Mark Savels Toronto Real Estate Blog » first time buyer

Construction Continues at Underpass Park

Mark Savel — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:52:57 +0000

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:

Here are a few renderings from Waterfront Toronto of what the Park will look like once complete:

Not only will the Park be an upgrade from what’s currently there, it’ll also bring added value to those who have (or plan to) purchase at River City! Some great layouts are still available in the first phase of the project!

…and check out a video I filmed of the park being built!

Toronto Outdoor Pools Now Open

Mark Savel — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:37:18 +0000

Pool season has officially begun! With the hot June summer weather rolling into town, 12 outdoor pools opened their doors early this year. On Saturday June 26, the City’s remaining 47 outdoor pools opened up along with more than 100 wading pools. Outdoor pools and wading pools will remain open for the season, until September 5. It’s expected to be a hot one this year, so check out the City of Toronto’s website for a full list of pools, locations and hours of operation!

…or better yet, why not buy a condo with pool already in it! Give me a call or send me an email…I’d love to help!

Special Summer Offer at Trinity Lofts

Mark Savel — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 02:44:15 +0000

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!

BILD Award for Best Building Design – River City

Mark Savel — Mon, 31 May 2010 15:58:56 +0000

And the award for Best Building Design goes to……….*drumroll*

RIVER CITY!!!

Congratulations to all that have been involved in making the project so special. And even bigger congratulations goes to the purchasers who now live in the best designed building according to BILD (Building Industry and Land Development)

The first phase is over 70% sold with a variety of layouts still available. Designed by Saucier + Perrotte, River City will be a four phased community of over 900 loft-style condominiums and townhouses, together with street level restaurants, cafes and boutiques! I’ve been covering the project extensively since it first launched back in 2009 and will continue to as the West Don Lands transform into one of downtown Toronto’s newest neighbourhoods!

For floorplans, prices, and availability…give me a call or send me an email, I’d love to help!

What’s the difference between a Condo and an Apartment?

Mark Savel — Thu, 27 May 2010 02:03:39 +0000

Ever wonder why some people call their place of residence an apartment and others a condo? I sure did!

It was about 7 years ago when my curiosity had gotten the better of me (I wasn’t yet licensed as a Realtor). At the time, many of my friends were either buying or renting a place of their own. It was common to hear my renter friends say “come to my apartment this weekend” while the purchasing friends would say “you’ve got to check out the views from my condo”…or something like that.

For the most part I thought I had the terminology all figured out…the renters lived in apartments and the owners lived in condos. I’m sure some of you have thought…or at least asked the same question! After correcting numerous people on the differences, I’ve decided to put together a simple explanation that should clarify this often confusing use of terminology!!!

Here we go:

An apartment is a word used to describe the style of building! For example an apartment can take the shape of a high-rise or low-rise.

A condo (or condominium as they’re legally known) is a style of ownership and could come in a variety of forms…townhouses, detached houses, high-rise, low-rise, industrial or even retail! Therefore, a condominium is not defined by its physical structure but rather the way in which owners have agreed to share the ownership of the common elements of the property while retaining individual ownership of parts of the property which make up their units!

Now that we’ve gotten that straightened out, let’s get you a condo of your own…send me an email or give me a call I’d love to help!

The Don River Park Under Construction

Mark Savel — Tue, 18 May 2010 05:29:45 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Check out the progress at the Don River Park…what is no more than piles of dirt will soon be a 17 acre park in the West Don Lands part of the City (which is actually the East side of the City. Confusing, I know!).

In this video update, I take a look at the early evolution of the Don River Park. Once complete, the green space will link residents of River City to the future site of the Pan Am Village. See for yourself in the video above!

If you’re interested in calling River City home, give me a call or send me an email… I’d love to help!

What Will DNA 3 Look Like?

Mark Savel — Thu, 13 May 2010 18:31:25 +0000

The Deoxyribonucleic Acid (or DNA) of Canderel Stoneridge latest project, DNA3, is really starting to come together! The developer is no stranger to the King West/Liberty Village area having already built DNA, DNA2 and The Massey Harris Lofts! For DNA3 I particularly like the rectangular highlights placed along the condos facade as shown in the rendering above.

Approximately 600 units will be constructed on the King and Shaw site with suite finishes designed by Cecconi Simone. Other amenity spaces will include an outdoor terrace space, sundeck and misting station, private lounges and dining areas, a state of the art fitness facility and relaxing yoga lounge.

You may remember me talking about DNA3 back in October as the site was also used as the headquarters for LG Fashion Week…since then, the catwalk has been cleared and the curtains closed to make way for a new star. With all the interest surrounding DNA3, I’ll be posting more details as well as preview opportunities in the coming weeks!