are still high, and a typical house can cost anywhere between $350–$650-plus per square foot to build. 

The front yard and front of the house. 

Still, in a city where even empty and teardown lots can push well past the million-dollar mark, the idea of getting your foot in the door — or, in this case, behind the planks — for under $400,000 is kind of wild.