Archive for the ‘Real Estate’ Category

Photo from the "Ruins of Detroit" by Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre

Over the Christmas break I developed a bit of a vice to… well,Vice.com! For those unfamiliar with the name, Vice started out as a Canadian magazine from Montreal back in 94. Today they’re based out of New York City and have over 900,000 readers across 22 different countries (not bad for a bunch of Canadian eh?)

Along with the magazine, they also have a pretty sweet website which boasts some pretty interesting videos.  In fact I first got hooked on to them was while watching a doc they did about life inside North Korea.  It was an amazing look inside the virtually unknown country and a very insightful watch!

I then dug deeper into the website and came across a video about the Motor City aka Detroit!

Even though I’ve never been, the stories of homes selling for less than the price of the cars that were once manufactured there, are all too familiar.  Every news clip I’ve seen in the last 10 years was showing the bad in the City.  Naturally I was intrigued to see Vice hook up with Johnny Knoxville as he spends some time with the people working on bringing Detroit back to life.  Without saying too much more… I present to you “Detroit Lives”

By the time this post see’s the light of day, I’ll be somewhere in the sky between Toronto and NYC…  I’m heading to the Big Apple for a week of sights, sounds and a little creative inspiration!  Whenever I fly, I like to use the time to catch up on a few books in my never ending “must read List”.  For this trip it’s Russell Simmons latest book entitled - Super Rich: A Guide to Having it All… which leads me to this weeks Must Have Monday item!

Let’s face it, as great as our iPads and Kobo’s are, nothing beats the experience of reading a good ol’fashion paperback book.  The problem with these books is that they take up vital storage space in my 50 foot office! But alas, a solution has been found in the form of an iron pipe and a few well placed welded joints.

The Industrial Pipe Bookshelf (pictured above) can easily add some much needed real estate to your space while adding to the cool factor of your room!  The shelf was designed by Stella Blue on Etsy and comes in a variety of shapes and sizes… they even take custom orders.  This one is priced for $146 and can be shipped to Canada. Use the shelf in a hard or soft loft and marvel at your favourite books on display!

Believe it or not… there’s a bit of Brooklyn in Toronto’s CityPlace neighbourhood.  In fact, there’s even a bit of Tokyo, London, and Hong Kong! Next time you’re in the area, pop into the lobby of 10 Capreol Court and look up over the concierges desk.  That’s where you’ll find Brooklyn artist Jose Parlas “Bridge” installation!

Now look a bit closer!  The white scribble is actually a story of Jose’s life in New York city (Brooklyn) and how it has become his bridge to other cities around the world.  Two pieces were commissioned by Concord Adex Developments for the Parade 1 lobby at CityPlace.

Watch Jose speak about the painting and describe the story behind the Bridge!

There’s been a lot of love for Minto’s town house development - Caledonia Towns on the Park! If you’ve driven by the site in the past 6 months chances are you’ve seen a “coming this fall” posted on the hoarding and because of it many have emailed for more info.

I’ve spoken directly with the company, and the latest is that the is “still in the planning and zoning stages”.  From my previous posts, what we do is know is that Minto will be building a total 50 townhome residences comprising of 2 and 3 bedrooms directly across from the park on Caledonia at St. Clair. Steps to shops, restaurants, and public transit. Once a launch date is given, I’ll be sure to post more info on the blog! Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve got a quick little update for those as excited as I am for the Hive Lofts to be built! According to Symmetry Developments: Building permits are in, and they’re awaiting partial permits for shoring/foundation/demolition/excavation. Aiming for a late Jan, early Feb construction start!

Sales are at 80% and thanks to a unit combination, the building will be more boutique than ever… with only 18 suites! There are only 4 units left, ranging in price from only $258,900- $317,900. Read the rest of this entry »

Have I got a treat for you today… in no particular order, I present to you 5 apps that will ensure you never miss a bus again, show you what the City looked like before a 50+ story condo towered over it, tell you if it’s safe to take a tip in the lake, how to order a cab without even dialing and how much time you have left in the parking meter before you get ticketed!

Rocket Man TTC Streetcar Bus Schedule app was the first Toronto based app I downloaded for the iPhone.  The app is crazy cool for it ability to to show the locations of TTC vehicles in REAL TIME! It let’s users know how long they’ll be waiting for the next bus. I’ve tested the accuracy of this app several times over and each time my bus arrived within 5 seconds of the estimated time! In the winter the app allows you those vital extra minutes indoors before stepping out in the cold and waiting for the bus.  In the summer, you can plan your escape from the patio just in time to catch your ride home.  No matter the season of the year, the Rocket Man app come highly recommend for it’s incredible accuracy and ease of use!

If you follow my photo blog, you probably have a pretty good idea of what the City looks like now… but what was on that corner before the sparkling glass tower was erected?  In the past, a trip down to the Toronto archives would be the only way to know, but thanks to the Zeitag TO app users can pull up pics from where they are of what the area looked like many years ago. I’ve tried it in different parts of the city and for now it typically works best in the downtown core.  They currently have over 500 photos from the 1900′s to 1980 with more being added over time! Read the rest of this entry »

The New Year is bringing good news to the residents of Murano’s north and south towers! According to a posting in their elevators, Lanterra is hoping to have the installation of the new balconies underway by the second week of January (weather permitted).  The two towers will be worked on simultaneously!