Posts Tagged ‘condo’

Earlier in the week, I recieved my brokers invite to the launch of Riverside Towns!  The invite shared more info about the project including:

• All brick and stone exteriors
• clean, modern interiors
• 9ft high smooth ceilings
• engineered hardwood floors
• European inspired kitchens with stone counters
• garden patios, balconies and rooftop terraces
• stainless steel appliances
• all gas cooking
• designer styled modern baths

The launch is happening this Monday, November 1st!  I’ll be attending the event and if you’d like to join…feel free to call or email…I’d love to help!  You can check out more pics of the project at my previous post!

“Downtown Condos” may not be the most creative name for a new project…but building a condo with the ability for owners to combine or divide suites definitely changes it up!

The proposed 11 storey building by Parallax Investments will have only 89 suites including Penthouse and Town homes.  Located at 508 Wellington West in the King West part of town, the project will be built directly next to Bar Wellington and diagonally across from Victoria Memorial Park.  Downtown Condos will have the usual amenities of a lobby with concierge, second floor party room and a theatre room to name a few BUT the truly unique feature is in the units…

Parallax and &Co Architects will be implementing a state of the art idea not seen yet in Toronto, they’re calling it the FlexNatür planning system.  According to their sales literature:

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!