Posts Tagged ‘affordable’

We finally got our first glimpse of what Tableau will look like!  On Thursday, brokers were invited to hear David Wex (of Urban Capital) speak on the unique characteristics that Tableau has planned for future residents!

The play on words of “Tableau”, (French for table) is apparent throughout the marketing of the project!   The features of the condo are broken down in 3 different parts of the Tableau…below, on and above! To add to my previous post of what the condo will offer:

BELOW THE TABLE –  will feature a combination of design powerhouses.  Starting with my favourite part of the project is Shayne Darks “Nova” piece (seen above) that will  shoot through the table and add a dynamic display to the condo.  Below the table will be Claude Cormiers mosaic tiled plaza that will give a “ying and yang” contrast with the green space his firm is also working on across the street from Tableau.  To whisk you to and from your unit will be 4 high speed elevators. The lobby will house a 18′ high marble clad wall on one side with a floor to ceiling windows over looking the public plaza. Residential and commercial lobbies will be designed by Cecconi Simone. The current site of Embassy Night club will be worked into the building…sort of.  The tower and table will sit on top of the existing building with the facade being worked into the design instead of demolished!  Below are a few photos of what the corner currently looks like:

Read the rest of this entry »

DID YOU KNOW… the location of your condo may determine who pays for the status certificate!

Wait…do you even know what a “status certificate” is? And why you should be asking for one when purchasing a condo?

In the simplest terms, a Status Certificate is set of documents prepared by a condo board to illustrate the financial health of the building! A typical certificate will show a variety of facts including: how many units are being leased in the building, any shortages in payments of maintenance fees (for the particular unit) and the amount levels of the reserve fund.  They take 10 days to prepare (though most boards I’ve dealt with produce them sooner) and can be obtained by the unit owner.  They’re typically requested when a buyer submits an offer to purchase.  The purpose of the documents is better educate the potential buyer on the financial status of the condo and point out any pitfalls that may lay ahead if the decide to go through with the purchase.  A Real Estate lawyer is often best to review the Status and relay it’s info to the purchaser!

Now that we know what it is and why it’s needed, it’s time to answer the almighty dollar question “Who pays for it?”

Up until a few weeks ago, it was to my understanding that in Canada the seller is the one who pays for it…but after talking with Matt Richling, a colleague selling real estate in Ottawa I learnt different!  In Ottawa it’s common practice for the buyer to be the one who pays the fee. Which would make sense since it’s the buyer who’d be most interested in it’s findings. Fortunately for buyers in Toronto that’s not the case, and the seller typically pays for the status.  Your Realtor should always have the “Cost Talk” with you to better inform you of all the expenses that tend to pop up above and beyond the sticker price!

I ALWAYS recommend putting in a clause requesting a copy of the status and having a Real Estate lawyer review it.  Regardless of who pays for it…it only costs $100 and could save you a million headaches in the future!  If you’re looking at buying place of your own downtown…feel free to call or email…I’d love to help!

Shooting up from the base of X condos is Shayne Dark’s latest installation, entitled: Double Vision…admittingly, that’s exactly what I did when I first saw it!  Located on the corner of Charles St and Ted Rogers Way, the dark red columns appear to be blasting through the concrete, nearly reaching the 3rd floor.  It wasn’t so much the installation that made me do a double take, it was more the shock of seeing art and architecture finally together in a Toronto condo project! Tableau is taking a similar approach by having Shayne do and installation at their project as well.  There’s will feature neon green columns piercing through the base (tableau) of the condo!

Here’s to hoping more developers follow the trend!

What an exciting time to be growing up in the City…before are very eyes, many of the social districts and areas in downtown Toronto are changing!  Take for example, the “Club District”.   The tastes and styles of the party goers who once dominated the area have shifted and because of this many have flocked to different areas such as Queen and King West!  Although the partiers may have left…many of the 20th century warehouses still stand!

Enter: Tableau Condos!

The brains of Urban Capital (Think River City, St. Nicholas and Mondrian for the Ottawa readers), Malibu Investments (think Boutique Condos and LTD) and Alit Developments (think Murano and Water Park City) will be collaborating their experience and skills to transform the Peter and Richmond corner (117 Peter to be exact)!

Where should I start on why I like this project?… let’s say the bottom!

A tableau (French for table) will sit at the base of the building with the residential component above.  For me this is a welcoming change in design as most condos dedicate their base to a boring podium that tends to isolate the building from the environment around it.  The “table” will help preserve the facade of the current building (Embassy Night Club) and give a more airy feel to pedestrians at street level.  The warehouse facade will be worked into the space and will be home to ground level retail and over 25,000 square feet of office space on the two stories above!

Bursting through the Tableau will be vibrant green 90’ high art installation by Shane Dark called “Nova”.  Many may not recognize his name, but if you’ve passed by X Condo (at Jarvis and Charles) recently, you sure to have seen his work!

Read the rest of this entry »

There’s a new neighbour in town, and they go by the name of Concert Properties! Largely known in Vancouver, Concert Properties recently ventured East to downtown Toronto for the launch of their latest project: The Berczy!

The Berczy is a boutique collection of 161 city homes in a terraced 13-storey residential midrise within the heart of the historic St. Lawrence neighbourhood of Toronto.   Sales were very strong for The Berczy, resulting in most units selling out in less than a year!

Like any good neighbour,  Concert will be giving back to the community with a free pancake breakfest Saturday October 16th from 8-10 am at the Berczy Park!  Learn about the neighbourhood’s history and folklore from renowned local historian Bruce Bell as well as enjoy entertainment for the whole family.

If you haven’t visited the sales centre yet, I suggest you do so soon!  Construction is scheduled to start November 1st, leaving only a few weeks left (sales centre closing October 15th, 2010) to check out the two model units on display at their showroom.

If you’d like to live at the Berczy…Send me an email or give me a call, I’d love to help!

In less than a month one of the 5 candidates pictured above will be your new mayor.  The thought of it to me is both exciting and scary…exciting because of all the opportunities a fresh mind can bring to the City BUT scary because none of the potential candidates have shown that side of them.

I’ve attended 3 mayoral debates in person and watched several on TV. All of the candidates have made some big promises from abolishing the Toronto Land Transfer Tax to extending Allen Rd!  But not one has addressed their agenda for condos…with over 2,100 condo corporations registered in Toronto, there are a lot of issues that these mayoral hopefuls need tackle!

For example, if there are 30 condominium units stacked high on one parcel of land, why does each pay property tax at the same percentage rate as a single home on a plot of land?  Shouldn’t there be an incentive for living in a maximized use of limited land?  Will the next City Council approve as many condo developments as the last?  What are the Councillors plans to reduce urban sprawl, and keep more residents in the City?  With roughly 50,000 people making Toronto home every year, are we building enough condos to house them…or too much?

Thankfully the Toronto Chapter of the Canadian Condominium Institute will be holding a debate this Thursday (September 30, 2010) at the Novotel North York Hotel (3 Park Home Avenue) to tackle some of these exact questions!  The debate starts at 2 pm and is free to attend, but registration is a must…and if you care about the future of condos in Toronto, I’d say attendance is must as well!!!

Goodbye Leslieville Lofts…Hello Riverside Towns!

Back in 2008 Lamb Development Corp and Hyde Park Homes (think The King East) had plans of building Leslieville Lofts at Queen E and Broadview.  The plans were calling for a 9 story loft to be constructed on the site…only problem was, the City and the residents weren’t behind them.  The City had issues with height and the residents weren’t too keen on having a project in Riverside being named Leslieville (Leslieville starts a few blocks East). The site has sat vacant for the past few years with not much changing.

And now the good news…

On a recent sushi lunch in the area, I noticed new signage posted over the vacant building announcing the new RIVERSIDE TOWNS!  The redesigned site will eventually be home to one and two bedroom stacked town homes! According to the application amendment (pictured in the gallery below) approximately 65 units will make up the Riverside Towns.

Early renderings show the exterior taking the shape of a red brick Victorian home, with the potential of rooftop terraces for upper units and patios for the lower units!  Based on the projects registration page, units should range from 500 to 1,100 + square feet! No launch date has been announced, but if you’d like to be kept in the loop with this project …give me a call or send me an email, I’d love to help!