Patricia Rica Camille Inciong hoped to find a one-bedroom condo with a layout that would allow her to host family visiting from the Philippines.Sammy Kogan/JOBFlocks
In 2023, Patricia Inciong moved to Toronto from her hometown of Manila, Philippines, to complete a two-year pharmacy technician program at Centennial College. She rented a room in a shared apartment in Scarborough for $1,000. In her second year, Ms. Inciong rented a basement apartment with classmates and again paid $1,000 a month for her room.
While in her second rental, in 2024, Inciong, now 28, imagined buying a place for herself one day. “I was paying $1,000 every month,” she said. “I thought, is there a way for me to invest this towards myself instead?” She saved everything she could, hoping to purchase a home eventually. Ms. Inciong worked multiple part-time jobs as a pharmacy technician student at a hospital and a Shoppers Drug Mart location in Toronto’s east end, alongside her full-time schooling.
In April, 2025, after graduating, she landed a full-time job as a regulated pharmacy technician at the Shoppers location where she had worked part-time. Then, that September, she came across a realtor’s post on Instagram describing how the down payment for a condo around Toronto could be as low as $20,000.
The post piqued Ms. Inciong’s interest. She reached out to a real estate agent she knew, Jaleesa Bell, who told her that a condo purchase was possible with her budget. There were units in Scarborough selling for less than $400,000 at the time, which Ms. Inciong could just about afford. At the time, Ms. Bell was seeing an increase in first-time homebuyers entering the condo market. “I was noticing a lot more solo female buyers,” Ms. Bell said. “A lot of first-time homebuyers assume they can’t afford to buy, but there’s so much opportunity out there.”
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Ms. Inciong sought out a mortgage preapproval for $375,000. She also had some savings from working as a pharmacist back home in Manila, which pushed her top price up to $425,000. That included nearly $80,000 for a down payment – around 20 per cent of her total budget. She hoped to find a one-bedroom condo with a layout that would allow her to host family visiting from the Philippines. Ms. Inciong also wanted some outdoor space and a building with a gym or pool. She also needed to be close to public transit for her commute to work in Toronto’s east end, and she preferred to stay in Scarborough since she knew the area well and had friends nearby.
Here were her top three options:
Small one-bedroom stacked townhouse unit at Eglinton Avenue and Brimley Road
The condo was priced at $374,900, but it had no shared amenities available, like a pool or gym.Sammy Kogan/JOBFlocks
While Ms. Inciong wasn’t initially considering a stacked townhouse, this one-bedroom unit caught her eye. “It was in the middle of everything,” she said. “There was a grocery store nearby, and it was very accessible to public transportation.” She’d only be a 30-minute transit ride from work. Ms. Inciong loved the modern-looking façade, but the lower-level unit had limited natural light. It was also small – just 512 square feet – and its layout didn’t leave much room for hosting overnight guests in the living area. The condo was priced at $374,900, but it had no shared amenities available, like a pool or gym. But the unit itself did have a decent patio space by its front entrance.
Spacious one-bedroom in an older building at Morningside Avenue and Ellesmere Road
The building featured a shared gym and pool, and the unit itself had large windows that let in plenty of natural light, although there was no balcony.Sammy Kogan/JOBFlocks
At 649 square feet, this was the largest unit Ms. Inciong viewed. While it had been recently renovated with marble countertops and stainless-steel appliances, the lobby of the building, which was completed in 1989, felt dated. There was, however, a shared gym and pool, and the unit itself had large windows that let in plenty of natural light, although there was no balcony. She also wasn’t sure where she would host overnight guests in the space. This condo would mean a longer commute to her workplace, around one hour by bus and subway. The unit was listed for $387,000.
Mid-rise one-bedroom-plus-den condo at Kingston Road and Eglinton Avenue
As a ground floor unit, Ms. Iciong would have a convenient outdoor patio, but wondered whether its location on a busy street would be noisy and prone to break-ins.Sammy Kogan/JOBFlocks
While this unit was smaller than the previous one, at 598 square feet, it came with a den that had a window and a sliding door where visiting family members could stay overnight. As a ground-floor unit, she’d have a convenient outdoor patio, but wondered whether its location on a busy street would be noisy and prone to break-ins. She did like that the building was a mid-rise, with just 10 storeys, and that there were views of Scarborough Bluffs from the rooftop. There was also a shared gym in the building she could use, but there wasn’t a pool. Her commute to work from here would be 50 minutes by bus and subway. This unit was listed for $399,999.
Her choice: The Mid-rise one-bedroom-plus-den condo at Kingston Road and Eglinton Avenue
Ms. Inciong inside the condo she purchased.Sammy Kogan/JOBFlocks
As the only unit with a den, the midrise condo won out for having a separate place for hosting Ms. Inciong’s overnight guests. Ms. Bell, her realtor, suggested that they could get a lower price for the unit. After some back-and-forth negotiations, Ms. Inciong and the seller settled on a price of $389,000, about $11,000 off the listing price. She moved into her new home in October, 2025, just a few weeks after seeing the realtor’s Instagram post and starting her condo-buying journey.
In the summer of 2026, Ms. Inciong’s mom and aunt came from the Philippines to stay with her for an extended two-month visit. “I was really happy that I was able to house them instead of renting an Airbnb,” Ms. Inciong says. She’s made good use of her proximity to the lake with visits to the Scarborough Bluffs, although she’s more often enjoying the view of the water from her rooftop after a long day at work. There haven’t been any issues with noise or safety at her new place.
Above all, Ms. Inciong loves that she’s got a home to call her own. “It was so nice to finally have a place for myself,” she said. “My mornings are quiet, and at night I can just lie back and watch TV.” Ms. Inciong’s purchase has even inspired some of her fellow newcomer classmates and friends to explore the possibility of buying a condo. “I was so happy that I was able to accomplish this within a few years of moving here,” she said. “I’m happy that it all panned out.”