For example, is it a quiet street, close to parks and public transportation, or are other things more important. On the macro side, house prices are affected by supply and demand, interest rates, and the strength of the economy, and obviously these three items are inter-related. On the micro side, prices are affected by positives and negatives, resale potential, and appearances, and yes, cosmetics do sell. Remember that a positive can be a negative, and a negative can be a positive. House prices are not stagnant throughout the year.
Prices traditionally spike in the spring, and hit their lowest in the winter.
It's an old real estate cliche, but often true, that the best time to buy a house is the week before Christmas. Obviously there's a lot fewer buyers, and the sellers out there are really motivated to sell. Try to avoid the spring, although it has the greatest supply of houses, because the increased demand pushes up prices. It seems to me that with so many buildings being converted to condos the supply is going to increase rapidly. Condos are red-hot in Toronto, and the concern of supply exceeding demand is a legitimate one.