Estate homes, modern houses and the neighbourhoods of York Region
A journal and a real estate practice for people who care how a house is made: Richmond Hill, Thornhill, Markham and Vaughan, from South Richvale to Kleinburg.
Discover the neighbourhoodsThe estate streets of York Region
Guides to the places people ask us about most: where the lots are large, which streets are ravine-backed, what gets built and what gets kept. Written by us, from years of walking them.
Kleinburg
A heritage village on a ridge between two branches of the Humber, ringed by estate lots
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Royal Orchard
Seventies estates between Yonge and Bayview, with the Don valley at the back door
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South Richvale
Wide lots and custom houses between Yonge and Bathurst, south of Carrville Road
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Unionville
A nineteenth-century Main Street, a mill pond and the streets that grew around them
Discover moreRichmond Hill
Richmond Hill holds the largest concentration of estate neighbourhoods in York Region: South Richvale and Bayview Hill on large lots south of Major Mackenzie, Mill Pond and the Heritage Estates around the old village, and the ravine and lakeside streets of Oak Ridges and Jefferson to the north..
The Richmond Hill guides5 guidesThornhill
Thornhill straddles Yonge Street at the southern edge of York Region, split between Markham and Vaughan.
The Thornhill guides4 guidesMarkham
Markham’s significant homes gather around Unionville’s heritage village, the golf course streets of Angus Glen, and the large-lot enclave of Cachet, each with its own idea of what a house should be..
The Markham guides4 guidesVaughan
Vaughan’s estate addresses follow the Humber valley: the village of Kleinburg, the wooded lots of Islington Woods, and the newer custom streets of Weston Downs and Upper Thornhill Estates..
The Vaughan guidesLifestyle, design, home technology, architecture
South Richvale, Bayview Hill or Mill Pond?
Comparing Richmond Hill's three estate neighbourhoods for a buyer: lot character, house eras, commute, schools in general terms and who each one suits.
How Estate Homes in Richmond Hill Actually Sell
A plain guide for owners of significant Richmond Hill homes: why the top of the market is thin, pricing without comparables, privacy and off-market sales.
The York Region Estate Home, Then and Now
How the York Region estate home moved from 1980s centre-hall and château builds to today's modern, farmhouse and transitional houses, and what holds value.
Lifestyle
Days, seasons and rituals in the neighbourhoods we work in.
Design
Interiors, materials and the details that make a house feel considered.
Home Tech
The systems behind a well-run house, from lighting to the network.
Architecture
The people who design significant houses and how those houses are built.
Every estate home on the market, in one place
The freehold homes listed above the price floor in each city, from the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board through our PropTx feed, refreshed through the day. The rest, the homes that never reach the portals, reach the register first.
Richmond Hill
Estate and luxury homes currently listed in Richmond Hill.
See the homesFor saleThornhill
Estate and luxury homes currently listed in Thornhill.
See the homesFor saleMarkham
Estate and luxury homes currently listed in Markham.
See the homesFor saleVaughan
Estate and luxury homes currently listed in Vaughan.
See the homesThe private register
Tell us the house you are looking for.
Architect-designed, a ravine lot, a particular street, a lot to build on. Marco and Lamees reply personally and send matches, including homes that never reach the portals.
Marco Lamees & Associates
A small team at Sotheby's International Realty Canada with two publications: Residences Toronto for the hotel residences downtown, and Modern Abode for the estate homes north of the city.
Marco Chiappetta
He has represented buyers and sellers across Toronto and York Region for more than two decades, with a particular interest in architecture, custom construction and the estate neighbourhoods of Richmond Hill, Thornhill and Vaughan..
Read moreRealtor®Lamees Chiappetta
She works alongside Marco on the team’s listings and buyer searches, and writes about the neighbourhoods, design and everyday life of the homes the team represents..
Read moreFAQ
About Modern Abode
Who are Marco Lamees & Associates?
Marco Chiappetta and Lamees Chiappetta lead a real estate team at Sotheby's International Realty Canada, Brokerage, working across Toronto and York Region. Modern Abode is their site for estate homes, custom-built houses and the neighbourhoods of Richmond Hill, Thornhill, Markham and Vaughan; their hotel-residence practice in downtown Toronto is at residencestoronto.com.
Which neighbourhoods does Modern Abode cover?
The estate neighbourhoods of York Region: in Richmond Hill, South Richvale, Mill Pond & Heritage Estates, Bayview Hill, Oak Ridges & Lake Wilcox, Jefferson, Westbrook, Observatory, Rouge Woods, Doncrest; in Thornhill, Royal Orchard, Yonge Uplands & Old Thornhill, Pomona Valley, Bayview Glen, Thornhill Woods; in Markham, Unionville, Cachet, Angus Glen, Markham Village; and in Vaughan, Kleinburg, Islington Woods, Weston Downs, Upper Thornhill Estates.
How do I hear about homes that are not on MLS?
Through the private register. Tell us the kind of house, the streets and the budget, and we reply personally with matches, including homes that are being sold quietly or have not yet been listed.
Do you show every listing in Richmond Hill?
The homes-for-sale pages show every freehold home listed above the price floor in Richmond Hill, Thornhill, Markham and Vaughan, drawn from the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board through the PropTx feed and refreshed through the day. The journal and the neighbourhood guides are written by us.