Posts Tagged ‘real estate talk’

A few posts back, I wrote about how much I liked the 500 and 530 St. Clair project… now that a Starbucks opened up on the main level of 500, add another reason!  I actually don’t drink coffee (per-say) but I do love their green tea and the occasional moca-frappucino!

So why is a Starbucks such a big deal??? After all, it’s just another coffee shop right?  Well yes, but Starbucks doesn’t just open a place on any corner.  It’s not very often you see a Starbucks close down, and I believe it’s because of all the research and surveying that’s done before one actually opens. I was prepared to write a whole post on the “Starbuck Effect” and the type of positive changes that one brings to an area….BUT another blogger beat me too it!  Instead of rewriting what he’s already written, I encourage you to check out David Fleming’s post entitled “The Starbucks Effect“ He pretty much sums up all the areas that have benefitted from having the popular coffee shop open up in their area!

I firmly believe that the strip of St. Clair (From Bathurst to Oakwood) will be seeing positive changes in the coming years.  It already has streetcar AND subway access, not to mention the massive Loblaw’s for shopping, and Cedervale Park for leisure.  With big name chains like Starbucks moving in, it’s only a matter of time before others set up shop!  Local residential hot spot “Ferro” also looked like it was expanding its space in anticipation for more business along the strip!

Property values aside, there is another reason why this particular store deserves attention.  It’s the first (at least to my knowledge) Starbucks in Toronto that was built to LEED standards!   LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, and a system that more and more Toronto developers trying to incorporate into their buildings.  Though ordering your moca-froca-whatever from a LEED Certifies Starbucks won’t taste and different than any other Starbucks… It is good to see the massive coffee chain reducing their environmental footprint through energy and water conservation, recycling and green construction.

Drop in to the new Starbucks; it has a very loft-like look to it with a decent combination of wood and concrete finishes!

I spend a lot of time downtown; eating, living and most importantly WORKING.  One of the great advantages that I can offer my clients is knowledge, and specifically in the downtown core.  Before even getting into the business I spent over 3 months building (what I thought at the time) “THE ULTIMATE GOOGLE MAP.” I had everything from condos to grocery stores and even side streets with free parking.  The map (which I still use) is a great tool that helps better inform my clients of the features and amenities located around their future home.  As I spread out to different parts of Toronto, I’m faced with the problem of creating similar maps for the rest of the city…that was until I stumbled across the ZOOCASA website.

In a nutshell, the website is a similar public version of the googlemaps I had created…except on steroids (actually unlike steroids, they’re perfectly legal).  These guys cover it all, from schools and daycares to gyms and bowling alleys!!  I was really impressed with the level of detail ZooCasa went into, especially with school info.  Just type in the neighbourhood you’re interested in researching and in seconds a list of schools pops up. They even have the Provincial Testing results (provided by the Fraser Institute).  BUT WAIT, it gets better.  Aside from area features and schools it also provides something that really caught my eye…LISTINGSSSS!  You can browse available homes/condos for sale in your search area and in a few clicks get tons of info on the property as well as options to contact the brokerage for more info. 

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Here’s my real estate video blog #2  Leave a comment below or contact me directly if you’d like to discuss deposits further!

It’s been a long time coming, but the condos at 263 Wellington have just been registered.  The intimate 14 story building is nestled right in the entertainment and financial district.  Units are very spacious for downtown standards, offering sizes from 789 to 1058 square feet.

If you’re a unit owner in the building, now would be a perfect time to list and capitalize on the appreciation from buying at pre construction prices.  Buyers, expect a healthy selection of units on the market in the coming months.

Whatever your side, contact me…I’d love to help!

 
hotDocs has just wrapped up another successful year in Toronto.  (you can read about what you’ve missed in my previous post).  This being my first year attending, I was excited to take in all the sites and sounds.  It didn’t dissapoint at all.  I arrived an hour early to a crowd of over 30 people in the “last minute” ticket line. Not to mention over 100 regular ticket holders. It goes to show how serious Torontonians are about their films. 

This years winning doc was Hubert Davis’s Invisible City, taking home the $15,000  prize.  Check out the trailer for his award winning movie above!

If you’re thinking of moving up to “Hollywood North”, give me a call or send me an email, I’d love to help!

Well actually it’s the Athena Couch, but there’s no better place than a condo for this goddess of comfort. The sleek couch integrates a computer, ipod/phone dock, 8″ subwoofer with loud speakers and a 100-watt digital amplifier. Oh ya… did I mention all this is wifi?
A must have for all tech-ie’s!!

The Toronto Real Estate Board just released it’s annual “Rental Market Report” full of good news for Landlords.
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