The buyers: Simon Hewett, 46, a City of Toronto supervisor; Laura Geary, 44, a TDSB high school teacher; and their daughters Hannah, 13, and Louise, 9.

The story: In early 2020, the family lived in a three-bed, two-bath detached in Guildwood. During the pandemic, with on-again-off-again lockdowns, their 1,600-square-foot house felt cramped, and they craved more space but wanted to stay in the same neighbourhood, where the girls were enrolled in school. In April of this year, they set a $1.6-million budget and started to look for a four-bed detached nearby. On their wish list: a spare room they could use as an office for Simon and Laura, who’d been intermittently working from home; plus a backyard pool for the kids, especially Hannah, who’s a competitive water polo player.