A three-bedroom bungalow in St. Catharines’ north end returned to the market this week as a waterfront property. Its listing now highlights roughly 1,100 square feet of private, year-round water access, all of it located below grade.

The home, on a quiet street off Linwell Road, was first listed in June for $689,900. It was relisted Monday at $874,900, following what the listing describes as “a significant lower-level upgrade completed over the summer.”

The upgrade took place between July 27 and Aug. 2. During that week, back-to-back storms dropped more than 140 mm of rain on parts of the city, overwhelmed sewer and stormwater systems and flooded thousands of homes. The city declared a state of emergency on Aug. 3. The sellers say the water never fully receded after their sump pump failed during the second storm.

“The sellers didn’t ask for it, but the market doesn’t care what you asked for,” said Tricia Mandel, a sales representative with Grantham Realty Partners. “Buyers want water. Port Dalhousie has water. Now this home has water. We’re simply describing the property as it exists.”

Lake-level living

The new listing promises “lake-level living in an established north end neighbourhood,” “natural light reflecting off a still surface,” and “unobstructed views of the furnace.” The photos were taken from the top of the basement stairs, where the water begins at the fourth step. A laundry basket has been staged floating near the far wall.

Mandel confirmed the water has not been tested. The listing describes it as “untouched.”

“We had a stager in on Thursday, and her advice was to lean into it,” she said. “We took out the dehumidifier. It was fighting the character of the space.”

Mandel held two open houses over the Labour Day long weekend. She conducted the lower-level portion of each tour from an inflatable kayak borrowed from the sellers’ nephew. The home received 41 showings, mostly from buyers in the Greater Toronto Area, several of whom arrived in waders.

Offers were reviewed Wednesday night. The home received nine, including one conditional on the water remaining through closing.

Dave and Carol Pruszynski have owned the home for 22 years. They said they are relocating to a condominium on a higher floor.

“Twenty-two years, not a drop,” Dave Pruszynski said. “Then we get three hundred millimetres in two weeks and suddenly we’re lakefront people. Carol wanted to stay. I told her we’re not going to see a market like this again unless it rains.”

Lower Lakeport

Other north end homeowners have taken note of the listing. At least a dozen homes within a few blocks now describe themselves as waterfront, lake-access or “water-view.” The last term refers to a split-level on the same street whose kitchen window looks directly into a neighbour’s flooded window well.

One local brokerage has begun marketing the area as “Lower Lakeport,” which it calls an emerging lifestyle community.

The trend has not been welcomed in Port Dalhousie, where homeowners have long paid a premium for water that stays outside.

“We have a lake. They have a drain,” said Roger Fenwick, a member of a Port Dalhousie ratepayers’ group. This week, Fenwick asked the city to formally define “waterfront” in its official plan. “If the word is going to mean anything, it has to mean the water was there before the house.”

City staff are expected to report back on a definition in the second quarter of 2027.

A tax-free lake

The listing has also raised questions about property taxes. Ontario still assesses homes based on their value on Jan. 1, 2016. Any changes to a property are valued at what they would have been worth on that date.

Mandel said she looked into it. “In 2016, it was a basement,” she said. “So on paper, the buyer gets the lake for nothing. That’s a selling point I’d put right in the headline if the board would let me.”

The FLAP problem

The city’s new E mergency Flood Alleviation Program was funded with $20 million that council moved on Aug. 24. It is designed to reimburse eligible homeowners for 90 per cent of the cost of flood-protection upgrades such as backwater valves and sump pumps, and the city has received more than 3,500 applications.

Mandel said she advised her clients not to apply.

“A backwater valve would effectively remove the waterfront,” she said. “You’d pay ten per cent out of pocket to lose close to two hundred thousand dollars in value. I can’t recommend that to anybody in good conscience.”

The sellers’ property information statement notes that the home “does not currently drain.” Mandel said this line was intended as a feature.

The accepted offer came from an Oakville couple who plan to install a dock. They have already contacted the city about a permit for a small boathouse. Staff advised them that the structure would require a minor variance because it would be located in the basement.

At press time, several homeowners on the street had begun describing their dry basements as undeveloped.