Posts Tagged ‘re/max realtron’

It looks like we’re getting closer and closer to the launch of ART Condos – a boutique atmosphere in the Studio District with only 147 suites!  The 11 story building will be made up of studios from 460 sqf to 2 bedroom units (with den) at 1290 sqf. The spacious unit will also feature a 960 sq f terrace on the 9th floor.  My personal pick is the two level suites that will have living, office, dining and kitchen on the first level with 2 bedrooms and laundry on the second!  Units will have 9ft ceilings and many include terraces or balconies.  In keeping with the culture, floor plans include long hallways allowing residents to show off their own collections of art in their units.

Amenities will include a resident lounge with fireplace, bar, and catering kitchen.  There will be an outdoor terrace with BBQ’s, a fire pit, built in banquets and a hot tub! I can’t wait to see what the interiors will look like…when you hire a team on 3RD UNCLE DESIGN; you know you’re in for a treat!

There’s nothing I dislike more then when condos are designed to look like night clubs.  Very quickly you get the Vegas effect (you want to leave after 4 days).  This condo is the exact opposite, embracing the area and celebrating its creative side. One article I read mentioned the main floor having live/work units which are sure to attract purchasers looking to make the most out of the Queen West location!

Prices and a launch date the next two strokes to complete the “ART Condo” painting, but until then check out their updated website with floor plans, a map of the area and an art gallery.  It’s going to be a great addition and an interesting mix of business and art!  Send me an email if you’d like further updates on the project.

It’s funny how fast things change! The same time last year I was using Facebook once and a blue moon, contemplated joining LinkedIn and hadn’t even heard of Twitter.  Fast forward a year and I have 4 website/blogs not including all the “social media” sites I’ve subscribed to!  The problem in the past was that I had a ton of info but no way of sharing them.  Now I have a ton of websites, but find it impossible to tell people about them in one breath…

Enter: SavelAndTheCity.com

It’s my new one-stop shop website that allows visitors to see the many sides of “Savel”! For example… by clicking  “in photos“, you’ll be taken to my photo blog which shows off all the cool pics I take around the City.  Interested in the happenings of Yorkville?  Try clicking on “BloorCondos.com” for the latest in high-end Real Estate and lifestyle! Or maybe you’re ready to have me work for you…click on “SavelSells.com” to find out more about the services I provide and how I get the job done!  Lastly there’s “SavelBlogs.com”, it’s an informal way of sharing my knowledge and experiences as a downtown Realtor… from new construction projects to the latest in upcoming trends my goal is to incorporate it all. 

As one colleague asked: “Is all this online fluff really necessary???” ABSOLUTLY…it keeps me on my toes and current with the ever changing downtown core.  Long gone are the Wild West ways of the past.  Transparency is everything and this is my way of participating in it. There’s more that makes a Realtor, beyond the cheesy bus stop ads, past the flashy suites, knowledge is what you’re hired for.  By using the different social media sites, it allows me to take in more info and through my various “Savel” themed outlets, i’m able to share it!

enjoy!

In November, River City Condos had their “lottery system” launch for Realtors and VIPs! They had tremendous success selling about 150 of their pre release units. The remaining units in the first two phases (the River St building and the King St building) are going to be released sometime in late February during a public launch. I’ve been given the opportunity and privilege of previewing prices and floor plans of the soon-to-be released units, earlier in the week. In short…I like what I see.

They’ve brought more useable space to purchasers through spacious corner suites in both buildings. A nearly 1200 sqf townhouse is also available this time around and comes with a garden patio. I sold here back in December and was quite pleased with the experience. At the time they had capped my purchaser’s adjustments to one of the lowest amounts I’ve ever seen! (The lower the developer caps a cost the less a purchaser has to pay at closing…for those not in the business, it’s a really good thing). Add over 23 acres of parks and public spaces as well as all the LEED Gold initiatives that the developers have planned…and we have ourselves some very exciting real estate!

They’re in the process of setting up a Saucier + Perrotte model kitchen at the sales centre which should be completed in the coming weeks. If you’d like to preview the floor plans and prices for River City before the February launch, there’s an awesome coffee shop (Savoury Grounds on Queen St) where I like to meet with clients :) send me and email or give me a call… I’d love to help!

Last night I was driving home along Davenport, and had the strangest thing happen to me…a billboard caught my eye!

With new online mediums such as Twitter, FaceBook and YouTube garnering my attention, I hardly ever notice print advertising. The ad was very simple, very meaningful, and very buzz worthy. Some lucky lady (or man) known only as JW was asked the big question…”Will You Marry Me?”

This morning I posted a tweet to my twitter followers asking if anyone else had seen the sign. Within seconds several people responded, one of which was @iSlutsky (also known as Matthew from BuzzBuzzHome). He not only saw the photo but also snapped a pic and posted it on his blog. Shortly after, a tweet came in from @Urban_Toronto (a popular forum for discussing projects and construction in Toronto) mentioning that the photo was now its “photo of the day”. Several others commented on it including friends in Burlington, Ottawa and downtown Toronto all wondering who these two people are. Back in the day (like 3 years ago) a billboard like that probably would have made it to the news in some form or other. Yet through one simple tweet tons of people picked up on the story much faster than before!

With the disaster that hit the people of Haiti, many traditional ways of communications were blocked. The major news outlets turned to FaceBook, Twitter and Flicr for updates from people on the ground. My point with the story is this, the old ways of doing things are changing…and fast! As @JenButson put it: “such an old style of advertising – men need to be more creative than that! ;)” I happen to like how JW was asked for marriage, but still, Jen is correct.

The same can be said for promoting your property. Long gone are the days of advertising an open house in a news paper. Mail-outs?? Forget-about-it! More and more eyes are focusing online for information. I think Realtors need more than just a website; they need avenues to promote your listing. For example, I use both “New School” and “Old School” ways to tell buyers (and the world) that your place is for sale! Now more than ever, you should be using a Realtor who embraces these mediums to sell your home.

The hunt is still on for the “Bill Board Lovers“… If you’re out there and reading this, send me an email, I’d love to hear how the proposal went!

ART condos, as I blogged about before the holidays, is looking like the first pre construction condo to launch in 2010. The more I research this one, the better it gets! We got a sneak peek at what’s to come as renderings for the project were posted on the BuzzBuzzHome Blog (you’ll want to add these guys to your RSS Reader as they always have a ton of great content about Toronto’s pre construction market). For your viewing pleasure, I’ve included the images below: Read the rest of this entry »

2010 is finallllly here! (Not that I had a bad 2009 by any means) The New Year always inspires me to work harder, smarter and better. I’ve been slacking on the post updates over the holidays but I’m back at the screen and am working on a ton of fresh new content for both SavelBlogs.com and BloorCondos.com!

On SavelBlogs, I’ll be focusing on a few new projects launching on 2010 as well spending more time discussing issues in the resale market! Although most of my energy is spent working with buyers, I plan on introducing some new and innovative ways to help Condo owners sell their places in a much more tech savvy way…and with all the preconstruction closings happening in 2010, the timing should be great! If you’d like to see more (or less) of a particular topic send me and email, I’d love to hear from ya!

And for those unsure what the Burj Dubai is…it’s the world’s tallest building (828m (2,716ft) high) and home to a few records including: highest occupied floor, the tallest service lift, and the world’s highest observation deck – on the 124th floor, the world’s highest mosque (158th floor) and swimming pool (76th floor). The Burj was officially opened today; check out the video above to see its opening ceremonies.

Happy buying and selling in 2010!!!

775 King West by Minto has been on the radar for a while, but it looks like 2010 will be the year this one takes off. Almost a year ago to the month, Minto closed the doors at the sales centre and put the project on hold. The general opinion on the project at the time was high prices per square foot, awkward floor plans…. and oh ya, they launched right in the thick of the big bad recession!

Since then Minto has been taking quite a few steps to improve the project. They’ve been getting a lot of public and Realtor opinion on what went wrong. It’s becoming a popular trend (and one I hope we see a lot more of in 2010) to have developers engage the public and incorporate their opinion into the developments they build.

According to their latest Tweet (as of August 30th 2009) “Great news! Minto is moving forward with plans to launch MintoKingWest as early as Feb 2010! New floor plans in the works right now.” This is the second King West project to launch in 2010, the other being DNA3! As always, if you’re looking to live downtown…I’d love to help!