Archive for the ‘New Condo Developments’ Category

500 St. Clair, the newest condo to be completed in Toronto has just registered! This means unit owners can now sell their suites on the open market (MLS).  I was lucky enough to accompany my client during their pre delivery inspection before the building was complete and was very impressed with how construction was coming along. The kitchens – spacious. The cieling heights – generous. The lobby – very elegant… but the BIGGEST eye opener was the views!!! Residents of 500 St. Clair have some of the most comprehensive City views I have ever seen!

Residents in this art-deco inspired condo are welcomed by the concierge.  From there they can relax with friends and neighbours at the “Forest Hill Club”.  The club feature some great amenities including: indoor pool, outdoor patio, fitness room, theatre, billiard room, library and a furnished guest suite!

Original purchasers of 500 St. Clair were not allowed to sell their units until the building had registered with the City.  Now that it has, some great layouts have come on the market!  If you’ve thought of selling or living at the newly built condo…give me a call or send me an email, I’d love to help!

Below is a look at the outside facade of 500 St. Clair:

A few weeks back, you may remember me blogging about a seminar by Street Car Developments…  Originally I had thought it was open to all to attend, but for that particular event it is was Realtors only.   On Monday, I attended the hour long seminar as Jeanhy Shim crunched the numbers and gave us an optimistic look on the downtown condo market!

One key point she mentioned was in regards to the diversity and flexibility of  condominium units as a housing style.  Condos are often the housing ‘type’ of choice for the first timer buyer. On the other end of the spectrum, a condo can also be highly desirable for seniors and empty nesters looking to downsize! In short, the condominium product caters to 2 of the biggest “types” of purchasers making it a very versatile investment!

I had an “a-haa moment” as Jeanhy shared her point.  I often find myself discussing (or rather arguing) on the topic of how Condo living is not a fad, and is here to stay! The chart below should help to put that topic to rest!

Of course, a lot more info was shared during the presentation…and if you’re not an agent but would have liked to attend, don’t worry, your chances are coming up!  On Sunday July 25th 2:00-3:30pm, Wednesday August 11th and Wednesday August 25th from 6:00-7:30pm they’ll be having similar talks!  These seminars will be more geared towards the “In’s and Out’s” of buying preconstruciton with a heavy emphasis on why the East end is the “next big thing”!

The seminar will be held at the Streetcar Presentation Centre (625 Queen St E) or Edge Lofts for those that are familiar with the area!  Be sure to RSVP with the number above…and if you’re thinking of buying in the East end, give me a call I’d love to help!

On a recent visit to the River City Sales Centre, I noticed something different about the street… the old commercial buildings that once stood on the North side of Eastern Ave were gone!

The demolition of the buildings was to make way for Underpass Park, the most extensive park to ever be built under an overpass in Canada, and the first in Toronto.  The Park will cover approximatily 2.5 acres under and around the Eastern Avenue overpasses.  I had thought the park would be much smaller, but after seeing the work being done, it’s much more clear of how far the public space will stretch!

According to the Waterfront Toronto website:

“Designed by renowned landscape architects Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg in association with The Planning Partnership, Underpass Park embodies design excellence and is the epitome of innovative urban park design.  The design creates a socially-engaging park for community members of all ages and abilities by incorporating public art, recreational space, playful climbing structures and play areas, flexible community space, community gardens, and public gathering places.” 

Here are a few photos I took of the park under construction:

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Have you ever wondered what happens to all the fancy furniture in condo sales centres?

Sometimes it’s re-used, sometimes it’s tossed…and on some rare occasions it sold at a bargain price!  On Saturday July 10th, 2010 from 10-2 all the left over furniture from the Freed showrooms will be put on sale.  One of Brad Lamb’s projects in King East had a similar sale a few months back.  I stopped by for that one and saw a ton of great furniture for crazy low prices!

I’m guessing this should be the same…or possibly even better!  The Freed sales centres are some of the best out there, so if you’re thinking of attending, SHOW UP EARLY!!!

…and if you need the condo before the furniture give me a call or send me an email.  I’d love to help!

A few weeks back I attended an excellent seminar by Streetcar Developments discussing the in’s and out’s of buying pre-construction!  Surprisingly it WASN”T and hour and half of them convincing you to buy their product.  Instead it was an informative session hosted by Jeanhy Shim (VP of sales and marketing for Streetcar developments) and Stanley Grossman (partner at Bresver, Grossman, Scheininger and Chapman LLP).  They went through the process, discussed financing and took questions at the end.  It was quick, accurate, and to the point!

If you read my blog frequently, you know I’ve become a BIIIIG fan of the East end… primarily the West Don Lands/Distillery/Corktown part of town!  I think there is tremendous potential for the price per square foot (roughly $500-550) to catch up with the rest of the city!  As a Realtor, I’m always asked “Where would I buy” and for the past year my answer has been “LOWER EAST SIDE!!!” …to which the potential client asks “why???”

For that answer you can subcribe to my blog, or read up on my coverage of projects such as River City and Trinity Lofts. Later in the month i’ll be attending a seminar for Realtors that will discuss: What is Waterfront Toronto doing in the West Don Lands and along the city’s waterfront?  Where are the best real estate opportunities today? Why is buying pre-construction a wise investment? What is the outlook for the condominium market in downtown Toronto?

Look for a post later in the month sharing the info I learned on all there is to know about the West Don Lands side of the City!

Trinity Lofts is running a summer special, offering buyers either $10,000 in cash back or $15,000 in upgrades on units priced over $350,000!  The  location of the lofts offers downtown living next door to the Distillery District and West Don Lands Redevelopment.

The 8 story building will have just 81 lofts plus 2 townhouses.  The building will also have a dog room on the main level, resident “bike share” program and a on-site autoshare parking space.  Below is an example of a 2 bedroom plus den.  The unit is approx. 813 sq.ft  plus a 101 sq.ft balcony.  This floor plan starts at $446,900 and includes parking, storage locker and HST!

(prices and specifications subject to change without notice.)

Give me a call or send me an email to set up an appointment to preview full floor plans and price lists!

Last week I attended the 6th annual PUGs, the peoples choice awards for architecture in the City! I’m a big fan of the PUG’s since it involves the products I make my lively-hood from…Toronto Condos! The awards allow the public to vote on their favorite residential and commercial buildings from 2009! This year the PUGs were held at the AGO (last years winner in the Commercial/Institutional category) with an hour and half discussion with the  2010 mayoral candidates. Sadly none really impressed me with their vision for architecture and planning of the City, but i’ll have more on that in another post ;)

On a positive note, this years winner was quite different from last.  One St. Thomas – a 29 storey multi million dollar limestone luxury condominium, won the award in 2009.  For 2010 it was the Housing Co-Operative at 60 Richmond East designed by Teeple Architects that took home the PUG!  It’s good to see that architecture in our city sees no division in social class.   It also gives inspiration and proof to other developers and architects that good design isn’t just for the rich, but rather for all to enjoy!

So how did your condo’s design preform at the PUGS?

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